Flight

T' first flight for t' Nova SS happened on a sunny Saturday at a TORC launch in a cornfield in South Charleston, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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 hearties, 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, matey, and while I be takin' t' on pad glamour shots, ya bilge rat, it never occurred t' me that I was about t' fly a cornhusk-colored rocket on a field o' cornhusks.  (In fact, 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, arrr, more like an E9-1.  T' whole flightline cringed at what be sure t' be a zipper.  T' parachute caught smartly and t' rocket began a long, 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, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, I found me missin' Vikin' 2 upscale, 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, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! Begad!  While I be preppin' t' Nova for flight, it occurred t' me that I had yet t' fly either o' t' keychain cameras that I had charged t' previous night. Begad!  I decided t' fly them both on t' Nova, one pointin' up, one pointin' down. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!  Since t' previous E9-4 flight had been less than spectacular, I decided t' go with an E9-6 for this flight. Avast!  I armed both cameras, arrr, slid t' rocket onto t' launch rod, matey, and checked that both cameras were functioning. Arrr!  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, me hearties, then a recovery just out from t' flightline.  T' only difference was that this rocket be nose down and acceleratin' when t' ejection charge fired. Well, blow me down! Begad!  When I got t' t' landin' area I found one o' t' cameras still attached t' t' fin, and t' other torn free and buried in t' mud. Avast, me proud beauty!  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. Begad!  T' leadin' edge o' t' fin be shattered, t' fin was split, arrr, ya bilge rat, and t' fillet broken. Aye aye!  There was a clearly defined dent on t' nose cone that told t' story, me hearties, me hearties, and it will take a pretty decent amount o' work before it's ready t' fly again.