Sullivan Lake18 - 17 Sept 2011

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Somewhere, about 50 miles southeast of Lethbridge, Ab, down a <br />lonely country gravel road, we managed to find this sign... and the Sullival Lake18 hi-power rocket launch... Ron Veale, director, Canadian Association of Rocketry, Alberta Region... helping get a L3 certification flight on a 'K' motor ready... Ian with the 1/4 scale Patriot, to attempt an L1 certification... Sue of Coast Rocketry, with lots of reloadable motors <br />and other supplies for sale... View out towards the launch pad, situated in an old gravel pit... the "fire truck"... launch control officer... launch pads... nice launch... smoke trail into the blue... because of the windy conditions, only the smaller <br />hi-powers were launched in the morning... still under thrust... waiting for the winds to die down... Patriot 1/4 scale undergoing inspection... the 1/4 scale Patriot on the pad... Ian, going for an L1 certification... Ready...3...2...1... successful ignition of the H225 White Lightning motor... and flight to an estimated altitude of 2100'... chute deployed fine, but the winds carried <br />it downrange, a long walk from here... luckily the chute inflated on the ground, <br />making it easier to find... but the rocket was still being dragged across <br />the prairie as I approached... requiring a bit of a foot race to catch!... back safe and sound, with an L1 certification. The family that flys together... family rocket collection... a custom built nitrous oxide hybrid... fueling stem... Greg of Coast Rocketry... selling supplies... prepping rocket... ready to launch... successful ignition... nice flight. Graydon's rockets, with radio beacons... inspections... waiting for approval to fly the homebuilt hybrid, a composite, nitrous <br />oxide engine, expected to reach around 16,000' altitude, <br />but it needs calm winds... After the first successful flight, it was decided to try for an <br />L2 certification with the same rocket... but a larger motor... an I121... At the pad for the L2 inspection... launching again from Pad 1... ignition wiring in place... ready to go...3...2...1... ignition!... on an I212, Smoky Sam motor... to an estimated altitude of 2800'... successful deployment event... and another long walk downrange. Prepped rocket waiting for the launch pad... for an L3 certification attempt, on a <br />'K' motor with dual deployment... ignition... and flight to an altitude of around 4000'... spectators watching for the deployment event. The winds subsided somewhat, so <br />launches continued in earnest... under perfectly blue skies... Ian's retrieved rocket found intact, except <br />for some minor landing damage... where an interesting half-moon shaped piece broke <br />off the polymer airframe on landing, but the flight <br />was still considered successful... ...L2 certified!