Oct 5, 2019 Launch in Amesbury; Another Great Day
- Details
- Published: Wednesday, 09 October 2019 17:25
- Written by Claude Maina
So far the weather gods have been kind to CMASS this fall. Yesterday was another great day for flying - sunny, temps in the 50's/60's and very little to no wind. We had a relatively small crowd considering the weather. I estimated about 30 to 40 people at mid-day. Students from Tufts were there, a few families and a couple of first-timers, which is always nice. And even though the crowd was small, there were some serious flighers. We had 237 flights ranging from 13mm A3's to a couple of I motors. Curtis flew one of his upscale Deuces Wild, unfortunately not too successfully this time as one of the motors failed to ignite. Scott Clement was there 
with his Holloween collection that included some of his all time hits - 'Skull and Cross Bones' that lets its brains loose at ejection and 'Pumpkin Sky' that releases several pumpkins. We had one L1 certification, actually a successful re-certification for Jay Hart with his Phoenix on an Aerotech H123W.
Many thanks to all those who volunteered: Kenn, Guy, Howard, Curtis, Tony Vincent, Chris Shrenko, Matt Laudato, Linda for helping with food. Special thanks to Bruce Strong for shuttle service (and he had a really nice Decaffeinator!). And thanks to all those who helped out during the day that I did not mention. Pictures are in the Gallery; please post yours. Our next launch is back at Woodsom Farm on Nov 2nd.
The launch, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed until Sunday due to wind direction and forecast of rain. It was a good call, as Sunday was a great day; sunny, cool and a moderate breeze blowing away from the power lines for most of the day (does anyone doubt Kenn!). The only smudge on the day was the persistent yellow jackets that were a nuisance to many, but especially to the food servers. Yellow jackets are usually much more active in the fall, and we must have disturbed a number of their nests. So... to vent on a pet peeve. I heard a few people Saturday refer to the yellow jackets as bees. Yellow jackets are wasps and not bees. Although bees, wasps and hornets are all related and look similar, there are significant differences among them. For a brief Hymenoptera lesson, you can watch this short 
were down by the parking area and I'm sure how active they were. I didn't see any of their glides during the day. We had 180 flights ranging from a couple of 13mm A3's through an I263 and a cluster of 2 H143 CTI motors - one of Curtis's upscale Deuces Wild (check out his article in the latest Sport Rocketry). There were three CATO's (Estes A10, D12 and E12). The D12 CATO was mine and turned my Mega Baron biplane into a single winged glider! Scott Clement came with his fall collection that included 'Corn on the Cob' and his Dunkin Munchkins! I think he got all of the munchkins back (they must be really stale by now!). Kudos also to Frank DeAngelo for launching the first rocket purchased from the AMW sale. The Spadafora fund thanks you! I launched by streaming UFFO and Bronx Bomber. The Bomber gave a great flight, as usual, which I (Kenn and Guy) hope is a good omen for the post season!
