2022 in Review
December 28, 2022
This year in review will be on the shorter side of most I’ve written. While it was undoubtedly the best year of my life, it was a little short on the rocketry side of things. The main highlight was, of course, getting married in August in Coronado, CA. I pulled back on the rocketry purchases so as to ensure the wedding could be paid for without too much financial strain. I only had 3 flights all year, but they were nevertheless memorable, and I’m glad to have finally flown the M1419W I’ve had in storage for over 4 years.
In July I launched my 38mm minimum-diameter bird, Star Cruiser, on an I600R. It was my highest G-loading of any rocket I’ve launched, pulling 60Gs on boost and reaching 9373ft (2857m) of altitude. I bought the Loki 38-1200 hardware at Airfest, so once I can get my hands on a K627, I’ll fly that motor in the same rocket.
In October I tested out my new RunCam 4K on Miss Kenzie with a J315R. The camera and shroud were probably too large for the 2.6in airframe, so the flight was a little squirrely, but it held together and the camera looks like it was worth the purchase!
Then in November was my 3rd and final flight of the year, but also the biggest launch I’ve ever personally flown (outside of school projects). Pyromania reached 12075ft (3680m) on the M1419W and got awesome video footage the whole way. Despite just the 3 launches all year, it was the most impulse I’ve burned in a single year.
Besides the launches themselves, the only project I worked on was building Pyromania throughout the year. While it wasn’t difficult, it was fun to work on something big again, especially when it came to the avbay – lots of room inside with which to work. I don’t have any big plans for 2023 yet, but I think I want to focus on flying the rockets I have rather than building any big new projects. Sam and I are considering the idea of moving to Europe for a couple years to work/live there before we get too much older. If that is the case in the coming years, I don’t want to take on too many more bulky rockets that then need storage, disposal, or sold off before we leave. Motor hardware and electronics would probably be more feasible, so I might go that route with my rocketry funds.
While rocketry took a bit of a backseat this year, I played a lot of tennis. I got a 2nd racquet, played in a local singles league for 7 months with a 14-9 record (vs 8-8 in 2021), and hit with quite a few people throughout the summer months across weekdays and weekends. I also watched a lot of the ATP tour. Work was slow this year due to supply chain shortages, so watching tournaments throughout the week filled the time.
For board games, I only bought 2 new games this year (both previously owned) vs 8 last year, although I did get multiple expansions for my favorites. Mage Knight, Spirit Island, Cloudspire, Renegade and Race for the Galaxy were my favorites this year.
Sam and I moved to a new house and new neighborhood in June. It’s a welcomed upgrade from our previous rental. The area is better and the house is a 1910’s-craftsman that we love. Our wedding in August was a dream, and we got to spend almost a whole week in Coronado with our favorite people. It felt completely wonderful to be so celebrated and loved by our families and friends who joined us.
The end of the year was also special. My dad came to visit us for a few days in October, and Sam and I spent Thanksgiving with her mom in Oklahoma. We visited my family in Little Rock in the days leading up to Christmas, and now we have a week to ourselves in Wichita before we return to work next week. There were a lot more personal highlights I won’t mention here, but 2022 and 2012 (the start of my exchange year in Austria) will definitely go down as the best years of my life. Thanks for reading and joining me in 2022.
