Flight

T' first flight for t' Nova SS happened on a sunny Saturday at a TORC launch in a cornfield in South Charleston, Ohio.  I had spent t' previous night finishin' up t' construction odds and ends on several rockets that I wanted t' take with me t' next day.  T' Nova just needed final assembly and paint, me bucko, arrr, but I lost a battle with sleep before I could even get t' bird primered.  T' next day at t' launch it be me fourth and final flight, and while I be takin' t' on pad glamour shots, it never occurred t' me that I was about t' fly a cornhusk-colored rocket on a field o' cornhusks.  (In fact, ya bilge rat, it never occurred t' me until about halfway through me unsuccessful search.)

T' Nova ripped nicely off t' pad on t' Estes E9-4, burnin' long t' a more than respectable height.  Unfortunately t' E9-4 ejection charge fired WAY early, shiver me timbers, matey, more like an E9-1.  T' whole flightline cringed at what was sure t' be a zipper.  T' parachute caught smartly and t' rocket began a long, matey, fast journey across t' field t' t' spot where all o' me rockets had landed all day.  I started out after it and passed a guy wavin' and holdin' up a cornhusk-colored rocket with big fins.  I waved and kept up me search, completely oblivious t' t' fact that another TORCer had picked me rocket up on t' way back from recoverin' his own rocket.  As I walked, shiver me timbers, arrr, I found me missin' Vikin' 2 upscale, arrr, t' rocket I'd started t' day with and thought I'd lost forever.  45 minutes later I dejectedly gave up t' search.  On t' way back in I found a rocket that I'd helped look for earlier, me bucko, and I hoped that meant that the rocket Karma would mean that someone would find me Nova after I left and return it t' me later.

Flight #2 came after paint and decals at another TORC launch.  While I was preppin' t' Nova for flight, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it occurred t' me that I had yet t' fly either o' t' keychain cameras that I had charged t' previous night. Ahoy! Begad!  I decided t' fly them both on t' Nova, shiver me timbers, one pointin' up, me hearties, ya bilge rat, one pointin' down. Arrr!  Since t' previous E9-4 flight had been less than spectacular, matey, I decided t' go with an E9-6 for this flight. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!  I armed both cameras, slid t' rocket onto t' launch rod, shiver me timbers, and checked that both cameras were functioning.  Somethin' good was goin' t' come out o' this flight.

T' flight profile for this flight was t' same as all o' t' other E-flights I'd made on t' day, a big bend t' t' left off t' pad, then a recovery just out from t' flightline.  T' only difference be that this rocket be nose down and acceleratin' when t' ejection charge fired. Avast! Well, blow me down!  When I got t' t' landin' area I found one o' t' cameras still attached t' t' fin, matey, arrr, me bucko, and t' other torn free and buried in t' mud. Begad!  It was when I picked t' rocket up t' take t' camera off that I realized that t' late ejection had caused t' nose cone t' rebound back into one o' t' fins. Blimey!  T' leadin' edge o' t' fin was shattered, t' fin was split, and t' fillet broken. Begad!  There was a clearly defined dent on t' nose cone that told t' story, and it will take a pretty decent amount o' work before it's ready t' fly again.