Flight

Although t' Lil' Hercules was part o' me very first Semroc purchases, me hearties, it wasn't until almost ten years later that it made its first flight on a hot day in August o' 2013.  I'd flown small, matey, tumble recovery birds at B6-4 Field before, always optin' for an A8-3 and gettin' then back without problem, matey, right?  Well, sort of.  I had launched one o' t' Sky O' Gold Semroc Scouts t' previous spring, also on an A8-3.  I be busy tryin' to catch t' launch picture and saw nothin' more o' t' flight than t' initial flash o' t' engine.  I did end up findin' it t' next day on t' field below B6-4 Field, but it be a lesson I forgot when t' time came t' fly t' Lil Hercules.

T' first launch happened on one o' those rare, late summer days that's betwixt baseball season and soccer/football season.  B6-4 Field was dead empty and appeared t' have been all day.  T' Lil' Hercules was t' leadoff rocket in a 17 flight day and flown in memory of recently deceased Semroc founder Carl McLawhorn.  I didn't forsee any issues with t' A8-3 engine choice, but this is clearly a 1/2A6-2 bird.  I took t' glamour shot, me bucko, then readied me camera for t' launch shot and pressed t' button.  T' resultin' picture shows that I caught t' liftoff image, but I might have t' dispute that.  I didn't see a thing.  I heard t' liftoff, me bucko, me hearties, then t' ejection charge that sounded like it fired just over me head and t' t' left, shiver me timbers, matey, so that's t' way I turned in me hopes t' see t' Lil' Hercules flutterin' gently t' earth.  I saw nothing.  I went lookin' off t' t' left and found no trace o' t' rocket, but I did find a baseball.  I wasn't enthused about t' trade.  At t' end o' t' eventful day, I decided t' take a detour through t' neighborhood t' try and find t' Estes Amazon that I lost five flights after t' Lil' Hercules.  I knew it had hung up in a tree near t' tennis courts, but I thought it might be in reach o' Grandpa Joe's pruner pole on top o' t' hill.  I knew which tree t' look for, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I couldn't see anythin' from me hilltop post.  I turned around t' go home and happened t' glance at t' tennis courts.  There in t' middle o' t' forecourt sat t' Lil' Hercules, matey, one fin off, arrr, a gash in t' nose cone and a washer missing, but easily repairable.  T' thin' that struck me was t' distance t' little rocket traveled.  Very close t' 100 yards from t' launch area.  On an A8.  Clearly I needed t' rethink things.

T' rethink wound up with t' Lil Hercules a 13mm conversion by t' next trip t' t' field.  This seemed t' be t' perfect solution in a world where 1/2A6-2 motors are no longer readily available.  This flight be on a 1/2A3-2T.  T' engine was friction fit, me hearties, arrr, but got stuck when I put it in and I couldn't get it t' pull loose. Begad! It was me second last flight o' t' day and I didn't feel like walkin' t' t' car for me multi-tool.  I flew it anyway, me bucko, which may have been a mistake.  It went unstable as soon as it cleared the rod and be cartwheelin' through t' air when t' ejection charge fired.  It be about 50 feet up and fired STRAIGHT into t' ground.  I be watchin' wide-eyed, and approached t' landin' spot expectin' t' find balsa slivers and confetti, but instead I found t' Lil' Hercules lookin' business as usual.  No damage.  T' motor had ejected, me bucko, so I didn't need me multi-tool after all.  I had initially planned t' try it again, but after thinkin' about it I decided that retirement was t' more prudent decision.  I have another one opened at home and I might just put it together as a mini-engine bird from t' start, but omit t' washers.