Author Archives: WSC

Fire in the Sky 2013

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Happy 4th of July! What better way is there to celebrate our nation’s independence than to read a very late launch report from the Pacific Northwest’s premier launch event, Fire in the Sky 2013.

Due to how hectic my academic year had become by Memorial Day weekend, I was only in attendance for Saturday and Sunday. My photo albums can be found at the links below.

Saturday: http://simav8rproductions.smugmug.com/Rocketry/2013launches/FITS131/29715661_JW8TDm

Sunday: http://simav8rproductions.smugmug.com/Rocketry/2013launches/FITS132/29891381_9vbvpD

To read about my flights at FITS this year, click below.

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WAC AP Checkride 2013

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Another late launch report.

Let me describe AP Checkride like this: On Saturday, it was windy enough that NOAA listed the weather in Mansfield as “dust”. Due to the windy conditions, there was very little flying going on. So little flying happened that I actually don’t have a photo album to show for this launch. I do, however have three photos from Sunday, when I successfully completed my NAR Level Two certification flight.

Same Old Blues lifts off on a Cesaroni Pro38 5G J285 for my successful NAR L2 cert flight.

Same Old Blues lifts off on a Cesaroni Pro38 5G J285 for my successful NAR L2 cert flight.

Because the rocket I intended to fly for my L2 wasn’t ready yet (see my upcoming Roll Your Own launch report for more on that), the always-reliable Same Old Blues was drafted in to fill the role. A Cesaroni J285 made for a nice boost to 4017′. This was also the first flight of my BRB900 GPS tracking system, and it worked perfectly in leading me to the rocket.

All in all a productive weekend… even if I only have three photos to show for it.

FHC Luftwaffe Day… and More

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On the drive home form Abbotsford, I made an impromptu stop at Paine Field  for the Flying Heritage Collection’s August 11th fly day. The FHC is Paul Allen’s collection of beautifully-restored vintage warbirds. Several aircraft in the collection are the only airworthy examples of their type anywhere in the world. During summer, the FHC hosts free “fly days” on the first Saturday of each month. The 11th happened to be “Luftwaffe Day”, originally intended to feature the collection’s Fieseler Fi 156 “Storch” and the first public flight of their newly-restored Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Unfortunately, the Fw 190 ran into mechanical troubles after taxiing to the end of the runway and was unable to fly. The Storch still performed admirably, though.

After the Storch landed (blowing a tire in the process), the fly day also saw five F/A-18s from MCAS Miramar taking off for training flights and an All Nippon Airways 787.

The Storch

The Hornets

The 787

In case this is my last post of 2012, happy holidays, everyone, and have a happy new year!

Video from Abbotsford

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If you’re reading this, then congratulations! You survived the apocalypse! Why not celebrate by checking out a long-overdue video from this year’s Abbotsford International Air Show?

Once I get some technical issues worked out with my video editor (hint: never… ever… EVER buy a Sony HD camcorder) I’ll get my last batch of videos from this year posted.