Carol's Rocket Page

We have a great hobby together where we are both equals and have unlimited possibilities.
We fly rockets together.

Welcome to my page!


Carol Rutherford
( The Missouri Rocket Gal )
My husband Jerry started building his first high power rocket a few months ago. Watching him work on his project reminded me of my youth when I too flew model rockets. I began to think about how much fun I had doing this with my Dad and started to think about building my own. At first I didn't see anything that really jumped out at me… they looked nice, but I couldn't find one that suited me. I had looked at numerous magazines and catalogs and finally found the right rocket for me.
Looking through a LOC Precision catalog  I found a great kit called "The Mini-Magg". It was short & fat.  She looked like a tough little thing, and yet just struck me as cute. I mentioned it to Jerry one night, and didn't think much of it. A few days later while he was doing some work in Kansas he found a great little hobby shop that handles high power rockets.  He decided to surprise me with the kit.  I was delighted!  The Minni-Magg is such a dramatic contrast to Jerry's D-Region Tomahawk.
The kit stated that it was for someone who had already built a high powered rocket, but Jerry said that he had faith that I could do it. I didn't like the way the instructions said to build it; it seemed to be too flimsy. I added extra epoxy around the fins, and beefed up the motor mount. I may want to use this same rocket for my level-II certification, so I wanted it to be extra strong.
 Carol is now installing flameproof wadding to protect the parachute from hot ejection gasses.
Jerry had built a special device to keep the motor from kicking out that made a lot of sense to me. Even though he hadn't tested his yet, I asked him to make one for me as well. I installed the new motor locking ring, and added some tough cords to my parachute just to be safe. Also, I used some heavy duty stitching for reinforcement on the shock chords.
I even bought some steel eye bolts to make sure my parachute wasn't going to pull loose. We finished our rockets the same day… just before the October launch date.
The next day Jerry made his certification flight, but since it was Halloween we had to leave early to take the kids to their friends. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to fly that day, but I am a patient soul.  I wanted everything to be just right.
 The rocket is weighed and flight information is recorded. Accurate records are kept on all flights.
When the next launch date came the weather couldn't have been better. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the winds were almost dead calm, of course that changed just as we headed out to the launch pad.  The Rocket Gods always seem to know just how to test the nerves of a new rocketeer.  I was excited and nervous… but I was going to fly! Finally, Green Peace was going to make her long awaited Maiden Voyage.
I examined all the parts to my motor, the realization came to me that I was going to fly with almost twice the power of the motor my husband had used, and had to use our largest motor casing.  This was going to be a wild flight!
I managed to get everything together and headed out for the sign-up table. Loading the parachute was easy… I could put BOTH hands into the rocket body! That's one way to tell that you have built a really powerful machine!
After getting the parachute all packed and ready I had to weigh my rocket and fill out a flight card. 


The rocket weighed in at just over 4 pounds with the motor installed. 

( I used an I-112-J )
Carol and Jerry connect the electrical launch system to the rocket motor.
Our friend Cory managed to come up from Wichita, Kansas to see my first flight, so he was elected the camera crew. It had been quite awhile since I last flew model rockets, so I had my husband help me arm my rocket. 


We got pad number 10, and I really hoped it would be my lucky number!

Tom McAtee was out getting his rocket ready. He came by to wish me luck as I stood there double-checking my work. It seems that I just couldn't check it enough!  This was my baby… I had worked hard on it, painted it really nice, applied decals and my Tripoli Rocketry Association numbers. I had taken it to work to show the guys in the computer department.. Now it was down to either a great flight or a pile of rubble. I was really charged, excited, and quite nervous!
At first I was going to use a 1/2 inch launch rod, but it seemed a little to snug, so at the last minute I decided to change to a 3/8 inch rod instead.
Everyone joked that I had brought my own flight staff. I had Jerry for technical assistance and Cory for a film crew.

Hey, if you are going to do it… do it right!

Jerry and Cory work together as Carol's complete film and recovery crew. Just so you could see the launch!
All that was left to do was to get to the spectator area and watch. It was very hard for me to leave the rocket. I stood there and couldn't help but take one last picture. I heard the command to arm the high power launch pads, and knew it was time to go. I left just as I heard the alert beepers sound to alert everyone that the pads now had power.
Several other people were in front of me in the launch Que.… some had wonderful flights, others were less than spectacular.
At least two rockets just sat there when the countdown was called. The wires had been dirty or the connections were not tight. I thought to myself, "I hope mine doesn't do that!" I tried to remember if I had cleaned the connectors… had I double-checked them?  Were the ignitor coils wrapped tight enough around the alligator clips?


There was no time to ask now… it was my turn… they were announcing my rocket… the next thing I heard was…

Sky is clear… range is clear… going in
... 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… LAUNCH!

Mere seconds after the launch button is pressed the rocket roars to life!
There was a blast of white smoke… then a sudden loud roar as my rocket jumped off the pad as if it had been fired from a cannon! The motor I had chosen was a real monster! A thick trail of jet-black smoke really gave you a sense of power and speed!



It was traveling at Mach .28
That's at least 275 miles per hour!



Click to hear the launch!



(That's why the second picture here is a little fuzzy.)
Only 2 seconds into the maiden flight, the rocket is traveling at over 275 miles per hour through the crisp air. 

The rocket just started to arc over; I held my breath… would it work?

The rocket fell for only a second… but to me it seemed an eternity. Suddenly there was a faint "POP" and  a cloud of white smoke.  This is the sight and sound we wait for as it is the first sign that recovery will be intact. The rocket broke in two and the 'chute was blown clear of the airframe… in another second it opened perfectly!

On the ground everyone cheered and shouted, 

"Welcome to High Power!"

After a perfect launch the parachute deployed to bring the rocket safely back to earth.
I watched as my rocket drifted back in our direction… unlike most other flights that day, we didn't have to walk very far! For awhile it looked as if she was going to land a bit too close… she was coming down next to the cars!  Peacefully, she rested  in the soft grass beside the road.


 I couldn't have asked for a better flight!
RUTHERFORD
ROCKETS
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