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the TEENIE HALLOWEENIE Drag Race!
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The RTV Drag Race Event for GHS 2003! Every contestant was given a 54mm x 18" body tube, a 29mm motor mount, and a lighted 5-inch diameter jack-o-lantern from Target. The only rules: design a Halloween-themed rocket and fly it on a G64!
1)Mark Vatsaas; 2)Loren Kjersten 3)Cory McCormick; 4) Billy Dahlberg; 5) Stefan Vatsaas 6) Brad Vatsaas; 7) Rick Vatsaas; 8) Halloweenier; 9) Skullduggery; 10) Pagan Vegan Draggin' Wagon; 11) Peter Piper's Poorly Painted Perchlorate Powered Pumpkin Poopchute Projectile; 12) Teenie Weenie; 13) Insane Incinerator; 14) Ain't Got No Body; 15) the original Halloweener.
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Teenie Weenie by Brad Vatsaas
Downscale version of the Halloweener, the pumpkin-headed rocket that started all the tomfoolery. Truth be told, this isn't a true downscale, any more than the Muppet Babies are are true miniatures of the real thing.
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Pagan Vegan Draggin' Wagon
by Chris Vatsaas
Built by our Dad (who couldn't make it to GHS) and flown by Loren Kjersten. The fins slope dramatically away from the elongated throat, accentuating both the overlarge spherical head and the overstated circumference of the round aft section -- creating much the same aesthetic effect as Loren's physique.
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Peter Piper's Poorly Painted Perchlorate Powered Pumpkin Poopchute Projectile
by Cory McCormick
Cory complied with the Halloween theme by attaching daggers to body tube to act as fins. And he's finally getting the idea about properly naming a rocket. This was the clear winner of the night race, but never left the pad earlier in the day.
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Insane Incinerator by Billy Dahlberg
Billy likes flames, which might explain why his parents lost two garages and a hammock to mysterious fires when he was a boy. The fins on the Insane Incinerator are flame shaped and the flames on the body were Billy's first attempt at airbrush techiques. It scorched off the pad, too.
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Ain't Got No Body by Rick Vatsaas
This year's winner of the style competition. The rib-cage fin section and the molded vertebrae were both artistic and inspired -- legubrious, yet not at all allegorical -- and heavy. The center of pressure is just behind the 5th vertebra. (Other names considered: Crash Diet and Joe Lieberman) Click [HERE!] to see an awesome page describing how this rocket was made!
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Skullduggery by Mark Vatsaas
This year's winner of the Lack-of-Style competition, easily the most hideous monstrosity ever to get past the RSO table. This rocket had by far the most elaborate lighting system and the most ill-conceived design. Mark actually managed to make it aerodynamically stable -- but it was underpowered with the required G64 motor.
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The Day Race
The Pagan Vegan Draggin' Wagon pounds off the pad in first place! (Notice how all the words rhyme but none are spelled the same? Could you care less?) The Insane Incinerator is close behind in second place, while the Teenie Weenie follows in third.
No sign of motion is visible with Cory's rocket.
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The Insane Incinerator pulls ahead of the higher-drag Pagan Vegan Draggin' Wagon. The two heaviest rockets - the incredible Ain't Got No Body, and the incredibly ugly Skullduggery - reluctantly lumber off the pad.
Is that Cory's rocket completely obscured by smoke from his competition? Why, yes it is!
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The Insane Incinerator lengthens its lead, with the Pagan inside the smoke trail. The Teenie Weenie charts its own course....
Meanwhile, on the ground - Cory's rocket ponders it's next move.
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The rockets continue to climb, more or less vertically. All the rockets returned intact enough to fly again at the night launch.
Cory, of course, needed the least preparation to get ready for the second race.
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The Night Race
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Peter Piper's Poorly Painted Perchlorate Powered Pumpkin Poopchute Projectile is first off the pad. No, WAIT - that rocket isn't FIRST! It is only now leaving the pad, 4 hours after start of the first race! It is unforgiveably late!
No, that isn't fair. Cory's rocket left the pad first. Dang it.
Skullduggery ignited second, with the Insane Incinerator a fraction of a second behind. The combined flame contrails from all those G64 motors was temporarily blinding, and made for a pretty awesome photo. You can also see the bulbs illuminating the jack-o-lanterns if you look closely.
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© Copyright 2000-2008, Bradley Vatsaas, Richard Vatsaas, and Mark Vatsaas. All Rights Reserved.
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