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This is off of an e-mail a friend sent me. I don't know the author. Guy's just lucky the Super Jolly didn't manically rain 7.62 down onto his launch position immediately afterwards...

Model rocketry...OK!

I was witness to this:

At the local high school (when I was attending) some years back, they had a model rocketry club that would fire their rockets after school on some Thursdays. Just a scant three miles from the school (or slightly less) is an active Air Force Base with a pararescue squadron flying Jolly Green Giant helicopters routinely.

One fine Thursday afternoon, the model rocket club is doing their usual fine job of successfully launching nine out of ten rockets and recovering eight out of nine. A student's turn comes up and he prepares to fire his big D-engined V2 model rocket. Of course, it would HAVE to be one of the larger rockets, wouldn't it? He fires it, but neglected to conduct a proper pre-flight safety check as he failed to notice a large, noisy, green United States Air Force CH-53 "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter entering the launch zone at a not
very great altitude.

The rocket flies up and impacts the rotor blades of the helicopter, just in front of the pilot's windscreen. Ever seen a Jolly Green Giant SKID to a stop in midair?

This one did!

And out of the right side cockpit window (pilot's side) out pops a flightsuited arm with a green and grey Nomex glove, with the middle finger (and no other) firmly extended in our general direction, and shaken with great enthusiasm!

The pilot then resumed his mission, probably grumbling about the paperwork he'd probably have to file regarding a rocket attack on his chopper. Needless to say, there wasn't much point in trying to recover what was left of the rocket as there wasn't really very much left. It was hardly worth calling confetti.
CJ

Had it been me, probably would have been one of my expensive Bomarc or Patriot kits.

A sucking chest wound is life's way of telling you to slow down...

Edited by - Horrido on Dec 14 2002 1:41 PM

Edited by - Horrido on Dec 14 2002 1:42 PM

ROFLMAO !!! WE never even came close to a 8 out of 9 recovery rate in my class!!!

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

I all ways woundered if you could do that.<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

A Proud Ambulance Rider! EMS

If I remember my days of model rocketry, Estes actually put a disclaimer on the box of their larger (4 stage D motors) rockets that said something to the effect of "Obtain FAA approval before launching." I will look and see if I can find an old catalog.

--Raven

"Work Hard, Party Hard, Hardly Sleep"

Depends on the size of the rocket, and the size/number of the engines. For any single D-engined kit, you don not need clearance, but that may change for clustered engine rockets or multi-staged ones. For any of my "G" engined rockets, you MUST get FAA clearance, and SCHEDULE a launch time, and LAUNCH within 5 MINUTES of that launch time. It's also just a bad idea to launch near active runways.

A sucking chest wound is life's way of telling you to slow down...

The one I had in mind had a series of 4 D size engines, but I haven't built a model rocket since I was in like 8th grade, just never had time for that many hobbies. Thanks for the info, good to know I'm not crazy.

--Raven

"Work Hard, Party Hard, Hardly Sleep"

ROTFLOL!!! I stole that off of AR15.com last week and e-mailed it to 30MM. I wondered if it would get posted here at some point.

Ted

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
<img src="http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/dark2.gif" border=0>

Fun with Military helicopters. Thanx for scaring me with the "Maniacally raining down 7.62" Horrido. Now I'll be more afraid of what a UH-60's 60mm would do to my bikes tires than broken glass and nails <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Juggaloly, I'm a super villian
Swingin' my swords and I'm all up on the ceilin'
I'm a Ninja, throw drop kicks chop necks, stab you like sabu, grab you, have at you

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Manically...manically rain down...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

A sucking chest wound is life's way of telling you to slow down...

Luna.....

That's M-60, not 60mm.

M-60 fires the 7.62x51mm NATO.

60mm is a mortar shell, lol.

Trample the wounded- hurdle the dead.

Ouch. Making a worse fate for my bike, if not myself.

(Mountain bike is parked w/ kickstand down) Whoooooooooooo BOOM! That would be ugly. Almost as ugly as the repair bill would be.

Juggaloly, I'm a super villian
Swingin' my swords and I'm all up on the ceilin'
I'm a Ninja, throw drop kicks chop necks, stab you like sabu, grab you, have at you

_________________

Repair bill?? You just replace the bike after that..hence the term "totalled"

--Raven

"Work Hard, Party Hard, Hardly Sleep"