Over the Thanksgiving holiday I built a modified PML Small Endeavor kit by adding CPR recovery and a payload section. The rocket uses a PML Co-Pilot altimeter to deploy a drogue chute at apogee and the main chute at 600 feet. The rocket also has an externally mounted Booster Vision Gearcam DVR video camera for onboard video during the flight.

Flew the rocket for the 1st time at the club's December 13, 2009 meeting and sport launch on an Aerotech H180W motor. Set up a Sony video camera on a tripod near the pad to capture the launch, followed by some video captured by the onboard camera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4m2DCbw8s4

The rocket was expected to reach 1300 feet in altitude, but the drogue chute deployed early at 660 feet, with the main deploying as expected at 600 feet. After the flight it was determined that one of the o-rings that seal the altimeter bay from the rest of the rocket had rolled off as the altimeter was being installed in the rocket, thereby not providing a good seal, and causing the altimeter to fire the drogue early.

Still pictures of the launch can be seen here:

http://launchcrue.org/gallery2/v/events/december2009/

Mike Borman