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Wildfire is a scratch built rocket that was designed to
carry a color video camera
and a transmitter that transmits live video and sound back to the ground
during flight. It also carries a GPS unit that overlays additional
information on the video image to show altitude, speed and location. At
apogee the video transmitter module is ejected and descends on it's own
parachute. Recovery of the video module could not be easier. Just
enter the last GPS coordinates into a hand held unit like a Garmin eTrex and
have it guide you directly to the landing site. The rocket itself can be
located (if necessary) by using a signal from the on-board
Walston radio
beacon transmitter.
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Length: |
9 feet, 3
inches |
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Diameter: |
5.5 inches |
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Weight: |
45 pounds with
M1315 motor and video payload |
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Motor: |
75mm mount
accommodates up to M1315 motor |
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Altimeters: |
2 each,
Missile Works RRC2 |
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Locator: |
Walston radio
transmitter |
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Payload: |
CCD video
camera, 1.3GHz transmitter, GPS info overlay |
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Parachute: |
Rocketman R14
on rocket, Rocketman R12 on payload module |
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Built: |
Aug. 2002 |
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First Flight: |
Sept. 28, 2002
on M1315 at XPRS-1 launch at Black Rock desert in Nevada. |
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Construction: |
Body tube:
flexible phenolic + 3 layers fiberglass
Fins: G10 fiberglass
Nose cone: plastic
View
Wildfire construction details here. |
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| Click on any photo to see a larger version of it. |
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Photo by Rick Clapp |
Photo by Vern Knowles |
Wildfire Flight #24
June 22, 2008
OROC
Summer Skies Launch
Brothers, Oregon
Wildfire was launched on an M1315 motor to
8,357 feet. Calm winds allowed it to land just 300 feet behind the
flight line. Recovery sure was easy!
More info on this
flight is here!
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Photo by Frank Ross |
Photo by Vern Knowles |
Flight #23
Oct. 27, 2007
Wildfire was launched on an Aerotech
M1315 at the
Tripoli Idaho Swan Falls launch site.
Spectacular boost to 8,276 feet.
Wildfire was recovered with no damage. It was a great flight! |
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Wildfire Flight #18
May 20, 2006
Tripoli Idaho Swan Falls site
L850 motor
4,109 feet
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It was a beautiful
day, a nice launch, a successful recovery and no damage. It
really doesn't get much better! |
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Wildfire's "Lucky 13" Flight |
Photo by Rich Boltizar |
Photo by Rich Boltizar |
Wildfire was flown on
August 28, 2004 at the
Tripoli Idaho
launch site near Fairfield Idaho. This was the thirteenth flight of
Wildfire and a nice one at that! |
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Wildfire liftoff on an
Animal Motor
Works L1080 "Blue Baboon" motor. If you click on the photo a the
left and look closely, you can see the shock waves in the exhaust flame!
This photo was taken using a camera on a tripod positioned close to the
launch pad. It was taken at 1/12,000 of a second exposure time on
Fuji Provia slide film.
This flight reached 4235
feet and was safely recovered about 1000 feet from the launch site.
Wildfire carried the usual video transmitter payload and weighed 37.5
pounds on the launch pad.
View videos of this flight
right here! |
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Wildfire Flight #9
Wildfire was launched on
an L850 at the
Tripoli Idaho Swan Falls launch site on Nov. 1, 2003.
It was a cold day, but a bright blue sky and no wind made it a great day
to launch rockets. Wildfire carried the usual video transmitter
payload package on this flight and
the video
can be seen right here. This was a very nice flight with a nominal boost and
deployment at 4434 feet. |
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Photo by Rich Boltizar |
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Wildfire Flight #4
Another very nice flight!
Wildfire on an L850.
Peak altitude was 4215 feet. This was at the Swan Falls Idaho launch
site on May 31, 2003.
On-board video from this
flight can be seen here. |
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Photo by Rick Clapp |
Wildfire Flight #3
I launched Wildfire on an L850 at the "Fire
in the Sky" launch on May 24, 2003. It was an
absolutely spectacular flight that reached 4320 feet. The boost
was perfectly vertical.
View
videos of this flight right here.
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Photo by Richie Boltizar |
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Photo by Richie Boltizar |
Wildfire on an L850 at FITS
2003. |
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Photo by Craig Christenson |
The Wildfire airframe comes back down
on a Rocketman R14
parachute at the FITS 2003 launch.
A nice long length of tubular nylon connects the two
sections of the rocket. The parachute attaches directly to the
U-bolt at the top of
the motor section.
Everything about this flight went absolutely perfect. It even
landed only about 150 yards from the launch pad. |
 Photo
by Jose Guerricabeitia |
Wildfire Flight #2
Wildfire is ready for launch
on an M1315 motor at the Swan Falls Idaho launch site on November 2, 2002
under ideal weather conditions. The "dork" with the hat who is
standing next to the rocket, well.... that would be me. (Vern)
"Pad Cam" and on-board video from this launch can be
viewed here.
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Wildfire liftoff on an M1315
on Nov 2, 2002. This was the second flight of Wildfire and was
absolutely perfect.
Peak altitude was 8306 feet. |
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Photo by Gary Hunt |
Wildfire launch on an M1315 at
the Tripoli Idaho launch site near Swan Falls
Idaho. (south of Boise).
Nov. 2, 2002 |
Photo by Frank Ross
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Wildfire
Flight #1
Wildfire
and myself at the XPRS-1 launch at Black Rock desert in Nevada on Sept.
28, 2002.
This was the maiden flight for Wildfire. An M1315 motor and the
standard video payload were on-board.
See videos of this
flight here.
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Wildfire on the pad and ready
for launch. Sept. 28, 2002,
Black Rock desert.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ..........
Ground based video as well as on-board video of this launch can be
viewed here. |
Photo by Frank Ross |
Photo by John Lyngdal |
Two views of the same launch. Wildfire liftoff on an
M1315. Picture perfect flight in absolutely ideal weather
conditions. It went straight up and then came virtually
straight down on the parachute. It landed less then 1/4 mile from
the pad without a scratch on it!
Peak altitude was 8862 feet.
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