Untitled Page

TRIPOLI Pittsburgh

Launch Report

July 21, 2024

Page 6

Flyers: 18

Flights: 47

Jeff Dick has been a TRIPOLI Pittsburgh member for years and has been coming to this years launches regularly.

Jeff recently incorporated a new feature into his high power rockets: FeatherWeight GPS trackers.

"Last year I spent an hour looking for a rocket that was right in front of me", Jeff said, "now I walk right to it."

Jeff poses with his great looking Guardian (at right), a kit from Scott Kissinger's Dragon Rocketry.

Jeffrey Dick

Jeff Dick watches his Guadian lift off on an I-218 motor.

The Guardian returns (just above the peak of the tent) while Jeff looks at his phone for tracking info.

Jeffrey Dick was able to walk directly to his rocket and retrieve it easily due to the onboard tracker that he had installed.

"I'm not flying anything big without them", Jeff commented.

And given the challenging nature of flying rockets (especially at the Dragon's Fire Field) a GPS tracker makes a whole lot of sense.

Jeff loaded up a bunch more rockets each one looking better than the last.

One of Jeff's comments really rang a bell.

"Using a tracker means that I don't spend as much time looking for my rocket.", said Jeff.

"Which means I have more time to fly more rockets."

And more rockets he flew!

Jeff's statement about time may seem obvious but it speaks to the need for time managment at launchs.

Once we set up our pits, we only have a limited amount of time to actually fly. And if we pay attention to the amount of time it takes to ready rockets before flight and locating and collecting them afterward we may find that there is less time left over than we thought.

Jeff seems to have thought about this as he loads up yet another one.

Think about what Jeffrey Dick has thought about. Time. How we deal with time at the launches can make a big difference in how much enjoyment we get from them.

And think about a GPS tracker. They work well and save us a lot of headaches and time.

And we can get in more flights, just as Jeff registers for another.

Goto:

Page 6