Testing Day

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Testing day for Team Urban Siege is in the books. It took until early afternoon before the Safety Committee started inspecting machines, but we got off 3 solid shots before deciding we were ready. Medieval Postal Service is firing great just as it was the last time it fired, at last year's chunk. We reverted to the pre-chunk tuning from last year which was firing at roughly 25 mph faster than we got at during competition last year, and the distances looked great. The pumpkins were falling beyond a drainage area well down field, but we are not sure exactly how far out that is this year, it was around 1200 feet last year though.

Tomorrow is a supposed to be heavy in rain, and some more Friday. We are not planning to fire tomorrow, but we will be on-field for a while at least dealing with little details and possibly helping out other teams.

Most of the trebuchet line is in place, aside from Merlin, Pumpkin Hammer, and the new machine from the Launch-Ness Monster crew. Tired Iron, the new machine from the Yankee Siege crew, but built and designed this time by Chuck Willard, the rigger who would climb Yankee's arm after each shot. It is a very large FAT, but like Yankee Siege, not very efficient (try not at all). Tomorrow it will hopefully be set up so we can see what it looks like. American Chucker showed up late, but they are here, as is the new machine from First in Fright, the slightly revamped Great Gourd Experiment, Hokie Hurler, and Shenanigans 3. The last is just another scale up of Tom Lum's FAKA design. The new First in Fright has great promise if it does not rip itself apart, it has not been fired ever before.

This could be a very interesting year at the 25th Punkin Chunkin. Chucky 3 is together and firing VERY well, they blasted a pumpkin way out there this afternoon and they are apparently nowhere near maxed out on torque, it was an easily 2000, likely close if not over 3000 feet. Is this the year a mechanical beats all air cannons? We will know by Sunday.