Johnny Walker Red

Ahh yes...Johnny Walker Red! Now I'm not talking about the alcohol but that was where I got the idea. This rocket started out as a kit. Kits come mostly complete depending on what your design is and how you will customize it for yourself. Johnny(we're on a first name basis) was a kit from Binder Design and was 'The Sentinel'. I customized the kit for dual deployment since it was not set up for that application. Since I had the ebay from the Komet and this kit was the same diameter as the Komet, I figured why make another one when I have one that will fit with no problem?

Pre-launch photo opportunity

Loading the igniter into the motor

I have felt that it was a bad omen to paint my rockets prior to their first flight. It's a lot of work to get them looking as stylish as some I have come across. If something goes wrong with the maiden flight and the rocket is messed up, then I would have spent a lot of time making it look good for nothing! So that is why my first rocket, the Koliba Komet, as well as Johnny were not painted until AFTER the maiden flight. So with that said, I was prepping the rocket at home months prior to launch. There was still a test to pass. Yep you guessed it, a test is needed to be passed for Level 2 certification prior to launching. This test is a series of random questions provided by NAR and Tripoli. Remember that membership to either association is a must but does not mean you have to be associated with both. Both organizations are great to be apart of and I am glad to say that I am a card holding member of both! So back on track, I passed my written test with flying colors, no pun intended, and was ready for the attempt.

With the help, yet again from my buddy Jeff, I was able to use a Cessaroni J330. I'll give a classification of each motor designation in a later post, but for now we'll just say that the J has a lot more thrust than a H or I motor. So final prep was done at the launch site and I was nervous. Countdown started by the LCO Jim Jarvis and away it flew!

Flight video is sideways so my apologies for that! Can't seem to turn it! :-(

So there it was...soaring to a little over 3000' AGL(Above Ground Level). Recovery was a little nerve racking at first. The nose cone popped out during decent but before the black powder charge fired. You can hear Jeff in the background saying that this hardly ever happens but since the chute was packed in a little tighter than normal, it formed a seal so that the gases from the charge didn't just go around it but rather pushed it out.

Again sorry for the sideways video!!



So after bringing the rocket back for post flight inspection, it was done. All I had to do was send the paperwork off to headquarters and it would be official! So now I am able to fly anything under an L motor but including the L. Now to focus on higher and faster flights!