EDEN, Texas USA — Though it was only the first widely publicized event at this site, the Paradise 2 rocket launch hosted in Eden, Texas by the Hill Country Tripoli organization turned out to be quite a success.

	Billy Clark's five K-motor cluster. Tom Montemayor photo

Held on Febrary 27-28 1999 on 1600 acres of West Texas ranch land about 30 miles east of San Angelo, the launch organizers had secured a 7,500 feet FAA waiver with windows to 15,000 feet.

Scores of flyers arrived from all over Texas, and with the leaders of no less than four Tripoli prefectures present, the event provided an unprecedented opportunity for exchange of technical information, certification testing, and downright serious burning of propellant.

Thanks to the on-site presence of motor vendors Trailing Edge Technologies and Ellis Mountain, the event was pumped with an ample supply of propellant and support items. This launch was held in benefit of the Eden Volunteer Fire Department, and Hill Country Tripoli was able to contribute $250 from range fee proceeds to this worthy cause.

The pit area was busy all week- end with flyers gathered from all over Texas.  Ed Jacoby photo

Tripoli prefects in attendance included Lou Catozzi from Hill Country Tripoli, Tom Montemayor from Tripoli Austin, Ken Kryzak from Tripoli San Antonio, and Robert Turner from Tripoli North Texas. Many members also attended from Tripoli Houston.

With so many prefectures and their respective members pitching in to contribute launch equipment and labor, the event was up and running in a minimum of time. Members of the Eden Volunteer Fire Department were also on hand to assist in fire control, but thankfully their spotting services were more in demand than their firefighting skills.

Conditions were clear and somewhat breezy both days. The forecast called for calm winds on Sunday, but by 9:00 am the winds were blowing 10 mph and increased all day. The weather was cooperative for the most part with a bright cloudless sky, though the winds on Sunday prompted more flyers to keep their rockets close to home.

In spite of the breezy conditions, 40 participants launched 121 flights during the two-day event. Over 10,000 Ns were burned the first day and over 15,000 the second day by some very experienced and talented flyers.

	Fiber optic service pole gets a new life, courtesy of builder Larry Lyssy. Steve Baughman photos

Michael Martin from Houston put on a real show with many flights on as many different rockets. Michael first flew his Nimbus to 4700 ft. on a J90W, and quickly followed up with a beautiful flight of his candy-striped V2 on a J800T, to an estimated altitude of 2000 feet. His Endeavor went to 3500 ft. on a J460T.

Then there was "Amy", a 6 1/2 foot 38mm minimum diameter bird on an I95W - she screamed. Unfortunately, he didn't have an altimeter that would fit inside. Michael's Aerotech ARCAS flew nicely on an EconoJet F20, even though he forgot to pack a chute in it - oops! (Note: Hmm, flight card RSO initials LC? Oh well, you can't pull every nosecone!)

The next time it flew on an H180W, and he remembered to pack a recovery device - a long streamer due to the wind. Unfortunately, it landed on rocky terrain and busted a fin. The ALTACC reported 2800 ft. altitude, and 25 g's acceleration. Michael didn't let a little breeze get in the way of some good clean fun!

Other notable flights included Jeff Cook from Austin, who flew his Aerobee HI on a I211W for a great flight, and Larry Lyssy from Converse, who flew his scratch built "Heracles" on an I435T for it's last flight. Larry had a bunch of outboards, and when none of them fired, the I435's ejection time proved too long.

Heracles impacted in classic lawn dart fashion, but Larry took it all in stride, perhaps even taking a fancy to his new nickname of Larry "Lawn Dart" Lyssy. Larry also had a couple of very impressive and successful flights with his "Fiber Route 1" on a J415W and "Champ" on a K185W.

Saturday's flying was punctuated by an interesting occurance with Jay Townsend's "Endeavour", as it seems his rocket was loaded on the pad with a standoff ring screwed onto the launch rod near the top. The J350W motor ensured that the rocket flew, but both of the the aluminum launch lugs sheared away from the airframe and embedded into one another at the standoff.

Jay Townsend received plenty of good-natured ribbing after stripping his launch lugs by mistake. Steve Baughman photos

Jay, from Brownwood, caught a lot of ribbing from all around, but he returned the next day with the Endeavor fully repaired and ready for more action, a very impressive feat. Jay has received a variety of new nicknames since. He will respond to "Lugs", "Lugger", etc.

	Ed Jacoby's Eclipse flying on a J350W. Ed Jacoby photo

Steve Hill, making the long drive from Dallas, had a great flight on his LOC Magnum with an impressive cluster of 7 motors. He used a core K700W, airstarting 3 Kosdon H255's at T+3.25s with 3 more H180W's airstarted at T+4.25s. This was truly a crowd pleaser! Steve recovered the rocket successfully to complete an amazing flight.

Additionally, Eden launch site patriarch Ed "Edge" Jacoby from Dripping Springs wasn't going to be left out either, so he took his PML Eclipse for a major ride on a J350W. The boost was a real kick, and the drogue deployed at apogee, but unfortunately the main was not deployed and the rocket suffered some cracked phenolic on a rough landing.

Alan Davis from Grand Prairie set a good example for the North Texas folks by flying fearlessly in spite of the wind, even with a single chute rig. On Saturday Alan launched his PML Tethys on a J415W for a great shot that sent him almost to the horizon for recovery. This was followed up by a super boost of his Binder Cobra on a J460T for a really nice flight.

On Sunday, Alan gave us all cause to to reflect on his finer qualities for a couple of hours as we became concerned for his well-being long after he left to retrieve his PML Tethys, which was sent on the ride of its life on a J800T to an estimated altitude of 4850 feet. Thankfully, Alan eventually returned and coined his now famous phrase "if you're not walking, you're not flying". The Tethys was recovered later that day intact.

Marvin Smith's camera rocket collected great photos of the splendid Texas countryside. Marvin Smith photos

Glenn Carey from Brownwood flew his extended PML Miranda on a J350W for a straight up boost. Glenn's craft is equipped with a Cambridge IAX96 dual deployment system. The flight was straight up and clean but deployed the main chute at apogee due to a loose nose cone. The resulting half mile walk allowed the viewing of several other successful flights. The download from Glenn's flight showed an altitude of 3886', acceleration of 13 g's and velocity of 394 miles per hour. Another memorable flight was compliments of Marvin Smith from Austin, who flew his exquisite camera equipped rocket on a J180W, producing some spectacular photos of the launch site and the surrounding Texas countryside.

In Flight Photos: Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 

	Billy Clark with his NASA rocket. Tom Montemayor photo

Billy Clark from Fort Worth gets the award for burning the most perchlorate, but unfortunately Billy also had the worst luck. His first flight was a huge 11 inch diameter rocket powered by a core K1100W and 4 outboard K550Ws, producing over 800 pounds of inital thrust. All the motors fired simultaneously and the 9 foot tall rocket thundered into the air. It gracefully arced over at apogee and ... nothing. It began to accelerate downward and streamlined in, crashing about 1/2 mile downrange. The phenolic rocket was totally destroyed, shattering into thousands of tiny pieces.

Billy also flew his huge "NASA" rocket, a 14 foot tall rocket powered by a single 54mm motor. Billy had flown the rocket many times with a K1100T, but this time chose to use the new K700W. Though the K1100 and K700 both produce K impulse, the K700 is a full K, producing over 2500 Ns. The K1100 only produces 1500 Ns. The extra power proved significant for this flight as the huge rocket shredded about 500 feet in the air. The resulting shower of incoming components put everyone on their toes for a suspenseful few seconds, but all parts landed safely downrage and away from the launch zone. Billy's rockets have always been a crowd favorite all over Texas, and we can't wait to see what he's working on next!

Jay Townsend's Endeavour. Steve Baughman photo

Many rocketeers arrived with the goal of certification, and most succeeded. Don Ashworth from Houston arrived ready to certify to level 2 with a huge 21 lb. scratch built beauty named "The Big One". Don's rocket was loaded with a J800T motor and equipped with an altimeter for drogue and main parachute deployment. The rocket roared off the pads and was recovered successfully to complete Don's level 2 certification. Congratulations Don!

	Don Ashworth certified to level 2 on "The Big One". Don Ashworth photo

Another flyer certifying level 2 at Paradise 2 was Bart Madden from Arlington with a successful flight on a J350W in his PML Amraam. The boost was nice and straight, however a main parachute deployment at apogee (as intended) guaranteed that a hike would be in order. The Amraam was found later that day and Bart's papers were signed off by prefect Robert Turner. Way to go Bart!

Terry Parks from Austin attempted his level 1 certification as well. Terry launched his beautiful Hawk Mountain "Bad Attitude" in single-deployment configuration for a scorching flight on a I435T. Unfortunately, inadequate venting of the airframe during boost caused the nosecone to come loose prematurely, causing some damage to the rocket and blowing the certification attempt. Terry has promised to return the rocket to flying condition with a generous application of epoxy in those fin roots and come back to try again. We're rooting for you Terry!

Don Cosgrove unintentionally put on an interesting failure demo with his "Bass Pro" rocket on an I161H. At liftoff, the forward bulkead of the motor failed, blowing the nosecone off and causing the rocket to ascend under power with a ball of fiery plasma erupting from the top. This 'plasma nosecone' effect generated a fair amount of interest and amusement as it was recounted at the launch banquet held on Saturday night.

	Marlin Philyaw's (right) "eMpirical" rocket burned an Ellis Mountain M1000 for level 3 certification. Steve Baughman photo

A real highlight of the weekend was a level 3 certification flight by Marlin Philyaw from Waco, Texas. His scratch built, 4.5 inch diameter, 10 foot tall rocket named "eMpirical" (not to be confused with theoretical) was a beautiful sight to behold as displayed for passersby over the weekend. The rocket carried a camera and had a lift off weight of 45 pounds. After replacing a bad ignitor, the big rocket rose majestically into the blue. The M1000 burns for over 7 seconds and accelerated the rocket to over 750 feet per second. The rocket reached a max altitude of 9300 feet, and blew it's drogue right at apogee. After about 10 seconds of falling under the drogue, the huge main parachute deployed and the rocket took off downwind. Due to the main chute deployment near apogee it took over 4 hours of searching to locate the big rocket, but thankfully it was found undamaged. The on-board camera recorded beautiful images of the launch site from it's rocket's-eye view, and Marlin's level 3 paperwork was signed off by TAP member Tom Montemayor. Congratulations Marlin!

In Flight Photos: Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4   Flight Data: Altitude 

Tom Montemayor's 2-stage J-J "Integral" hit an altitude of 7653 feet. Steve Baughman photos

Tom Montemayor of Austin had a nice high and straight flight with his "Integral", a beautiful two stage rocket designed for 54mm motors. Tom chose a J415 for the first stage and a J180W for the second stage. The 9 foot tall rocket roared into the air under first stage boost, reaching a max first stage velocity of 508 feet per second and a max loading of 7 Gs. Separation was perfectly timed and wonderful to watch as second stage ignition occurred at 1566 feet. The long burning J180W second stage boost tossed the rocket further skyward to reach a max altitude of 7653 feet and a peak velocity of 710 feet per second. Both stages were recovered successfully and undamaged, reaffirming Tom's position as a true multi-stage master.

 Flight Data: Velocity Altitude 

	Steve's XRV after flight 21. Steve Baughman photo

Steve Baughman of Austin enjoyed four more successful dual deployment flights in his scratch-built "XRV Mk IV". On Saturday, flights 18, 19 and 20 in the XRV program were accomplished on a J460T, J800T, and K1100T respectively. All flights were nominal, however flight 19 involved some tense moments as the rocket drifted down very close to a large water tank. The rocket missed the water but did hit a boulder. Flight 20 of the XRV was a real milestone effort, as it used the largest motor that could fit in the Mk IV, the Aerotech K1100T. Since it's known for almost 350 lbs. of liftoff thrust, Steve expected that the K1100T would really take the 12.75 lb. XRV Mk IV for a ride. Needless to say he was not disappointed. The Mk IV roared away on liftoff and hit 415 mph in 1.6 seconds, after which it continued to coast upwards for an additional 15.5 seconds. Max acceleration was 16.27 g's, max altitude was 5238 ft, and recovery was nominal. On Sunday, the XRV made only one flight due to Steve's responsibilities that day as launch control officer and due to slightly higher winds. Flight 21 was made on a J415W and was recovered within 50 yards of the pads. 

Flight Data: Flight 18 Flight 19 Flight 20 Flight 21 

Many other flyers contributed dozens of additional flights to a great weekend of rocket launching. Unfortunatly it is impossible to mention them all, as much as we'd like to try. Hopefully they know who they are and how much their participation was appreciated. In spite of the less than ideal weather, it is obvious that a lot of fun was had at Paradise 2. New and old friends alike had the opportunity to meet up and swap stories, learn about each other's projects, and take advantage of the excellent launch facilities. Something you can't help but notice about Texans is a willingness to welcome strangers warmly and offer a willing helping hand when needed, and that's the kind of spirit that makes the Paradise launches so successful and so much fun for everybody. A special thanks goes out to all the folks who pitched in to cover range duties for making the whole weekend such as blast, we couldn't have done it without you! An extra special thanks is in order for our landowner Gary, whose generosity truly benefits us all.

For those of you interested in Texas High Power Rocketry, we invite you to join in the Texas HPR discussion group on the internet. And if you're looking to light up the sky with the super friendly folks in Eden Texas, feel free to come on out to Paradise and pay us a neighborly visit during Paradise 3, scheduled for May 15-16, 1999.

Written and submitted by Steve Baughman with major contributions by Tom Montemayor. Additional content courtesy of the Texas HPR discussion group. Special thanks to Ross at Magnum Hobbies for providing the $25 contributor's gift certificate for the article.