The Bandits Strike Again

Another Bandit launch. We arrived at 3:30 only to prep rockets and watch cricket for awhile. More than we wanted to or planned on, but they finally cleared the field at 4:55, and we set up two launch positions, one LCOed by Frank and the other LCOed by Howard.

I got one launch of a deuce's wild with a 3d printed fin can on 2xB6's, and two drag races of deuces with 2xA8's. My finish and paint job don't hold a candle to Tony's, but I tried to make up for it with the addition of vinyl stickers. Howard got two spectacular launches of his new Sumo in and two launches of other birds that I forget the names of.

I got a text asking why the grill wasn't going, so I scurried off, but the bandits carried on after left.

Photos in the gallery, Page 19
www.cmass.org/index.php?view=category&ca...=70&page=19#category

The Saturday evening Bandit launch was a big success. The first launch of the evening was my Super Big Bertha on a D12-3. John Petrakis launched his Pro Series II Ventris. It was a perfect launch that went straight up and landed well within the boundaries of the field.

Our special guest was long time CMASS member, Ron Q. Ron didn't launch anything but we enjoyed his company and were happy to see him.

l launched yet another in my series of scratch built rockets. It is built from parts that club members have given to me over the years. The centering rings were made by Curtis almost two years ago.

The rocket is 44" long, 3" in diameter, weighs 18 ounces and has a 29 mm motor tube. Since I planned on using an E16-6 engine, I named the rocket CATO-1. To my surprise, not only didn't it CATO, but the engine and rocket performed perfectly.

The last flight of the evening was at 7:00 PM. A good time was had by all.
I'll see about getting some of Linda's photos up in the gallery.

I should also mention that there was a dad and his young son that came to the field sometime after the Bandits arrived. They launched what I think was an Estes Alpha. Howard being Howard, was kind enough to take them under his wing and tell them about his rockets and share some of his knowledge about model rocketry. Howard is an excellent example of paying it forward.

Howard has mentored several college rocketry teams throughout the years.

Live from Acton, It's Saturday Night!
Linda and I arrived at the field at 4:32 PM.The cricked game on the NE corner of the field was over by the time I unloaded my car. The game on the SW side of the field ended at 5:30. The first launch of the night was shortly after the field was clear. Because of the wind, I setup deep into the NE side of the field.

Given the engine and rocket combinations I used, I didn't have any problems with the wind. The wind did slow down for a while, but eventually it picked up again.

There was a family launching at the NE corner of the field that came by to help me launch my Super Big Bertha. The kids got a kick out of it and I enjoyed having them come by.

I got in six launches by 7:00 PM when Linda and I called it quits. Year to date I'm up to 147 launches. Will I make it to 200? I'll have to do the math.

Heard on the meeting last night that there might be a Bandits gathering on Columbus day. Would this be in Acton? Depending on the time/weather I know we would certainly be interested.

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