Sorry about the delay on this report, but I suddenly got busy last week:
After seeing the weather forecast on Sunday (after the SD launch), we decided to throw together an impromptu launch for Memorial Day. Rather than wait to launch the Alphas at our regular launch date, we went ahead and flew them so they could be sent on.
The launch weather was partly cloudy, around 70 degrees, and wind less than 5 mph. We don't get many days like that in a season. It was perfect!
Our launch site is one of several fields owned by a farmer one of our club members knows. We pick a field based on wind direction and crop planted. The field for this launch had been planted in soybeans which had yet to sprout, so it was wide open.
We had seven members of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Rocket Society in attendance, along with several relatives and six kids (most of whom had rockets also).
The Modern Alpha was first. We let several of the kids push the launch button and it had a great flight, landing about 30 feet from the launch pad. There was a delay in launching the Classic Alpha, as a couple of the kids had rockets prepped to fly, and we only had the one Estes pad set up (the Alpha lacks rail buttons, go figure). The Classic flight was just as nice as the Modern one.
All in all, we had a great day for flying. Rockets from =BC A to K flew, without a single CATO, shred, or core sample. It's been great to finally get and fly the Alphas, and I look forward to the day when the project is finally done. Only three states left!
Paul Seifert NAR #77554