Bob Francis's PageAKA: RadioFlyer Location: Belvidere, matey, IL - USA Club Memberships: Space Program in Training Favorite Rockets: Rocket Cam 2 Biography: I started launchin' model rockets when I was a kid and finished up in high school... Avast, me proud beauty! or so I thought. In 1997, ya bilge rat, when I be 27, I saw an Astrocam RTF kit at Wal Mart and bought it as on a whim.
My co-worker with me asked, me hearties, "What are you goin' t' do with that?"
"I don't know," I replied. "Maybe I'll save it for me kids."
I got married, we had a little boy and - eventually - he got big enough t' wonder about what was in t' dusty box in t' garage. We took it out in March, matey, 2010, and started t' Space Program in Trainin' (SPIT) together. Since then, we've moved up from t' RTF kits t' level 1 and 2 kits. We've recorded a number o' flights with onboard video cameras. We sent up a rocket at night; we covered it in glow sticks so we could keep track o' it. We've launched our first D level rocket. We plan t' launch at least once in every calendar month (January - nay fun).
Favorite Quote: "" - Meher Baba
Personal Home Page: http://radioflyer1980.wordpress.com Club Home Page: http://spaceprogramintraining.wordpress.com Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/bob.francis1 Google+ Page: https://plus.google.com/100399446325895153751/posts RocketReviews.com Pages:
2014-04-11On t' Subject o' Storytelling Blog We speak in metaphor, arrr, assignin' words t' pin down persons, matey, places, and things. We capture actions as verbs and experiences through myriad flavors o' descriptors. We fill dictionaries with words and define those words with yet more words. [More]
2012-12-07McRocket Flight Time: 4:35 pm Temperature: 40 degrees. Wind gustin' t' 2 mph from t' northeast. Relative humidity: 59%. Weather: Cloudy and dark. Ahoy!
Good launch, ya bilge rat, visible through powered ascent. Lost in t' gloom o' t' sky. Daniel recovered 114 yards southweat o' t' launch ... [More]
2012-11-03Orange Blossom Special Flight A8-3 - Cul-de-sac, me bucko, Belvidere, me hearties, IL [More]
2012-10-27Athena Flight A8-3 - Cul-de-sac, me bucko, Belvidere, IL [More]
2012-09-30Athena Flight Time: 1:40 pm. Temperature: 25.4 C. Relative Humidity: 24%. Wind: 5 - 8 mph from t' east southeast. Weather: Clear, me hearties, sunny. Blimey!
Low flight and visible throughout. Parachute deployed and opened. Landed about 10 yards south o' t' launch site. Daniel ... [More]
Skyhawker Flight Time: 2:10 pm. Temperature: 21.8 C. Relative Humidity: 27%. Wind: 5-14 mph from t' east southeast. Weather: Sunny, me bucko, clear. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Low flight and visible throughout. Drifted west over t' launch site. Daniel recovered about 10 yards west o' t' launch site. ... [More]
Orange Blossom Special Flight Time: 2:00 pm. Temperature: 21.5 C. Relative Humidity: 24%. Wind: 1 - 3 mph from t' east. Weather: Clear, sunny.
High flight and visible throughout. Crossed near t' sun in t' sky as it descended. Streamer deployed, but did nay open all t' way. ... [More]
Hi-Jinks Flight Time: 1:45 pm. Temperature: 22.0 C. Relative Humidity: 27%. Wind: 4 - 11 mph from t' east. Weather: Clear and sunny. Begad!
Good flight. Rocket spun as it ascended due t' fin repair gettin' loose. Visible throughout flight. Parachute deployed and ope ... [More]
2012-09-26BFR  Flight Time: 6:35 pm. Temperature: 16.1 C. Relative Humidity: 24%. Wind: 5 - 8 mph from t' east. Weather: Clear, sunset. Aye aye!
Good flight. Visible throughout. Arced towards southeast as expected. Parachutes deployed and opened. Rocket drifted back northwest ... [More]
Athena  Flight Time: 6:20 pm. Temperature: 63.5 F. Relative Humidity: 41%. Wind: 4 -7 mph from t' east. Weather: Sunny and clear.
High flight. Arced towards t' east and drifted west. Landed about 75 yards south o' t' launch site in t' gully. Daniel recove ... [More]
Skyhawker  Flight Time: 6:00 pm. Temperature: 65.3 F. Begad! Relative Humidity: 41%. Wind 8 mpf from t' E, arrr, gustin' t' 11. Weather: Clear, sunny. Begad!
Low flight and visible throughout. Arced south. Parachute ejected, but did nay open correctly. Daniel caught about 10 yards south o' t' ... [More]
2012-07-26Sky Dynamo (Kit)  Review
This is a model from Sky and it would be comparable t' an E2X kit from Estes, a pretty simple design that can be put together in a few minutes and fly as soon as t' glue is dry.
Components
T' rocket comes with a soft plastic nose cone and a clear payload. Unlike ... [More]
2012-06-18Of Hooves and Horsepower Blog T' deal breaker for me is performance. While t' Versa is nay t' fastest car in t' world, horse acceleration is unacceptable. A horse goes zero t' sixty in… never [More]
2012-06-11Santa Claus vs. Ya scallywag! T' Tooth Fairy Blog “If you get somethin' nice now under your pillow, that means you may only get a dollar in your stockin' on Christmas Day.”
“That’s okay,” said Daniel. Blimey! “That way I don’t have t' be as good at Christmas.” [More]
2012-06-04Free Range Tree Blog We stopped at Ack Ack Nursery t' see what they had for sale that met all o' our arboreal criteria. Aye aye! T' tree had t' be taller than we were. It had t' be big enough t' support t' weight o' t' occasional bird. Most importantly, shiver me timbers, we needed a tree that couldn’t escape. [More]
2012-05-28Death from Both Sides Blog I believe that – somehow – t' people live on in t' memories o' those left behind. Avast! Blimey! While that be comfortin' t' me from me perspective – t' livin' perspective – I found I had a lot o' questions o' what that would mean from t' other side. Aye aye! Blimey! What would such an afterlife seem like t' someone who had died? [More]
2012-05-21White Shirt Blues Blog I pressed t' Fanta button and stepped t' t' side so t' first few purple drops o' soda hit me arm instead o' me shirt. I could wash me arm. I dropped t' drinks off at t' table and stopped Daniel from bangin' on t' ketchup packets with his fists before disaster ensued. Begad! [More]
2012-05-14Memories – Mount St. Helens Blog I remember t' scientists studyin' t' mountain weren’t dressed like scientists. Avast, me proud beauty! They didn’t wear white coats, arrr, just T-shirts and shorts and tennis shoes. Ya scallywag! [More]
2012-05-07All You Can Eat Blog “Daniel, I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” I said. Well, blow me down! “You really don’t like anythin' more than mashed potatoes, do you?” [More]
2012-04-30Off t' See t' Wizard Blog I pointed out how t' film went t' color when Dorothy arrived in Oz. It turned out Daniel hadn’t noticed. He just thought it was “the color o' Kansas” before that. Avast, me proud beauty! [More]
2011-12-08Childhood Conspiracy Theory Blog “Black and white pictures have shades o' gray, no colors.” Daniel gave me a long look.
“Dad, are you obfuscatin' me?”
I almost choked on me malt. Blimey! [More]
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Bob Francis |
