I was originally intending to attend RocStock XXIII so that I could fly the two rockets that I was trying to complete in time. I got word that two of my friends were going to be attempting Level 3 certifications, so it kind of became a 'must-see' for me. I did my best to get everything finished in time, risking life, career and marriage, but as it turned out, this just didn't happen.

Going as a spectator, the packing was light, and I had little to worry about, so I headed up for the day on Saturday Morning. After a quick stop for water, ice, snacks, lunch and sodas, I was off to the lakebed, and made it just before the first flight of the morning. People were up, and walking around. I found my group, and made my greetings and settled in.

Joe Cox was furthest along with his L3 preparations. Motor in place, electronics mounted, and assembling the recovery train, I took a couple of pictures, and helped out where I could. Once he was ready to go, he got his TAP Advisors to sign off on it, and headed for the pads. An M1297 lifted his 6" Dia Starburst upscale off the pad instantly thanks in part to the custom SpartaChris™ Thermite igniter. The boost was nice and straight, with a flame half as long as the rocket. The recovery was looking good until the drogue tangled, but the main came out right on cue with the first charge, and brought the rocket back behind the first row on the East side. A Successful Level 3 Cert. Congrats Joe!

Charlie Cox was next up in our group, and after an aeropac retainer mounting debacle, and the wonderment over the size and weight of his M1600R (Charlie: "I've never even flown a rocket that weighs that much!"), he was prepped, and on his way to the pad. Charlie opted for a (slightly?) larger chute, instead of sticking with the plan of sharing with his Dad, based on the descent rate of the starburst, and the larger size and weight of the 10" Polecat Aerospace Nike Smoke, just to make sure it all came back in one piece. The countdown hit one, and the Redline motor was instant-on with a custom SpartaChris™ Thermite igniter, and the Nike took off with Mach Diamonds in tow. The final altitude was around 6300', with the main coming out at apogee, making for a long, smooth descent to the ground. Just a little bit of paper tube delamination on landing, but that certainly won't keep the Nike out of the air. The TAPs signed off, and TRA has another Level 3 to graduate. Good job Charlie, Congratulations!

SpartaChris sent up his Thor on a J570, using a SpartaCrhris™ Thermite igniter, yielding a final altiude of 4790', and a max speed of .90 Mach. Dual deploy worked perfectly, and the Main came out on cue for a nice soft touchdown, about 1/4 mile to the north west.

Liz Cox couldn't resist, and went for her Level 1 on an AMRAAM Kit, and an I211. Beautiful boost, and motor ejection made for a long walk, but with a couple of happy dances, and some water, she came back all proud (as well she should be) to be a certified Rocket Dork.

Tired of waiting for the cone Drag Race, which was supposed to happen first thing in the morning, David flew his large cone 'Fracture' on a J for a Level 2 cert.

It was a fun day, and lacking the frustration, and anxiety of launching something myself, I got to have a real good time in the sun (which I am now paying for) and just got to sit back & relax a bit. Congratulations to all who got the certs they were looking for. I hope to have something finished to fly on for the next launch I plan to attend, but we'll see.