Two members of team 8296 tested their very long cargo unit to see if it will reduce descent rate enough for a good qualification.  There was a lot of snow on the field, but the sun was out, temperature about 40 degrees, and light wind.  Recovery of the rockets in knee high snow a hundred yards away took a lot of energy.

The first flight was very straight and reached 859ft.  The streamers were wrapped up in the shock cord and the rocket descended way too fast.  They decided to do a second flight.  About 15g was added near the top of the cargo unit.  The shock cord was installed on top of the streamers.  The flight cocked into the wind and did not get required altitude (754ft).  The streamers deployed nicely but the rocket drifted into the trees.  It hung up about 60 ft in the woods on a very small branch.

Bob Ekman and Amanda's father, Jim, came out the next day and recovered the rocket from the trees.  They used a bow and arrow to fly a kite string up and over the branch.  After a little tug, the rocket finally descended to the ground.

Bob Ekman again flew a special light weight (390g) rocket to test and compare altimeters (video).  This test flew three altimeters (one PerfectFlite Alt15K and two Adept A1-TA) to see if there is any difference in the altitude recorded.  The altimeters recorded 808ft (altimeter C), 799ft (altimeter 1), and 808ft (altimeter 2) respectively.