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MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report

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2 years 11 months ago #10417 by curtisheisey
MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report was created by curtisheisey
I travelled to RedGlare on Mar 25th Thursday, for the Fri-Sun launch weekend.  It took 6.5 hours to drive to the field on the Delaware-MD Peninssula (would probably be a lot longer in non-COVID reduced traffic) from Sudbury.   I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Easton, MD, another 45 mins south.  Brenton and Esther were there as well as Tom Zacharer from our area.

I attended the launch beause of a consortium that build a large Deuce's Wild! on two "O" motors.  They consulted with me on a few safety items, so I wanted to see it launch.  I stopped by the field on Th and met the builders.

So first, the bad, well not bad because of the local club, but because of the weather. Got to the field early Fri AM.  The predicitions for a windy day held true. Gusts to 35 MPH, so noboday was really launching anything besides spools and saucers. I did launch my rebuilt Applewhite Stealth on a 54 mm EX motor.  It flew great.  I spent the rest of the day prepping. Also, late Sat they announced that Sun was cancelled due to rain forecaset.

In spite of only one day flying, it was well worth the trip for me.

They had 12 1515 rails, 12 1010 rails and a row of low power pads and 3 towers and 2 1515 rails in the away cells.

On Sat AM early they started setting up the big Deuce. They needed a tractor to lift the 500 lb beast onto the tower.  While that was going on, I launched by 3in Deuce's Wild in a drag race. 

The big deuce flew just after lunch.  For me it lived up to the expecatation. There are a number of pix and videos on FB.  

I launched my 7.5 in deuce on two K530 4-grain 54mm smoky sam and two airstart H90's for show. It flew beautifully.

At the end of the day, I flew my 4in Deuce on two I287 smoky sam. I forgot a cable, so no airstarts for that flight.

The MDRA crowd was very courteous, friendly and helpful. There were so many flights of the highest professional caliber.

A lot of memorable flights -- 3/4 scale patriot,  a 4-staged I, and a corkscrew high power rocket by John Clifton.

This is definely going in my todo list for next year.
 

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2 years 11 months ago #10428 by deangelo54
Replied by deangelo54 on topic MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report
Does the club have regularly scheduled launches during the year or was this a special annual event?

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2 years 11 months ago #10429 by KennB
Replied by KennB on topic MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report
Bing is your friend.
mdrocketry.org/
 

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2 years 11 months ago #10430 by curtisheisey
Replied by curtisheisey on topic MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report
RedGlare is an annual event, assuming no pandemic by MDRA (MD) rocket club. Some years they have a Spring and a Fall RedGlare.

They have two fields, both very large. The RedGlare site they can only use before/after crops.

The other is a large sod field.

But driving around on the Delaware-MD Peninsula, you go by field after field after field that one ups anything we have up here. Lots of flat farm land and sod fields.


www.google.com/maps/search/higgs+farm,+m...,2320m/data=!3m1!1e3

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2 years 11 months ago #10431 by curtisheisey
Replied by curtisheisey on topic MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report
And someone assembled a video of one of my flights.

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2 years 11 months ago #10434 by deangelo54
Replied by deangelo54 on topic MDRA - RedGlare brief launch report
Great video. Curtis, you have inspired an entire generation to build and fly Deuces Wild rockets of all sizes. You have taken the hobby where no rocketeer has gone before.

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