http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/ALRS2008
This is probably my last rocketry event of the year, so now time to concentrate of a bit of mountain biking and plan the next ski vacations. Winter is nearly here :)
Monday 22 September 2008
ALRS 2008
Well not long after getting back from Scotland and Kansas it was time to get back to more rocketry, but this time in Switzerland. I think that this was my 5th attendance at ALRS IX but I can't be certain. The weather was cooler than some years, the wind was a bit stiff, and to spice things up a bit there was a TV crew there all weekend filming a segment for a programme which airs on the ARTE French/German channel.
I didn't fly anything in the end, but did take a large number of photos, a selection of which can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/ALRS2008
This is probably my last rocketry event of the year, so now time to concentrate of a bit of mountain biking and plan the next ski vacations. Winter is nearly here :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/ALRS2008
This is probably my last rocketry event of the year, so now time to concentrate of a bit of mountain biking and plan the next ski vacations. Winter is nearly here :)
Thursday 4 September 2008
3 Weeks of Rocketry Madness (pt2)
26th August
Flew to Kansas City via Philadelphia on the Tuesday lunchtime. US Airways was surprisingly not bad, despite being only £392 for a return transatlantic flight. We were sure that one of the attendants was the woman from Prisoner Cell Block H (the one that looks like a bloke). Philadelphia airport is strange - food outlets everywhere, and calming classical music piped everywhere. In the unlikely event that you go there, you can get free WiFi near to gate C28 (Saxby's Coffee has open wireless, unlike the rest of the terminal ;) ).
Kansas City airport is even stranger - given its size, it is empty, and only a few paces between plane and pickup/dropoff.
27th August
Kansas City itself seems to have little of interest, but we do recommend the Wowieccinos in the mall near the Old Station, Mimi's Cafe for breakfast (Zona Rosa shopping mall) and Smokehouse BBQ (also in Zona Rosa mall) for dinner.
28th August
This was actually the first day of LDRS, but we knew it would be a bit slow, so we used the day to stock up on supplies and travel on down to Argonia.
The Kansas Turnpike has a few rest stops on the way, and conveniently they place them in the middle of the Highway, so there's only one services for both directions, and you exit from and re-enter to the fast lane. The best bit was the shop - 15 full floor to ceiling fridges full of drinks, of which 3 were all Red Bull and similar energy booster drinks! Oh and then there was a separate self-serve post-mix drinks kiosk.
Walmart was an essential stop off point, since we were going to be camping in Argonia. US Walmarts sell everything, literally, including firearms right next to the camping and DIY sections! We did work out that denatured alcohol works very well in Trangia stoves (lights first time and less sooty than the purple Meths found in the UK), and costs peanuts.
29th August - 1st September
Argonia itself has literally nothing. Just a few small stores and a Railroad Crossing, and when a train passes, it must be easily a mile long! Very Very Impressive!
The LDRS rocketry event was the best event I've ever been to, and was buzzing all day every day. There were way too many flights to note them all, but some of those worthy of a mentions were: Insane Projects Q-motor powered Pershing (which was a fantastic sight, but then crashed), the 5lb rocket powered by an L1300 (which seemed to warp into another dimension), all rockets powered by an M2200 SkidMark motor (they are very cool to see and hear).
The Saturday was by far the busiest day, and all days were scorching hot. Lots of sunblock and ice cool drinks were called for. At the banquet in Wichita, I managed to win an Aerotech 38/360 casing (inc. closures) in the raffle and Phil won a 54mm motor retainer. Everyone on the table except Eric Cayemberg won a prize.
Monday was a bit slower, since this was Research day. Never seen so many P motors (and 1 Q motor) fly.
2nd September
We knew the last day would be slow too, so we left around lunch time, and traveled back to Kansas City via Topeka. Dinner was at Smokehouse BBQ in the Zona Rosa mall. Excellent service and good food there, with a wonderful aroma of hickory smoke inside and out.
3rd September
Got a refund for the canopy that we bought a few days earlier, cos 1 guy rope snapped off in the wind! Handy, cos we had the shade all week for free, and no need to ship anything home afterwards! Weather in KC was pants, but in Philadelphia on the way home it was perfect. Unfortunately the weather on arrival in Gatwick was dire and the ferry back was dreadful, but it was good to be out of the 36C heat.
On the whole, it was a fantastic rocketry event to go to. The best by a long way IMHO, and we made many friends. Everyone there was very welcoming, especially the Kloudbusters organising team, and those involved with the Insane Projects Pershing II. Can't wait until next year's event now... in New York :)
All of My Pics and Phil's Pics are here...
http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/LDRS27
http://picasaweb.google.com/wikrok/USALDRS27
Flew to Kansas City via Philadelphia on the Tuesday lunchtime. US Airways was surprisingly not bad, despite being only £392 for a return transatlantic flight. We were sure that one of the attendants was the woman from Prisoner Cell Block H (the one that looks like a bloke). Philadelphia airport is strange - food outlets everywhere, and calming classical music piped everywhere. In the unlikely event that you go there, you can get free WiFi near to gate C28 (Saxby's Coffee has open wireless, unlike the rest of the terminal ;) ).
Kansas City airport is even stranger - given its size, it is empty, and only a few paces between plane and pickup/dropoff.
27th August
Kansas City itself seems to have little of interest, but we do recommend the Wowieccinos in the mall near the Old Station, Mimi's Cafe for breakfast (Zona Rosa shopping mall) and Smokehouse BBQ (also in Zona Rosa mall) for dinner.
28th August
This was actually the first day of LDRS, but we knew it would be a bit slow, so we used the day to stock up on supplies and travel on down to Argonia.
The Kansas Turnpike has a few rest stops on the way, and conveniently they place them in the middle of the Highway, so there's only one services for both directions, and you exit from and re-enter to the fast lane. The best bit was the shop - 15 full floor to ceiling fridges full of drinks, of which 3 were all Red Bull and similar energy booster drinks! Oh and then there was a separate self-serve post-mix drinks kiosk.
Walmart was an essential stop off point, since we were going to be camping in Argonia. US Walmarts sell everything, literally, including firearms right next to the camping and DIY sections! We did work out that denatured alcohol works very well in Trangia stoves (lights first time and less sooty than the purple Meths found in the UK), and costs peanuts.
29th August - 1st September
Argonia itself has literally nothing. Just a few small stores and a Railroad Crossing, and when a train passes, it must be easily a mile long! Very Very Impressive!
The LDRS rocketry event was the best event I've ever been to, and was buzzing all day every day. There were way too many flights to note them all, but some of those worthy of a mentions were: Insane Projects Q-motor powered Pershing (which was a fantastic sight, but then crashed), the 5lb rocket powered by an L1300 (which seemed to warp into another dimension), all rockets powered by an M2200 SkidMark motor (they are very cool to see and hear).
The Saturday was by far the busiest day, and all days were scorching hot. Lots of sunblock and ice cool drinks were called for. At the banquet in Wichita, I managed to win an Aerotech 38/360 casing (inc. closures) in the raffle and Phil won a 54mm motor retainer. Everyone on the table except Eric Cayemberg won a prize.
Monday was a bit slower, since this was Research day. Never seen so many P motors (and 1 Q motor) fly.
2nd September
We knew the last day would be slow too, so we left around lunch time, and traveled back to Kansas City via Topeka. Dinner was at Smokehouse BBQ in the Zona Rosa mall. Excellent service and good food there, with a wonderful aroma of hickory smoke inside and out.
3rd September
Got a refund for the canopy that we bought a few days earlier, cos 1 guy rope snapped off in the wind! Handy, cos we had the shade all week for free, and no need to ship anything home afterwards! Weather in KC was pants, but in Philadelphia on the way home it was perfect. Unfortunately the weather on arrival in Gatwick was dire and the ferry back was dreadful, but it was good to be out of the 36C heat.
On the whole, it was a fantastic rocketry event to go to. The best by a long way IMHO, and we made many friends. Everyone there was very welcoming, especially the Kloudbusters organising team, and those involved with the Insane Projects Pershing II. Can't wait until next year's event now... in New York :)
All of My Pics and Phil's Pics are here...
http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/LDRS27
http://picasaweb.google.com/wikrok/USALDRS27
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)