HAWK Flight 1

Flight #1 of the HAWK was conducted at the Reaction Research Society Mojave Test Area launch site. The launch was documented by 2 pad-side Go Pro video cameras, an onboard RunCam camera (housed in a custom designed and 3D printed enclosure), and still photos captured by Richard Rapp, Alexander Jones, and other spectators. The launch on November 28, 2021 was a test run for the more ceremonial launch on December 17th, (the 118th anniversary of the first flight by my Great-Great Granduncles.

This was the first flight I've used with a Altus Metrum avionics product, the Telemega flight computer. This electronics board includes GPS tracking that sends a signal over radio frequencies regulated by the FCC, which requires an amateur radio license to legally operate. I obtained a Technician Class "ham radio" license earlier in 2021 to be able to test out the tracking using the Telemega board, which performed wonderfully during the flight.

The flight was mostly a success! The drouge parachute deployed at apogee, the main parachute deployed 500 ft AGL. There was minor damage sustained to the body tube, likely from a slight bit of zippering from the shock cord during the main parachute deployment, but this damage was patched with epoxy before flight #2. The onboard camera stopped recording when the drogue chute deployed, so a piece of foam was added inside the 3D printed enclosure to reduce forces on the camera for the next flight.

Becky and Dimitri Timohovich were a huge help with this flight, in particular by driving their jeep out to recover the rocket from the nearby desert. Their son Max even lent a hand by offering up a small tank toy as a payload bay stand-in for the following flight's fabric.