X-Wing Flies Over California: Report From Plaster Wars 2007!

A lot of us grew up playing with Transformers. Most of us made a model at one point or another. Some kids played with rockets. Most of us know at least one person that combined the last two. Stuffing model airplanes with firecrackers and throwing them off the roof of their parent's house, or jamming a rocket motor in the back of a car to see what happens. Some things never change.

When I first heard about Plaster Blaster – a rocketry gathering in the desert east of San Diego at Plaster City – I was intrigued. It was explained to me as a combination of desert rats, beer, and High Powered Rocketry. What could possibly go wrong? I mean seriously, GIANT FREAKING ROCKETS! At first glance I thought I was at a staging area for desert bikers and quad riders, until I saw a 4 foot tall rocket make a perfectly straight launch, and promptly return to earth with its parachute still safely tucked away. It was almost like going to a barbecue. People had their easy up tents for shade, steaks grilling, kids running around, and a mock AMRAAM sitting against the tent pole. Some rockets exploded on the launch pads, others performed well beyond expectations, ending up drifting several miles away by the time they landed. For hours I watched people try their latest kits, or home built models. Some of the successes were fantastic, and some of the failures were spectacular.

The stars of the show were three large scale projects. A masterfully detailed Y wing fighter complete with standard issue blast holes, a 26 foot 3 stage Comanche – an upscale version of an Estes kit, and a 23 foot tall X wing fighter. One of the most iconic and aerodynamically improbable vehicles in film, and these folks were going to make it fly in celebration of the release of Star Wars 30 years ago.

With only an hour of sun left, flight prep started and I got myself in on the action. Grabbing onto a rope, 30 people hauled the model vertical and got ready for the launches. The event suddenly took on the feel of a Burning Man – without the hippies. The Y Wing did what Y wings do – rapidly fly apart in spectacular fashion, and the Comanche had a stunningly beautiful takeoff, followed by a mostly successful landing. Then the moment of truth – the legendary flying brick gets to take to the sky. A lot of yelling at people to get back and a short countdown later, and the 600 pound monster flung itself skyward. Briefly. It's not like this was rocket science or anything. The complete collapse of the airframe as the rocket went horizontal was very similar to the effects actually seen in Star Wars, and well worth a look at the video which can demonstrate it far better then words can ever describe. All I could think as it went over was "Stay on target, stay on target…" Even the total destruction of the craft was a spectacular sight - the fact that it made it off the ground at all was a miracle.

Events like this happen all over the country year round – well worth a weekend trip if you get the chance.