Red
Glare unlucky 13 was upon us so Toni and I packed the Highlander
with rockets and supplies to last us four days. We headed to
Maryland’s Eastern Shore for the first rocket launch of the
winter season at Higgs Farm. We arrived Thursday and set up the
equipment for Red Glare which would start on Friday. It took
most of the day to unload and configure the equipment under the
mostly cloudy skies and chilly breezes. We headed to the Sleep
Inn for hot showers before meeting everyone for dinner at The
Narrows Restaurant. Dinner was excellent as usual. We headed to
the hotel for good night sleep knowing that the first day of Red
Glare 13 will soon be upon us.
Friday morning brought continuing cloudy skies and chilly
breezes. Veterans of Red Glares know that Friday is the best day
to fly as the crowds arrive on Saturday and there is usually a
waiting line to get your rocket on the pad. My temporary repairs
were completed for
Shaken, Not Stirred and she
was whole again.
Shaken, Not Stirred was prepped
with a CTI 143 Smoky Sam and taken to the pad for its 49th
flight.
Shaken, Not Stirred still looked very
good from the flight line despite the many repairs over the
years.
Shaken, Not Stirred soared to 1,266 feet
on its dark smoky contrail before arching over and deploying the
drogue. The mains were ejected at 400 feet as expected and
Shaken,
Not Stirred gently landed in the soft cover crop
with no damage.
See
Shaken, Not Stirred fly here.
Toni had a coworker in the crowd and wanted to get
Sally
Ride up in the air. Toni prepared
Sally Ride
and chose a CTI J425 Blue for propulsion. At the end of the
countdown,
Sally Ride leapt off the pad under its
blue plum and slightly arched into the wind before topping out
at 1,560 feet and deploying her drogue.
Sally Ride
deployed her mains shortly afterward at 700 feet and gently came
to rest just beyond the C-Rack.
See
another nice flight of Sally Ride here.
Sally Ride was the last flight for us during the day. Toni
helped with registration and I filmed other flights in between
lending a hand to keep the launches running smoothly. Friday
night we enjoyed a nice dinner at Fishermen’s Inn before
retiring for the night.
Toni and I arrived early Saturday and there was already a crowd.
The pits were busy with flyers getting reacquainted, prepping
their projects, and talking about projects yet to come. We
quickly configured the field for the day. The skies were blue
providing some warmth as full racks after full racks of rocket
flights continued throughout the day. There were CATOs, shreds,
and recovery failures that rained pieces over the field most of
the day. This carnage is typical for Red Glare Saturday as
flyers push the envelopes, test new propellant formulas, or
forget the necessary preparation steps in the excitement of Red
Glare. The setting sun soon brought an end to Saturday as flyers
left the field to prepare for the Red Glare banquet. The banquet
brought the flyers together as we enjoyed good food and cheap
drinks while enjoying various videos of flights past. Toni and I
hit the hay after the banquet.
We woke early Sunday morning and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast
at Holly’s before heading to the field. I swapped out
Shaken,
Not Stirred temporarily repaired sustainer for a new
refurbished sustainer made from more durable fiberglass. The
refurbished sustainer paint was not yet even fully dried. It was
missing its decals. I prepped
Shaken, Not Stirred for
its 50th flight. I wanted the 50th flight during Red Glare XIII
to coincide with the 50 year anniversary of James Bond. With
another H143SS for propulsion,
Shaken, Not Stirred
ascended on its 50th flight into the yonder to 1,152 feet where
she separated on queue at apogee. The small drogue did not
deployed but no big deal as the main deployed at 400 feet and
landed
Shaken, Not Stirred in the soft cover crop
without any damage. The refurbished sustainer will receive its
final coat of paint and its decals by next month. The upper
section will also be refurbished soon.
See
Shaken, Not Stirred 50th flight celebrating 50
years of James Bond here.
That was the last flight for us for Red Glare XIII. I assisted
with the launch and filmed other flights. Toni helped at the
registration desk until the setting sun and dropping
temperatures signaled the end of Red Glare XIII. We made quick
work closing the field and enjoyed a nice beer while reflecting
over the weekend’s events. I committed to seeing
Skyfall
before Thanksgiving. Until the next launch . . .