Day Four of LDRS 17 was the Mini-BALLS launch, complete with experimental and demonstrations flights of yet-to-be uncertified motors by many of the manufacturers.

One of the most interesting flights of the day went to Brian Rosenfield, son of AeroTech's Gary Rosenfield.

Brian approached his father about the prospect of creating a 29mm hybrid to fly at LDRS, and the two set out to do just that.

With the unavailability of nitrous tanks for that small of an airframe, Gary and Brian resorted to modifying an existing 29mm motor casing with high-pressure seals instead of motor closures on the forward end with a specially machined injector adapter on the aft end.

The resulting H class motor flew startlingly well with a nice long burn.

The big project of the day had to go to the father and son team of Bill and Billy Davidson.

This pair built a very beautiful 2/3 scale Sandhawk sounding rocket which would fly on motors built during the on-site Thunderflame Associates class given at LDRS in the outboard slots.  

The motors, an M1700 76mm Dynamic Propulsion Systems "Armageddon Red" and the two airstarted outboard motors were from the motor class, were to power the rocket into the Utah skies from an away cell, far out from the crowd.

The photo sequence from above shows the team installing the igniters, arming the electronics and then the infamous Iwojima form used to raise the tower into an upright position.

Once erected, guide lines from all four corners were secured to stakes as it was leveled and aimed safely out toward the lake bed.

This rocket has flown once before, as young Billy Davidson's Level 3 project.

It was built as solidly as any I have seen, and featured large, heavy construction through out.

As the setup procedures came to a close, the father and son team gathered around the base of the rocket for the group photo.

As would be seen in upcoming frames, this moment would be one of the last which featured this rocket in one piece.

The old adage in the rocketry circles is to always take your photos before launch, since you never know what you'll get back after the button is pushed.

You can get a feel for the expanse of the Bonneville Salt Flats from these photos, as the mountains in the background are still over five miles away. Looks can be deceiving, while they may look close, they are a long walk!

When the launch command was given, the M1700 powered the beast into the air on a beautiful red flame.

This photo is not retouched, that is the retina burning color of this propellant!

When the two outboards motors joined the thrust at their airstart, the resulting shockload completely shredded the rocket, as evidenced by this section of the payload spinning wildly away from the center of the storm.

Here, Mike Mooney is surveying the debris field which covered some 300-plus feet.

Fins, airframe, and centering rings were scattered all over the area, which was quite a significant display, visible to everyone who ventured out of the safety of the rear of the team's rented U-haul.

The payload section was beeping out the attained altitude of 745 feet and lay out its parachute on the salt awaiting recovery.

The team quickly went about the task of clean-up before giving the remnants a proper burial in the rangehead's dumpster.