Rocket Launch

Hallowell Farm on July 13, 2014. It's 11 AM and it's sweltering. We're launching with the Philadelphia Area Rocketry Association.
Present, along with the PARA crew, were Matt, Chrissy, Joe, Andrea, Heather, Jim and yours truly.

Here's our crew: Jim Daddio, Heather Daddio, Andrea Havens, Matt Knoebel & Christina Simpson. Joe Jones showed up an hour later.
Yeah, I know you can't see anybody in the picture, but they were all busy. Busy broiling.

Me in my "Rocket Hat", purchased just for the occasion after my
ears got burnt at the last launch. I was darn glad to have it today.

A nice model takes off from pad 5.
Note: the rocket on the rail is about ten feet behind the main pad.

This G powered rocket rides the rail skyward.

Outstanding flight!

Launch pad engulfed in smoke.

The Big Bertha lifts off! The Astron Skyhook is on the left.
The Bertha and Skyhook were popular Estes kits in the 1960s.

Not sure what this is. Nice rocket and nicely painted.
Great liftoff!

"Move over!" "Hey, watch that thing!" "Gimmie some room!" "Ow, my eye!!"
That's Jim Daddio in the middle.

The Astron Skyhook, built using plans from 1968.

The V2 lifts off, bound for London.
The Skyhook is sitting on pad 3, which turned out to be bad.

Since WWII ended some time ago, the warhead was replaced
with a parachute. The rocket went into the corn but not too far.

The Skyhook blasts off on an A8-3 from pad 2. Jim's Redliner is to the right,
on Pad 3 which has been fixed. Notice another V2, but smaller scale.