NLD29 picture page
Thursday morning after arriving at the ASK, launch tower parts are being unloaded.
Peter Heeren marks the arc with gradients.
Fred van Arkel and Kees Jan Groenendijk assemble the launch rail beam of the big launch tower.
A motley collection of DARE SRP rockets.
SRP 14 "Mighty X" was definitely the best finished SRP rocket to date and even surpasses many veteran rocket builders efforts.
The new DARE launch tower is being assembled. It now has a very solid base.
Due to the large number of rockets, DARE prepared their rockets and motors in two army tents.
The DARE pyro-technicians had to prepare 10 rocket motors.
Grains of Bert Koerts' rocket motor. This DM500 motor was to have its first flight the next day.
The electronics compartment of Benjamin Wilkosz' Terminal Velocity II.
Peter Leemker (left) and Mark Uitendaal (right) are certifying Benjamin Wilkosz' (centre) Terminal Velocity II.
Bert Koerts prepares his Skywalker rocket.
That evening we had a simple, but good dinner at the hotel "Golden Tulip de Beyaerd" near Hulshorst.
The evening ended traditional in the bar of the hotel.
Friday we were back at ASK 't Harde for the launch day.
DARE members unwind the ignition wires to the command post.
Gerben-Jan Ligthart and Peter Leemker make pre-flight calculations, which had to be redone because of the strong wind. They were assisted by DARE's Peter van Gemert (not pictured).
The launches could only start after 12 o'clock, because in the morning an army unit was shooting with 81mm mortars.
But meanwhile preparation continued, as Robin Trap here prepares his Bumble Bee.
Pleun Punt's shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk ready for its launch.
The SRP 14 Mighty X team had some last minute stress, as the electronics were not working correctly.
After all preparations were done, we waited to start the first launch. Here a view of the command post.
And a view in the other direction, with the just arrived coffee and tea.
The NLD's are always used to catch up with each other, like Erik Dekker, Bert Koerts and Pleun Punt do.
A collection of rockets ready for the launches in the prep tent.
Bert Koerts and his Skywalker rocket, John de Rauw, Bryan Tong Minh (hidden) and Mark Uitendaal.
Jolijn Harmsen, Benjamin Wilkosz and the Terminal Velocity II.
SRP 13 "Rockegg" and pyrotechnicians Hein Olthof, A. van de Valk and Olga Motsyk.
The visitors area just before the first launch.
The launch of the Benjamin Wilkosz' Terminal Velocity II.
Unlike Terminal Velocity II's namesake, the Avalon 8 rocket motor behaved and the rocket had a quite normal flight pattern.
The R-DAS data of the Terminal Velocity II. Noticeable is the deployment of the main parachute at 1200m.
The launch of Bert Koerts' Skywalker on an AeroTech F25W.
Bert Koerts' Skywalker in flight.
The launch of DARE's SRP 13 "Rockegg".
SRP 15 "Menhir" in DARE's launch tower. Overseen by B. Buyens, Hein Olthof and one of the team SRP 15 members make the rocket ready for launch.
The angle of NAVRO's smaller launch tower is being adjusted by Bryan Tong Minh, while René Hofsteden holds his AMRAAM 3 and Mark Uitendaal supervises.
The SRP 14 "Mighty X" is placed in the launch tower. The new colour coded jacket system can be seen here. In blue are safety supervisors Arjen Fraters and Kees Jan Groenendijk, then in orange pyro-technician Hein Olthof, assistant Bryan Tong Minh, an SRP 14 team member, two more pyro-technicians and an assistant.
An AeroTech I300T lifted off René Hofsteden's AMRAAM 3 that fast, it was not captured on camera.
SRP 14 "Mighty X" lifted off fine.
But was then caught by the wind.
It became the founding member of DARE's stunt flying team.
After motor burn out it dropped normally, but crashed without parachuting.
The launch of SRP 15 "Menhir".
SRP 15 "Menhir" flew perfect and eventually the rocket with unbroken egg was recovered.
The rocket of Team HARD is placed in the launch tower. They are five high school students of the Carolus Borromeus College of Helmond and were assisted by DARE.
SRP 16 "ERROR" is carried to the launch tower by Hein Olthof.
Pleun Punt's shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk in the launch tower.
SRP 16 "ERROR" in DARE's launch tower.
Team HARD had attracted the media: NOS Headlines, which made a short radio feature and a movie on its website.
Pleun Punt connects the igniter to the motor of his shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk.
The launch of the shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk. Its bright AeroTech J350W motor could clearly be seen.
The strength of the motor was such that it did not seem to suffer from the wind.
The shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk had a perfect flight and its two stage parachuting worked flawlessly.
The R-DAS data of the shortened PML D-Region Tomahawk. It reached an altitude of 1275m and its top speed was 200 m/s (720 km/h).
Team HARD's Zephyr lifted off fine.
Its R-DAS detected apogee too early, probably to a low angle the rocket was flying at that time.
Fortunately it parachuted fine and landed normal.
The flight of SRP 16 "ERROR" was fine, although its trajectory was curved due to the wind conditions.
The SRP 16 team however had not made an error constructing the "Error", as it landed fine and its egg was recovered intact later.
Benjamin Wilkosz' Terminal Velocity II was one of the first rockets which was returned by the military.
Hein Olthof checks the angle of DARE's launch tower.
Roel Hendriks connects the igniter to the motor of his Spoetnik.
SRP 17 "GSM" sits ready in DARE's launch tower.
SRP 21 "Daedalus" is made ready for launch in NAVRO's launch tower.
Team HARD's Zephyr and SRP 16 "ERROR" are returned by a military recovery team.
Gerben-Jan Ligthart relaxes between launches in the command post.
SRP 21 "Daedalus" flew very well.
Roel Hendriks' Spoetnik continued to have bad luck and it had a misfire. Due to an electronics problem, it was going to fly ballistic.
SRP 17 "GSM" caught a gust of wind after leaving the launch tower.
But recovered its trajectory.
A soldier of the military recovery team observes the launch.
The parachute was to be activated by cell phone (GSM), but it failed to make connection during descent.
The SRP 16 team with their "ERROR" proudly present their recovered egg.
Roel Hendriks and Erik Stuurwold with the Spoetnik before its second launch attempt.
SRP 18 "Taco" in NAVRO's launch tower.
NAVRO's star photographer Fred van Arkel stands ready for a launch. Most of the photo's on this website are his.
The launch of SRP 18 "Taco".
SRP 18 "Taco" became unstable.
And prematurely blew off its nosecone and parachute.
The remainder of the rocket did continue for a short while. The egg was recovered intact however.
The launch of Roel Hendriks' Spoetnik.
It flew very well. After reaching apogee it descended horizontally and thereby landing almost undamaged.
The SRP 18 team seem more pleased with the recovery of their Winnie the Pooh umbrella parachute, than the recovery of the "Taco".
The SRP 21 team with their recovered "Daedalus".
Roel Hendriks (right) holds the recovered Spoetnik in his hands.
Benjamin Wilkosz with the recovered lower half of the first Terminal Velocity, which was launched 1 June, 2007 at NLD25.
Arjen Fraters supervises while Robin Trap prepares his Bumble Bee. Meanwhile Bryan Tong Minh unscrews the launch rail.
Robin Trap and Bryan Tong Minh slide the plump rocket in the launch rail, assisted by Mark Uitendaal.
The K570 motor (made by Mark Uitendaal) took a while to be powerful enough to lift off Robin Trap's heavy Bumble Bee.
Robin Trap's Bumble Bee in flight.
The advantage of these plump rockets is that the whole flight can be followed quite easily.
Including the descent, where the parachute became entangled.
SRP 20"Raket" lifted off fine.
Unfortunately SRP 20 "Raket" became unstable.
Thus SRP 20 was the next member of DARE's stunt flying team.
It also descended horizontally.
Bert Koerts (right) sits ready for the launch of the Abraham Cabeliau, which he named after a Dutch explorer.
The launch of the Abraham Cabeliau went fine.
But apparently the DM500 motor was too powerful for the rocket. It was Bert Koerts first motor of his own device.
Nonetheless the upper part parachuted and another part can be seen dropping (below in the picture).
The last launch was that of SRP 19 "KRocket" and it flew well.
The recovered Bumble Bee. Again its nose was broken.
SRP 20 "Raket" was returned quite intact after its stunt flying.
The remains of Bert Koerts' Abraham Cabeliau.
A recovered SRP rocket of an earlier launch.
After the launches we started to break up the launch site quickly, but we all were caught by heavy rain, hail and wind speeds of up to 120 km/h.
One of the mobile toilets was blown down.
As usual cleaning the launch tower was a popular activity when we returned home.
