Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ฦ’/5
70 mm
1/4,000
400

I took my minimum-diameter GLR Firestorm54 rocket supersonic yesterday on a Aerotech K805 Green Mojave motor.

This 6 ft. tall rocket has two parachute bays and a G-Wiz LCX computer that deploys the smaller drogue chute at 12K ft. and the main chute at 800 ft. to minimize wind drift on the return. But the winds aloft took it several miles out into the Sierra foothills anyway. Tom tracked it with binoculars, but alas, she was over the hills and far away. Anticipating this possibility, I wrote my cell phone number on every section, and the fiberglass airframe should survive a few years of weather exposure, so I am optimistic that she will return one day.

At full size, you can see the Mach diamonds in the brilliant green plume.

Here is a short ground video of its 30G leap into the sky, disappearing from sight at 1,092 MPH (according to RockSim; actual performance is ensconced in the on-board flight computer)

11 responses to “Festive Firestorm”

  1. Very cool – hope you get it back someday! Is the shockwave from such a small section large enough (or close enough) to be heard from the ground?

  2. The shock wave isn’t audible because it travels (more or less) perpendicular to the direction of travel.

    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Sonic_boom.svg

    In theory you could hear it if you were in the right location during the ascent.

    So Steve, no tracking device on that sucker? You a crazy boy, Snow Ranch can be a harsh mistress for sure.

  3. So true. But that’s part of the charm…

    I picked up my long lost LOC Expediter at this launch:

    Lost & Found

    So, I am trading lost birds and keeping one rocket in the field…

  4. I wish that BATF rules & regs weren’t as instrusive and limiting as they are; I was always an avid rocketeer (of the ubiquitous ‘D’-class variety!) while growing up, but as an adult have been bummed out by the BATFs attitudes towards rocketry.

    Big motors != terrorist tools.

  5. How far away do you think it landed?

  6. over 5 miles… and it has Victor’s computer sled in it…. oops! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    spincycle: the jurisdiction overreach may be overturned… new news

  7. steve, are you going to audition for this? ๐Ÿ˜€

  8. Excellent news re: potential BATF decision!

    Would be enough for me to buy a copy of Rocksim and start building seriously again. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. We fought the ATF, and we won!

    Who do you love?

    P.S. Why should one bureau get to manage all the fun?!

  10. Holy crap 5 miles are you sure it’s that far away. When I flew mine to 13K out at BR it only landed about a mile out.

  11. I’ll go look for it.

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