MAGAZINE

Volume 5, Issue 3
August 2010
MAGAZINE
9
2
S
R
LD
$6.95 US
$8.95 Canada
Photo by Nadine Kinney
Todd Mullin’s Interceptor
August 2010
Volume 5 Issue 3
4
EDITORIAL
6
LDRS 29, DAY ONE
By Neil McGilvray
Photos by Mark Canepa, Doug Gerard, Dave Hanson,
Nadine Kinney, Ray LaPanse, Neil McGilvray,
and Jim Norton
10
LDRS 29, DAY TWO
By Neil McGilvlray
Photos by Mark Canepa, Doug Gerard, Dave Hanson,
Nadine Kinney, Ray LaPanse, Neil McGilvray,
and Jim Norton
18
LDRS 29, DAY THREE
By Neil McGilvray and Mark Canepa
Photos by Mark Canepa, Doug Gerard, Dave Hanson,
Nadine Kinney, Ray LaPanse, Neil McGilvray,
and Jim Norton
42
LDRS 29, DAY FOUR
By Neil McGilvray and Mark Canepa
Photos by Mark Canepa, Doug Gerard, Dave Hanson,
Nadine Kinney, Ray LaPanse, Neil McGilvray,
and Jim Norton
54
LDRS 29, DAY FIVE AND SIX
By Neil McGilvray and Mark Canepa
Photos by Mark Canepa, Doug Gerard, Dave Hanson,
Nadine Kinney, Ray LaPanse, Neil McGilvray,
and Jim Norton
62
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS FLY
ROCKET-BUILDINGS AT LDRS 29
By Gary McGavin
Photos by Gary McGavin
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
3


Even tied down, the shade cover can’t resist the wind
6
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
Day One of any LDRS is typically a slow day. Initially, most people use Day One to get set up and settled in.
Historically the rockets to leave the pads are relatively few compared to the onslaught of the subsequent days. Day One
is the only time when the fliers are batting a thousand, as virtually no one has flown. The typical Day One small number of
projects being flown standard would remain safe for another year and may have set a new record low due to the incessant
winds and dust. Yet at LDRS 29, the anticipation of the coming days kept the enthusiasm high. The Day One down time gave
all the fliers some extra time to prep and evaluate their projects.
LDRS 29 Day One was otherwise a total blowout in every sense of the word. Twenty-five-plus mph winds screamed
out of the west all day long. There were gusts that measured even higher, making any attempt to put a rocket on the pad
impossibility. On the positive side, the temperatures were pleasant, in the mid-80s, and the skies were void of any clouds.
However, the constant sandblasting threw a wet blanket on the Tripoli Rocketry Association’s premier event for 2010.
Weather delays give you a moment to pause and appreciate the good times, when the weather is your friend.
When scheduling a long-term event like LDRS, the organizers select their date a year or more in advance and run with it.
The goal is always to provide the fliers with the best flying conditions possible. Mother Nature can be cruel and crush the
best-laid plans. Every LDRS has its challenges, and this year’s was no exception.
There are normally two mountains of challenges for the organizers to climb. One is the weather. All the organizers and
fliers can do is deal with it and make lemonade out of lemons. If you wait long enough, something has got to give. Six days




ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
7


Day Two at LDRS 29 began to look eerily like Day
One. For the casual observer there was little or no action. It
was another day where the weather conspired against ROC
and LDRS 29. Seventy-two pads stood waiting for extended
periods, waiting for something to fly. The strong west-northwest
winds from Day One had subsided into periods of relative calm,
with prolonged gusts of over 25 mph. If you hit the lull just right,
you could place a 6,000-foot flight right back on the pads. Hit
the lull wrong, and you could be chasing your now paint-less
rocket across the dusty, wind-ravaged playa of the Lucerne Dry
Lake Bed.
The flight line was packed with eager rocketeers, and the
parking area and pits extended over a quarter of a mile long
and were three to four deep already. Go Fever had not spread
throughout the camp yet. Most of the fliers were simply opting
to wait it out. After all, how long can the wind blow over twenty
miles an hour? Rocket prepping began in earnest, as the fliers
knew they had only five days left to show off their projects. The
theme of LDRS 29 was “It’s all about the rockets,” and the fliers
wanted to put the theme into practice.
Launch Director and ROC President Wedge Oldham said, “We
are a go for launching. The winds are well within acceptable
limits. All we need is some fliers to step up to the pads and load
their rockets. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Sharpe Entertainment, the production company for the
Discovery Science Channel, spent most of the day getting B-roll
video footage. At any given moment you could see one of our
beloved fellow rocketeers hamming it up in their best Hollywood
hero poses or explaining why their project was going either beat
or work better than every other project at LDRS 29. Oh, the
humanity when a camera is thrust in a rocketeer’s face.




10 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
As the morning wore on, strange sounds could be heard at the flight line. This was California, and it was a prime
location for an earthquake. But no, this was much more subtle. If you listened closely enough, you could detect the
sound of footsteps approaching the pads, and the owners of the feet were carrying rockets, no less. Indeed, they were
actually going to launch them. By all accounts, LDRS 29 was going to happen, and rockets were going to fly. Hopefully
(there’s that word again), this steady momentum would pick up speed and force, like an avalanche coming down the
mountain.
The launching train had left the station and was slowly gathering steam. During Day Two, the low-power projects were
flying at rate of two to every high-power project leaving the ground. It didn’t matter; the sounds of a countdown followed
by a crackling whoosh was all most needed to move prepped rockets closer to the pads and to start the process of
making others ready for flight. This was LDRS, and the heavy hitters were not going to let it go down as Little Dainty
Rocket Ships. All you needed to do was take a stroll through the pit area, and it was clear the movers and shakers
would make their way to the flight line.
While it is fun and sometimes controversial to address the moniker of LDRS, the reality of the launch is more in line
with the Rocketry Organization of California’s theme. It really was “all about the rockets.” Rocketry is a hobby where
the mere fact you are launching a rocket sets you apart from 99% of the population. It levels the playing field with
regard to every other aspect of life. It doesn’t matter if you are a doctor, a lawyer, or an Indian chief. When you are on
the flight line, everyone is equal; everyone is a rocketeer.
Day Two saw 136 low- and mid-power flights leave the ground. To launch these 136 flights, 140 motors were
consumed in clusters and stages. These flights consisted of 7 A-powered models, 7 B-motor projects and 35 Cboosted kits. There were 14 D-class rockets, 7 E-motor craft, 18 F-driven rockets, and 48 of the popular transitional
G-motor flights.
The sheer number of these low- and mid-powered flights clearly demonstrates the popularity of these classes.
While many rocketeers use the low- and mid-power motors as stepping stones to bigger projects, there will always
be a contingency of fliers who simply enjoy launching in this class. There is always the thrill of planning, building, and
launching a rocket, regardless of its power plant.
H motors once again showed their popularity with 31 flights made into varying wind conditions during the day.
Curt Von Delins let Barney roll on an H-123 for two successful flights. John also launched his RTFM3 on an H-170
Metalstorm motor. Andy Tyron turned in a good flight and recovery with his H-180-powered Plain Jaine. Larry Pritchard
boosted American Spirit with an H-170. Andrew Rosenstraten cracked off his Goblin with an H-400. An H-180 was
calling Chris Spurgeon’s name to be the power plant of his 38 Special. John Barlow kicked up some sand with his Hpowered Burj Dubai.
Flight line looking east
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 11


“Crazy” Jim Hendrickson watches as Ray LaPanse holds the rail as Neil
McGilvray loads his rocket on the pad with Bob Utley guilding it.




18 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
After the past two days of high winds, sandblasting conditions, and limited big rocket flying, Day Three was
a welcome relief. Good things come to those who wait. The strong winds of the past two days abated enough for LDRS
29 to finally look like LDRS. The crowd had swelled to over a third of a mile long and four to five double rows deep.
Estimated attendance of fliers and spectators was well over 2,000. The dirt path serving as a road into the launch site
was in a constant dusty haze from the incoming and outgoing traffic. Those in attendance would witness the best flying
of the event.
The sun was high and bright as the rocket-launching day started early with high-powered flying machines streaking off
the desert floor just after 7:00 A.M. The pit area was wide awake with a sense of high anticipation in the air. This would
be the first of two full days of DSC taping with the Myth Busters’ Kari Byron on site. DSC would virtually take over the
cadence of the launch. They required specific information and had to shoot from specific angles to comply with the script.
While some may question the legitimacy of doing this at the country’s biggest launch of the year, in the end all the rockets
scheduled to fly did fly. The rocketeers worked with the production crews so the yin and the yang of running a launch and
taping it for television became one.
Right from the start of the launch, while rockets up through the J, K, and L range were being launched with regularity, the
away cell was finally buzzing with activity it hadn’t seen in the past two days, with the Wildman-sponsored N-10,000 drag
race. During Friday night the leadership of ROC was able to cobble together the needed seven pads to handle these 65pound 6–inch-diameter fire-breathing monsters. DSC cameras were prominent, and the prerequisite interviews slowed
the liftoff time from 9:00 to after 10:30. Further out on the range, teams were assembling to put on one of the biggest
displays of high-power rocketry California has ever seen. The production crew golf carts would be busy, criss-crossing
the playa all day long in search of the perfect sound bite.
Other large and small projects were constantly surrounded by camera crews, sound men, and producers as the day
went on. DSC was everywhere; in the camp area where the rockets were being prepped and at the pads where the
rockets were being launched. When the DSC arrived, any progress resembling a rocket launch came to a screeching
halt. Not that a screeching halt is a bad thing. Each individual or team made up their mind how they wanted to interact
with DSC, and all of the rocketeers involved put their best foot forward and were true to the hobby. While every rocketeer
or spectator who was interviewed by DSC may have hoped for stardom or at least some air time in the upcoming show,
there was an unspoken truth everyone knew in their hearts and very few mentioned.
We will keep this secret between us; there is no reality in reality television. Every inch of tape rolled at LDRS 29 was
in support of a script the production company was to work around. Over 800 hours of video had to be compressed and
edited to one hour, with commercials, dedicated to the largest launch in the country. Six days and well over 1,000 flights
would be compressed into a preconceived vision of what would entertain John Q. Demographic. Concessions would have
to be made in the interest of selling commercial time and making advertisers happy. After all, without them there would
not be a show.
The time and effort the rocketeers of LDRS 29 put into participating with the DSC effort will ultimately be a good thing.
Those who were there have formed an informal bond and kinship with others who had a chance to get in front of the camera
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 19
The Numbers Game of LDRS 29
By Bob Utley
A) 1,192,221
1) most flown motor (282)
B) 1349
2) number of cert attempts
C) 1511
3) number of night flights
D) C class
4) percentage of research NS
of total motors burned
E) 120
5) number of rockets flown
F)
6) most NS motor flown
50
G) 12
7) number of motors used
H) P class
8) number of research
motors flown
I) .66%
9) percentage of windy days
J) 16%
10) total number of NS burned
K) 95
11) average temperature
Match the left column with the correct answers on the right, or guess.
34 ROCKETS Magazine August 2010
Answer on page 63.
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 35
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 37
38 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
Tripoli Prefect Listing
Alabama
Kentucky
Ohio
Washington
(Central Alabama) Christopher Short (850) 554-6531
(Huntsville) Walt Stafford (256) 829-0869
(Birmingham) Carl Hicks (205) 924-9612
(Blue Grass) Darryl Hankes (270) 299-2424
(Northern Ohio) Chris Pearson (440) 449-2246
(T-Town Tripoli) Art Upton (419) 841-1051
(Mid Ohio) Mark Mazzon (740) 625-5027
(Puget Sound) Brad Wright (425) 246-0781
(Blackhole Amateur Rocketry)
Harold Kellams (509) 536-5381
Louisiana
Paul San Soucie (225) 622-1219
Alaska
Oklahoma
(Anchorage) Steven Cords (907) 344-8225
Maine
Arizona
(Cherryfield) Richard Willey (207) 546-2677
(Maine) Philip Hathaway (207) 532-9805
(Tulsa) Hal Ellis (918) 492-0599
(Oklahoma) Steven Sanders (405) 375-3656
Oregon
(Paradise Valley) Mark Clark (623) 877-6814
(Phoenix) Bob Heninger (623) 505-3964
(Tuscon) Eric Burch (520) 975-6450
Neil McGilvray (410) 884-4151
(Oregon) Gary Fillible (503) 843-3137
(Portland) Greg Clark (503) 443-3705
California
Massachussettes
Pennsylvania
(Los Angeles) Rick Magee (805) 584-6934
(Anaheim) Richard O’Neil (909) 646-9126
(Mojave Desert) Kevin Metzler (661) 256-3261
(Central California) Jack Garibaldi (209) 986-5829
(AERO-PAC) Robert Briody (408) 379-1057
Colorado
(Colorado) James Russell (303) 425-7184
(North Colorado) Joe Hinton (303) 449-9344
Connecticutt
(SE Connecticutt) Rob Bazinet (860) 974-3994
(Connecticutt) Christian Colby (203) 753-1974
Delaware
Darren Wright (302) 777-3036
Florida
Maryland
Steven Schwab (508) 645-2405
Michigan
(Michigan) Ken Zeuner (248) 348-2348
(Jackson) Scott Miller (269) 370-7929
(Michiana) Wayne Dennis (269) 236-6625
(U. Michigan) William Bertoldi (906) 774-0419
Minnesota
(S Minnesota) David Donvan (507) 281-5683
(Minnesota) Dave Leininger (763) 433-9198
(Twin Cities) Ky Michaelson (952) 884-5870
Missouri
(St Louis) Bruce Weidner (636) 227-7999
(Columbia Missouri) Mark Grant (573) 442-2612
Montana
(Heartland Organization of Rocketry)
Kevin Trojanowski (402) 292-4101
Georgia
Nevada
Hawaii
(Hawaii) Michael Masuda (808) 737-1384
Idaho
Dale Emery (406) 256-6425
Nebraska
(Northern Nevada) Kevin Turner (775) 934-8948
(Las Vegas) John Sbare (702) 243-5514
New Hampshire
(Granite State) Brian McCarthy (603) 880-1606
(Idaho) Vern Knowles (208) 939-1076
New Jersey
Illinois
(New Jersey) Lawrence Zupnyk (856) 547-9437
(North Jersey) Dennis Lappert (973)362-1246
(Chicago) Robert Justus (847) 541-0739
(Quad Cities) Stephen Wilson (309) 791-0866
(Central Illinois) Gary Buck (217) 841-4777
(Peoria) Patrick Hibbs (309) 243-9369
Indiana
(Brazil) Michael Hedges (812) 446-3160
(Fort Wayne) Mark Rogers (765) 584-4671
(Lafayette) Vic Barlow (765) 414-2848
Iowa
(Iowa) Jeff Barnes (319) 862-0159
Kansas
(Kansas) Bob Brown (316) 634-1107
(Mo-Kan) Martin Cox (816) 734-0585
Rhode Island
Timothy Hetland (401) 847-9522
South Carolina
Thomas Henderson (828) 466-1870
(Tampa) John Mackiewicz (727) 934-4783
(South Florida) John Schultz (305) 284-8205
(Ft Myers) Harold Sasloe (239) 267-0172
(West Palm) Allen Bycheck (561) 798-0691
(Space Coast) Gary Dahlke (321) 634-5102
(Atlanta) www.Tripoliatlanta.info
(Pittsburgh) Christine Rial (724) 733-7679
(Philadelphia) Philip Stein (215) 635-0118
Texas
(Austin) Thomas Montemayor (512) 251-9082
(Waco) Marlin Philyaw (254) 753-8532
(Freeport) Michael Martin (713) 419-9064
(Amarillo) Pat Gorzelik (806) 488-2756
(North Texas) Dave McGuire (972) 393-1341
(Central Texas) Rick Van Voorhis (512) 990-9331
(San Antonio) David Lee Jones (210) 684-2868
(Houston) John Etgen
(Hill Country Tripoli) Art Applewhite (830) 896-6331
Utah
Wisconsin
(Green Bay) Frank Nobile (262) 677-2992
(Wisconsin) Daniel Byra (262) 637-5552
(Manitowoc) Eric Cayemberg (920) 629-9541
Tripoli International
Australia
Rudolf Horvat 03 5229 6334
Canada
(Southern Ontario) Jim Smith (416) 486-8548
(Toronto) Anthony Cesaroni (941) 360-3100
(Alberta) Max Baines (403) 327-3532
(Quebec) Pierre Laurendeau (514) 645-9902
(Eastern Ontario) Bill Wagstaff (613) 836-6027
(New Brunswick) Mark Roberts (506) 454-1845
Israel
Gregory Pribush 972 7 865 6837
Italy
Stefano Figini 39 024121055
Spain
Jose Luis Cortijos 34 93 322 2881
Sweden
Rolf Orell 46 8346127
Switzerland
(Utah) William Spillman (801) 571-5349
(Tooele) David Urbanek (801) 779-2116
Juerg Thuering 41 17511113
Virginia
The Netherlands
(Central Virginia)
Michael Showalter (540) 727-7676
(East Virginia) Ed Rowe (757) 566-8012
(Tripoli Western Virginia) Charles Neff (540) 885-3138
Ramon Peeters
United Kingdom
(United Kingdom) Cath Bashford 44 20 77381544
(English Midlands) Paul Lavin 44 1582 713765
New Mexico
(White Sands) Hugh Malcom (505) 434-5441
(Las Cruces) Russell Payne (505) 525-1682
(Albuquerque) Dennis Floyd (505) 836-3601
New York
(Albany) John Sicker (518) 399-7984
(Long Island) Michael Mooney (631) 447-2947
(Syracuse) Richard Pitzeruse (315) 468-3706
(Western New York) Debra Koloms (315) 955-6930
North Carolina
(Charlotte) Ralph Roberts (704) 568-1070
(East North Carolina) Alan Whitmore (919) 929-5552
(North Carolina) Michael Gunter (336) 643-1289
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 39
Subscription Form
Rockets Magazine subscription is not included in your Tripoli membership fees.
Name:_______________________________________
Address:_____________________________________
City:________________________________________
State:_________________________ Zip:__________
Email:_______________________________________
Check if this is a renewal
(US Rates only)
6 issues $6.95 each
$41.70
9 issues $6.95 each
$62.55
12 issues $6.95 each
$83.40
15 issues $6.95 each
$104.25
18 issues $6.95 each
$125.10
Total
______
Mail Check and Subscription form to:
Liberty Launch Systems
11554 Sullnick Way
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
www.rocketsmagazine.com
40 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010


LCO table with TRA BoD member Robin Meredith calling the action.
Mark Clark watching Robin’s back
42 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
Day Four of LDRS 29 was open early and ran late. The conditions previously gracing the dry lake bed
had started to go into hiding, and the fury of the desert began to rear its ugly head. The wind had shifted to the north and
varied between dead calm and gusts to over twenty.
DSC was back at the launch in full force. Day Four would be known as odd-roc day. With the scripted and nonscripted
drag races out of the way, it would be time to turn the cameras to the odd rocs and special projects. Some of the folks
who would be written into the script had already been visited at home by the production crews. Much of the attention
would be leaning in their direction. These fine folks would ultimately represent rocketry on national television.
This would be their last major onslaught of videotaping with their host, Kari Byron. Kari would only be on site for two
days to participate in and observe the activity rocketeers are dedicated and passionate about. She got to witness
firsthand what makes your average rocketeer tick. Now, that is a scary thought! One can only hope the final portrayal of
rocketry will be flattering and show the world who rocketeers are and what rocketeers do in a positive light.
Teams of cameramen, soundmen, producers, and makeup artists would be scurrying around the expansive flight line all
day long. The focus would still be to keep with the script, but if something looked interesting, they would have a camera
on it. You never know what was going to make the final cut and what would end up on the floor. As with the previous
days, the normal pace of launching would slow to a crawl due to the DSC filming. In the end this didn’t present any real
issues, as all the rocketeers involved graciously worked with the folks at DSC.




ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 43



Looking out at the range from the flight line as Odyssey takes to the sky




54 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
Day 5 of LDRS 29 was a history-making event. While this was not the first time California had hosted
a research rocket launch, it would be the first time that more than 10,240 Ns would be flown as a single motor at a
research launch. The commercial days of LDRS 29 saw motors greater than 10,240 Ns being flown with regularity,
thanks to some productive negotiation with the California State Fire Marshall’s office, the governing body for rocket
motors in the Golden State. LDRS 29 would be the litmus test for all future California commercial and research launch
impulse limits.
All research launches provide the opportunity for success and failure, by the very nature of experimental, or research,
motors. There were many aggressive projects planned for the next two days, and the crowd at LDRS 29 was strapped
in and ready for anything research had in store for them. Research launches in California have been a scarcity, and it
was the hopes of ROC to bring this exciting and demanding aspect of rocketry out of the shadows and into the bright
light of day for all to experience and enjoy.
It has been years since the TRA BOD allowed the comingling of research motors with commercial motors on the
same launch site. The change in policy has been a great success, not only for the research fliers to showcase their
projects, but also for the vendors. In years past on research days the flight line would turn into a virtual ghost town. The
old exclusionary rules would shoo away many of our fellow rocketeers. As the competency of rocket-motor building
increased, so did the realization that commercial motors and research motors had a place on the same field.
The increases in competency and reliability of the modern research motor can be attributed primarily to the new TRA
President, Dr. Terry W. McCreary, and his book. Experimental Composite Propellant An Introduction to Properties and
Preparation of Composite Propellant Design, Construction, Testing and Characteristics of Small Rocket Motors has
explained clearly to many budding rocket-motor builders the basics of doing it right and doing it safely. The results
speak for themselves.
Those who have participated in research launches know that success and failure are separated only by the simple
act of pushing the launch button. In past years there was a combination of failure scenarios. Failure in rocketry is not
an affirmation of one’s skill or lack of it. The results of any project can be traced back to the weak link, and the lessons
learned are priceless. Research launches are where every facet of what makes a rocketeer good at his or her craft will
be tested: motors, airframes, electronics, and—most important of all—recovery. Can you get it back safely? Success
and failure in all of these categories will be applied to make the next project work better than the last and exceed the
expectations of all those daydreams and sleepless nights.
The weather was perfect for launching. The sky was clear, and the northerly wind was much lighter than the previous
days. As the afternoon progressed, the wind did increase, which is standard for this part of the country
The first big project of the day was Gerald Meux’s N-powered eighty-pound, ten-inch-diameter Nike Smoke. Gerald
was on pins and needles as he launched his second N motor of the event. He made the most of this flight and nailed
the thirteen-second boost and the recovery. To make the flight more special, Gerald had his mother in attendance,
only to show rocketry can be a mother-and-son activity as much as it is considered to be a father–and-son bonding
opportunity.
Young Gerald Meux, Jr. was very busy at LDRS. On Saturday, the 24-year-old Minnesotan had participated in the N-
ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010 55

By Gary L. McGavin, AIA, Professor of Architecture,
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Thirty-three Cal Poly Pomona department of architecture
students participated in the LDRS 29 event at Lucerne Dry
Lake by flying models of their favorite buildings on highpower rocket motors. The buildings ranged from the Leaning
Tower of Pisa) to the Dubai Sail Building. The students
flew Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. One student
remained until Sunday to fly his building, achieving his Level
1 certification.
The student participation was part of an elective advancedstructures class in the five-year professional architecture
degree program at Cal Poly Pomona. The advancedstructures class is the culmination of four previous
structures courses, in which the students examine systems
engineering.
Our students sincerely appreciate the LDRS 29 Board and
ROC staff for allowing them to participate in this event. The
students also appreciate the technical support provided by
Jack Garibaldi at “What’s Up Hobbies” over the years, as the
course has grown.
The LDRS 29 student rocket-building teams consisted of:
1. Burge Dubai 1 World’s Tallest Building: John Barlow,
Julian Liang, Marvi Mazo, Leonardo Micolta, and
Hector Romero
2. Burge Dubai 2: Miguel Heman from 2008;
unfortunately, Miguel had to leave for work and
wasn’t able to fly
3. Chrysler Building: Leslie Cervantes, Marshall
Ford, Alex Hernandez, Matt Russell, and Jillian
Schroettinger
4. CN Tower: Justin Hebenstreit, Nathan Houck, Annie
Slaton, Sandeesh Sidhu, and Tyler Tucker
5. Dubai Sail: Clovis Chavarria from 2008 (attained his
Level 1 certification)
6. Leaning Tower of Pisa: Kelly Saguini from 2008,
flying as a true leaning tower
7. Swiss RE aka “the Gherkin”: Sean Aung, Bernardo
Hernandez, Candice Jordan, Thanh Lam, Carlo
Mantovani, and Dat Vu
8. Russia Tower: Allison Klute and Kit Li
9. Taipei 101: Omied Arvin, Marissa Buchman, Martin
Cerna, Loismae De Villa, Nika Imani, and Christian
Isidro
10. Torre Agbar: Greg Sagherian—the service core in
this building is offset from the center
The flying of rocket-buildings began in our advancedstructures course in 2004, following the Discovery Channel’s
airing of Rocketry Challenge, including the “Flying Port-aPotty.” Prior to 2004, our students approached the course,
as one would expect, examining normal advanced-structures
topics as they related to architecture. The Flying Port-aPotty opened our students’ eyes to a much more enjoyable
way to examine topics in advanced structures. In previous
62 ROCKETS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
years, we have flown on our own at Lucerne Dry Lake.
By happenstance, we ran into Wedge Oldham, buying a
hamburger in town in May at an ROC, (Rocketry Organization
of California), event, and discussed the possibility of our
students’ flying at LDRS 29. Wedge recalled one of our 2008
students attempting to get his Level 1 certification at an
ROC event in November 2008 (which failed due to a nosecone separation). Wedge encouraged the class to consider
participating, and the students unanimously approved the
suggestion the next week in class.
Most of the architecture students have never built and
flown any rockets prior to this class. We start with basic
lectures on the physics of rocket flight and move on to more
complex topics, including determining the center of pressure
and the center of gravity with the transfer-of-static-moments
method. The students start their rocket projects by building
simple commercially available kits. Then they progress
to scratch designing and building small prototypes of their
rocket-buildings, in order to work out the bugs before moving
on to designing and constructing their final high-power
rocket-buildings. Their buildings must be approximately six
feet tall (so as to avoid a low polar moment) and weigh no
more than five pounds with a Cesaroni Pro38 G-185 motor
in place. The students are all required to fine-tune their
dynamic balance with a full-scale swing test before flight
day. The instructor allows the students quite a bit of artistic
license in their interpretation of their rocket-buildings, which
are seldom completely accurate scale models. The Leaning
Tower of Pisa is one exception to this rule, as it really was
a scale model, and it proved to be a crowd favorite on
Saturday.
When the class arrived at LDRS 29 Friday afternoon, the
winds were low. By late afternoon, when the students were
all registered and ready to fly, this had changed dramatically.
Winds on most normal” rockets have relatively little impact
compared to rocket-buildings, with their big flat sides. On
Friday, everybody flew with Cesaroni Pro38 G-185s. These
have high impulses to get the rocket off of the launch rods
quickly, but they burn for only about six-tenths of a second.
The mid-power motor confirms their basic flight stability
before moving on to the high-power motors.
The Discovery Science Channel (DSC) interviewed several
student teams and did some group preflight filming. ROC
members were extremely helpful to the students. An ROC
member volunteered to accompany each team to the launch
pad on Friday and assisted them in getting their rocketbuildings ready for launch. They explained each step and
showed the students exactly how to arm their motors. The
DSC also accompanied the teams to the launch pads and
filmed several launches.
In addition to the high winds, the flights suffered from low
altitudes on the G-185s. Many of the student rocket-buildings
exceeded the five-pound weight limit set for the course (G185s are safe by the 5:1 factor up to about seven pounds).