Rocket Day

After two years of waiting, I finally got to launch the Estes Canadian Arrow rocket model which I built over a two year period. A big part of the excitement was the fact that I got to launch it with the whole gang.

This is us ready for the first launch of the day.

Brendan was interested while the rocket was being set up but not so sure after the first launch. It was louder and scarier than expected and I don't think he liked it much.

The first launch went well except for the fact that the parachute ripped away from the rocket and was lost to the winds. With a bit of ingenuity, we did a field repair by using Tadhg's spare nappie. We shredded it and attached it to the shock cord to act as streamers.

Brian and I where all set for the second launch but it was a "3.. 2.. 1.. dud". The ignitor burnt with a puff of smoke but it didn't ignite the engine.

The last launch of the day was awesome, the engine burnt through two layers of the blast plate and the rocket landed pretty close to us. Brendan enjoyed this one a lot more from a distance.

In the end, Brian, King and I got to launch one each. King was the recovery guru who would take off after each launch to pick up the rocket. Even Siobhan enjoyed it.