First Post

[Jirimar]

Hello all,
new to the boards, and literally just got back into the hobby 2 weeks ago when my lil cousin asked me about the rockets he heard my dad and I used to fly. so I decided to go and get them, bought some motors, and we launched them. Man, i forgot how much fun it was. Even though i forgot to take into consideration that they have been sitting for 12-15 years, and didn't check the shock chords. Well, most of them snapped on deployment, but i only had 2 damaged, but repairable.

anyway, thought i'd share the fleet with you all, most are a blast from the past, hope you enjoy! I included the catalog info in the pic with the rockets

Classic Big Bertha, don't know what happened to the paintjob between then and now, needs to be repainted
Big Bertha

Crusader glider, doesn't work to well now, may have to redo the elevators, goes up fine, but doesn't glide right
Crusader

the Large Geo Sat, still flies great.
Geo Sat

The Helio Copter, the frame in the nose cone deteriorated, so it doesn't have the blades anymore, but can still be used as a regular rocket, thinkin of buying a new nose cone. also, 2nd half of the decal is missing.
Helio

Manta Bomber, one of my personal fav's. This crashed the other week, but i have rebuilt already, needs dowel for the right nacelle
Manta Bomber

Nike Apache, this was damaged during a failed deployment, and the upper stage was crushed at it's base, but i recently cut the body tube down a bit and re-attached the fins.
Nike Apache

My personal fav, Pegasus, been though hell and back with this girl, even risked my life for it as a teen when i foolishy ran onto a busy highway when it landed there. I didn't get hit (very lucky), but it did, crushing the nose cone and left wing, but i was able to repair and it has flown perfectly since, could use a new nose cone
Pegasus

Ram Jet, great lil rocket, the only one i believe to still have a 100% filght record, never crashed (knocks on wood),still looks mint too
Ram Jet

SR-71, Classic bird, only 1 failed deployment crash, still flies perfect, got tangled in the chute the other week, but went into a perfect flatspin, fell real slow, which enabled me to catch it, no damage
SR-71

Starbird, FAST rocket, 1 fin was damaged in storage, repaired.
Starbird

X-16, Sleek and fast, that's no typo, it's a X-16, not a X-15, hehe.
X-16

V2, Love this rocket, was the first rocket i ever saw explode on the launchpad due to a defective motor, i watched the solid fuel go up in the air thinking it was the rocket, i looked down to see the cone and fins falling around. I was able to repair though and it flew a couple of times after that, but crashed after a failed deployment, retired. but have decided to repair, have body tube and balsa on order
V2

the mini collection

Tomahawk, flies great
Tomahawk

Star Seeker, cool lookin, just lost the nose cone the other week, but it will be recovered from the tree soon, hopefully, hehe. also needs dowel for left wing
Star Seeker

Stingray 2-stage mini, Damaged in storage, needs repair.
Stingray

and the 2 new additions:

Max Trax, lost the digital altitude cone already cause i'm a dumbass and paid too much attention to the chute, forgot to watch the cone. It has since been recovered this week, need to pick up.
Max Trax

and the Strike Fighter, under construction, needs paint, cockpit and decals
Strike Fighter

other rockets we had:

2 Space Shuttle (tank and boosters) - 1 Destroyed, 1 missing, presumed to be in storage.
1 Exocet mini - exploded and burned on launchpad, still have the remains
Phoenix missle - Lost on maiden flight, went up about 50ft, then suddenly went 90 degrees into a industrial complex. Although i was really sad losing it, i have to admit it was pretty badass seein it fly vertically as if it was just fired from a F-14, hehe
Longhshot - Lost during flight
Nova Payloader - Lost during flight
1st Starbird - Lost during flight, Nose and fins recovered a few years later.
Sunbird - Lost during flight
6ft Mean Machiene - Missing, presumed to be in storage
Star Trek Enterprise - Destroyed, still have the remains.

Well, sorry for the looooong first post, but i hope you enjoyed it.
Hopefully it brought back a memory or two for people who had the same rockets

take care, and safe flying

 

[snede2112]

Welocome.
Nice report and pictures. We love pictures.
That "strike fighter" is cool. Is that a kit or scratch built. If its a kit who makes it?

 

[Jirimar]

Originally posted by snede2112
Welocome.
Nice report and pictures. We love pictures.
That "strike fighter" is cool. Is that a kit or scratch built. If its a kit who makes it?

Estes Kit, #2015

i'm not talented enough to make Scratchbuilt, not yet anyway.

 

[BAR0051]

Welcome to the forum. Nice photo's with the original specs. I do not think I have ever seen a Crusader before, but I guess there are lots or models I have not seen. If you have not already done so, look for a club in your area and join, it's even more fun launching with others.

 

[snede2112]

Originally posted by Jirimar
Estes Kit, #2015

i'm not talented enough to make Scratchbuilt, not yet anyway.

Yea I just found it in a 1991 catalog over on ninefinger.org. Looks cool.

 

[astronboy]

Nice pics Jirimar,

I had the same thing happen to shock chords when I got back into rocketry a few years ago.

You can replace the old shock chords with 1/8" flat elastic. I buy it at a sewing store, but Walmart carries it as well.

You can pull out, or scrape out the old mount (I sue a screwdriver and carefully peel away the old mount), then re-install a new mount with the elastic. Cut the new shock chord to about 2-3x the length of the old one to prevent the nosecone from snapping back into the body upon ejection.

Phred

 

[kenobi65]

Welcome!

Very neat set of pictures. I'm not familiar with a lot of those models, so I'm guessing that many of them are from the period in which I was completely ignoring rocketry (i.e., most of the 80s and 90s).

 

[Barry in IN]

Welcome!
I'm pretty new here too, having returned after getting the spark on a recent visit to the US Space & Rocket Ctr in Huntsville, AL.

Unlike you, I had nothing remaining from "the old days" so had to buy new stuff. If you're like me, you'll be surprised both at how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.

I enjoyed the pictures. Some of those are new to me, having appeared after my first go-round and disappearing before now. I like the Geo-Sat, and will be looking for the plan in the next few minutes!

 

[Dela]

Welcome, I am also a recent BAR! I was never more than a preteen kid who launched rockets he built. Now I'm in my late twenties and I can do what I WANT (legally)!!!

I don't know if this is too far from Filthydelphia, but there is a launch in Bridgewater NJ on 8-26 (https://www.robnee.com/gsss/ ). This will be my first launch

 

[dcastle]

I have a Crusader and have flown it a few times. You will probably want to add some weight to the front of the internal power pod for stability on the boost. Mine was often pretty squirrelly while launching - and it finally lost it completely and went violently unstable when flying on a calm day on a C6-3. It power pranged and suffered some pretty serious damage.

I think it can be repaired, though, and I have it in a box waiting for me to get the ambition up to fix it.

If you add some noseweight for the boost it should fly better.

 

[rocketking]

Glad to have you on board!

Since you are down in Philly, let me put a bug in your ear.

There had been a club near there, PARA, (Philadelphia Area Rocket Association), that attended the last of the Pearl River rocket conventions in '91. Do a little looking to see if they are still 'In Action'. I don't recall the school field they had used back when I visited their launch in the latter 90's.

Good bunch of guys! And nice corn fields around their field!

Great photos! These guys here eat 'em up!!!

 

[kenobi65]

Originally posted by Barry in IN
Unlike you, I had nothing remaining from "the old days" so had to buy new stuff.

That was my problem upon BARhood, as well. My mom had, long ago, either pitched or given away all of my old rockets, so I've spent the past couple of years slowly "reacquiring" them, either through buying kits on eBay, or building clones.

 

[Jirimar]

Originally posted by dcastle
I have a Crusader and have flown it a few times. You will probably want to add some weight to the front of the internal power pod for stability on the boost. Mine was often pretty squirrelly while launching - and it finally lost it completely and went violently unstable when flying on a calm day on a C6-3. It power pranged and suffered some pretty serious damage.

I think it can be repaired, though, and I have it in a box waiting for me to get the ambition up to fix it.

If you add some noseweight for the boost it should fly better.

Thanks for all the support gang.

dCastle, Thanks for the info, the funny thing is, the crusader was too nose heavy, it launched fine, but after the discharge, it came down too fast in a forward wide spiral, as if the elevators weren't creating enough lift. I think i'm going to redo the elevators, especially the elastic band that controls them, that may have been a big part of the problem

but thanks, always looking for helpful ideas, as i tend to think of the hardest problems first and skip the basics.

 

[paulk]

Welcome back to the hobby and TRF. Its nice to have some of your old fleet, I particularly like the crusader swing wing. Beware, the BAR bug bites hard.

 

[jj94]

Welcome to TRF! Nice fleet you got there. Looks like you've already been bitten by the bug!!!

Hundreth post!!!

 

[KermieD]

Very nice pictures and report. Welcome aboard! Don't fool yourself. Looking at your work to date, you're more than ready to start scratchbuilding. Scratchbuilding is much easier than the repairs you've described so far.

 

[by basher]

Howdy

 

[jflis]

Welcome to TRF You're going to like it here.

Great intro report and links (thanx!) Check around and I think you will find all kinds of information on cloning any of your old favorites right here someplace

jim