Model Rocket Fleet - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Michael K · #1 07-10-2009, 11:41 PM

So my kids are wicked into model rockets... here's our fleet.

Versions:

1.0 - the big one with the huge fins, flies like a mf on a big engine as long as it's not too windy.

1.1 - the orange one, the W123 of my rocket fleet - launched this one about 75 times.

1.2 - MIA. She was a beautiful W124 of my fleet, lost to a five year old who couldn't stop the count down when a 40 mph wind came out of no where.

1.3 - The white one. Built this one today. More tomorrow.

raymr · #2 07-11-2009, 12:54 AM

Cool. Have you been up to Goddard in Greenbelt to fly them?

Model Rockets

Hatterasguy · #3 07-11-2009, 08:18 AM

I used to love those when I was little. I had a few, one looked just like an ICBM.

I built an SR71 rocket to, but it never flew right.

CSchmidt · #4 07-11-2009, 12:47 PM

I had some when I ws growing up in the 60's / 70's. We would get the Estes newsletters with notes from Vern ... way cool.

When my kids were little I went on round 2. Finally got the Big Bertha I wanted as a kid 8-). We had a blast launching them. I may have to drag them back out!

10 years ago I was at a hobby store focused on finding some replacement engines for the Estes rockets. I was looking down into a display case. From my peripheral vision a noticed some larger cylindrical things. Across all of the back wall were these 4-8' tall liquid fuel rockets! Now that is a major cool toy.

jplinville · #5 07-11-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSchmidt

I had some when I ws growing up in the 60's / 70's. We would get the Estes newsletters with notes from Vern ... way cool.

When my kids were little I went on round 2. Finally got the Big Bertha I wanted as a kid 8-). We had a blast launching them. I may have to drag them back out!

10 years ago I was at a hobby store focused on finding some replacement engines for the Estes rockets. I was looking down into a display case. From my peripheral vision a noticed some larger cylindrical things. Across all of the back wall were these 4-8' tall liquid fuel rockets! Now that is a major cool toy.

I had Big Bertha as well...black with yellow and white trim. She was fun until I had a faulty engine and blew the bottom off of her. She flew at least 60 times before that happened.

G-Benz · #6 07-11-2009, 10:11 PM

Wow.

I guess I shouldn't admit to being the president of the Model Rocketry Club in high school...

Not a chick magnet kind of activity...

Estes had a huge catalog back then. My most exotic was the scissor-wing...never could get that one to fly right though.

Hope your kids enjoy their hobby as much as I did back then.

raymr · #7 07-12-2009, 11:30 AM

I'm trying to imagine where you fly in DC. (?) Even a decent sized park is surrounded by high-density housing, making retrieval difficult or impossible. We tried a few in our yard but lost them to the tall trees.

We ended up going to Goddard where recovery is guaranteed. The first time is a little intimidating because sometimes you only get one shot at the launch pad, so you have to be sure your igniter is solidly attached. But then you get to see your majestic creation soar skyward in front of hundreds of people. They also have an 'expert' do a flight worthiness check on every rocket. You are definitely ready for NASA launch and the kids will love it.

TheDon · #8 07-12-2009, 11:57 AM

whats up with your nose cones?

Michael K · #9 07-12-2009, 06:52 PM

Yea we're close to going to Goddard but not quite yet. Do you know how many times they let you launch? I think I may have set the expectation too high with the kids because we usually do about ten launches in an hour or so.

My nose cones suck. They are plastic wine bottle corks. Safe, sturdy, but not that pleasing to the eye. I'm planning my second generation, version 2.0. Should be even more sturdy, will definitely look cooler (especially the nose cones), and will recover even better than these do. I should have that done by the middle of August.

I started to say where we launch but I think I should keep that under wraps. It's a safe location that follows the local government and NAR rules, but I don't think the local government would appreciate me advertising it. After hundreds of flights, we've lost one rocket. I know where it went, but I was too embarrassed to knock on the person's door to ask to get in their back yard. Keep in mind our rockets fly pretty straight up and then drop almost straight down. After the ejection goes off, the rocket become very unstable and tumbles straight down slowed by a long streamer.

Funny story, about a year ago when we were just figuring out how to make rockets that fly straight, we were all set to launch when I heard a helicopter fluttering in the distance. For some reason my kids can not stop a count down themselves, so I reached over and pulled the safety pin from the launcher. The helicopter got louder and closer until we could see it was one of the white tops marine helicopters the the president uses. It was a single bird flying quite low, so I don't think President Bush was in it. Glad we waited to launch until it was gone, though.