"J" Class Altitude Record
Who: Mike Brest
What: 18,408 feet
When: Sept. 27, 2003
Where: Black Rock Desert
I was fortunate enough to witness this spectacular two-stage flight at AERO-PAC's 2003 XPRS launch at Black Rock. The most memorable part about it for me was the 7 second coast time prior to the sustainer's ignition.
Mike is a fellow AERO-PAC member and is a board member, known for his hard work in support of the prefecture and his creativity, energy, and imaginative designs...a real "good guy".
The "Stellar Jay II" flew from a tower on Aerotech I-435 and I-284 motors. It was a re-build, with some improvements based on Mike's experience with an earlier crash that he suspects was caused by a combination of weathercocking and low thrust to weight ratio. The improved rocket was lighter, shorter, and had better weather!
There are a lot of neat design features on this rocket, and I suggest you explore further by following the link to Mike's web site below. He also has a very informative article co-written with Tony Alcocer..."The Road to LEUP". His website is here.
Photo courtesy Steve Pope