Dr. Zooch Return To Flight Space Shuttle build thread- #2

[NJRick]

Ha!! although I have total faith in Wes's design....I admit that I have less faith in my ability to complete it...I was kinda hoping that she wouldn't kamikazi in...but she leveled off and flew!! I couldn't believe it!

[NJRick]

sorry for the bump...and the lack of pictures...but my Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle made its 10th flight this past weekend..with 7 successful glides...this is really a GREAT kit. I made my first flight this weekend with a C6-3 in her it flew perfectly on both flights....just so neat to watch this kit during the boost and to see that shuttle glide back circling the booster....I will try to get pictures next time..but I was solo....the C6-3 is the motor for this kit...I had made all of the previous flights on a B6-2 which is fine for some test flights....but on 2 of the uunsuccessful flights there just wasn't enough altitude...(which was my fault...not the rockets!)...the other was her first flight when the rudder was loosened...other than that....this has really been a fun kit to fly!

[NJRick]

OK...I have a couple pictures to post of Wes' Shuttle....this kit is a blast!

[luke strawwalker]

That's really cool... kudos on your flights... any pix under boost?? They REALLY look cool under boost...

Later! OL JR

[NJRick]

Hey Luke...I did not get any pics of the boost...but you are correct...this is a really cool rocket to watch climbing away...but I was looking to capture some shots of the orbiter gliding....just fun to watch that bird circle the booster and come on down. I was lucky my daughter came along to help photograph....also...we had light winds up here today so I wanted to try a maiden flight of my Mars Lander...she flew! tipped over on her first landing attempt and on the second flight..she stuck the landing...but was on a sidewalk that resulted in some loose foot pads...easy fix!

That's really cool... kudos on your flights... any pix under boost?? They REALLY look cool under boost...

Later! OL JR

[luke strawwalker]

Hey Luke...I did not get any pics of the boost...but you are correct...this is a really cool rocket to watch climbing away...but I was looking to capture some shots of the orbiter gliding....just fun to watch that bird circle the booster and come on down. I was lucky my daughter came along to help photograph....also...we had light winds up here today so I wanted to try a maiden flight of my Mars Lander...she flew! tipped over on her first landing attempt and on the second flight..she stuck the landing...but was on a sidewalk that resulted in some loose foot pads...easy fix!

Congrats! Sounds like a good time had by all... Later! OL JR

[Dr.Zooch]

Great photos!

I guess we should change the name of the thread to something like- "the only shuttles not relegated to a museum" rather than "Return to flight."

[gdjsky01]

Great photos!

I guess we should change the name of the thread to something like- "the only shuttles not relegated to a museum" rather than "Return to flight."

Yeah... ain't that a hoot. This thread was started in 2009... time flies... and real shuttles don't.

[NJRick]

Wes,
I think you are correct...my Shuttle is now up to 14 flights...I have to replace the shock cord for the booster....there is no bigger fan of you Saturn 1b kit around...I have already purchased 7 of them including all of its variants.....but this Shuttle kit is really a lot of fun to fly....so much so I bought your lifting body shuttle!! looks like another col kit.....I am working on your EFT-1 now.

Great photos!

I guess we should change the name of the thread to something like- "the only shuttles not relegated to a museum" rather than "Return to flight."

[NJRick]

you are so correct Jeff....

Yeah... ain't that a hoot. This thread was started in 2009... time flies... and real shuttles don't.

[Dr.Zooch]

The Zooch shuttle is the only rocket I've ever flown that gets applause from the crowd.

here's some data from a recent flight with an Altimeter 2 onboard the orbiter (YES... INSIDE the orbiter) C6-3 motor;Alt.= 204, speed= 57 mph, Ejection Alt.= 198, descent speed 15 mph, Rate= 18.67 fps [conditions= 89 degrees temp., winds 7-9, MSL= 82ft]

[NJRick]

your orbiter has functioning payload bay doors!!
this Shuttle kit is awesome!

The Zooch shuttle is the only rocket I've ever flown that gets applause from the crowd.

here's some data from a recent flight with an Altimeter 2 onboard the orbiter (YES... INSIDE the orbiter) C6-3 motor;Alt.= 204, speed= 57 mph, Ejection Alt.= 198, descent speed 15 mph, Rate= 18.67 fps [conditions= 89 degrees temp., winds 7-9, MSL= 82ft]

[Dr.Zooch]

One of my orbiters... Earthnail... does have working cargo bay doors and a mod inside designed to fly the Altimeter 2 payload. This took very, VERY careful cutting and weight and balance measuring. My advice is- don't try this at home.

BTW, that same orbiter also has a real cockpit with seats and windows and the aft bulkhead is a very small photo of the an actual shuttle aft bulkhead... ( Hey...I had some free time one evening.)

[NJRick]

Trust me Wes...I am not touching this orbiter...after relentless flight testing at my equivalent of Edwards AFB....(actually throwing this thing so it could glide on to my daughters bed while she was away at college)...somehow I got this thing dialed in...I will rely on your data!

a real cockpit??? post pictures! that would be cool to see!

One of my orbiters... Earthnail... does have working cargo bay doors and a mod inside designed to fly the Altimeter 2 payload. This took very, VERY careful cutting and weight and balance measuring. My advice is- don't try this at home.

BTW, that same orbiter also has a real cockpit with seats and windows and the aft bulkhead is a very small photo of the an actual shuttle aft bulkhead... ( Hey...I had some free time one evening.)

[Mushtang]

I'd LOVE to build this kit someday, but would be too afraid to fly it for fear that the orbiter will sail away along with all the hard work that went into building it.

[NJRick]

Mushtang,
you should give it a try..I felt the same way..actually, I didn't think I would have the skills to be able to build it....this kit is really a lot of fun to try and the instructions are just spot on...very logical and easy to follow...my orbiter circles the booster...don't ask me how it does that...but it does and I am not going to argue with it!! really a great kit!

Rick

ps - I enjoyed your Vostok build...how does that kit fly?

I'd LOVE to build this kit someday, but would be too afraid to fly it for fear that the orbiter will sail away along with all the hard work that went into building it.

[Mushtang]

Mushtang,
you should give it a try..I felt the same way..actually, I didn't think I would have the skills to be able to build it....this kit is really a lot of fun to try and the instructions are just spot on...very logical and easy to follow...my orbiter circles the booster...don't ask me how it does that...but it does and I am not going to argue with it!! really a great kit!

Rick

ps - I enjoyed your Vostok build...how does that kit fly?

I'm definitely planning on building this, it's the flying that has me nervous. Maybe after I find a big field I can use instead of the small field where I lost the Batman rocket to a tall tree.

The Vostok flies great! The last flight I broke off 2 of the fins and only found one, so it's on the shelf until I can cut and replace a new one with scrap balsa. I'm glad you liked the build thread, there's a neat picture at the end of it of the rocket leaving the launch pad.

[NJRick]

based on the flights I have had with my shuttle...I don't think you will need a huge field to fly this...the orbiter does not really fly that far from the booster...I have what I consider to be a pretty small field as well...like a long rectangle and of course the wind never blows in the direction of the longest part of the field...but I have never had an issue with it...now that being said, Wes did tell me that Foose (another great builder on here) has the uncanny ability to make an orbiter that flies straight as an arrow....

I'm definitely planning on building this, it's the flying that has me nervous. Maybe after I find a big field I can use instead of the small field where I lost the Batman rocket to a tall tree.

The Vostok flies great! The last flight I broke off 2 of the fins and only found one, so it's on the shelf until I can cut and replace a new one with scrap balsa. I'm glad you liked the build thread, there's a neat picture at the end of it of the rocket leaving the launch pad.

[luke strawwalker]

One of my orbiters... Earthnail... does have working cargo bay doors and a mod inside designed to fly the Altimeter 2 payload. This took very, VERY careful cutting and weight and balance measuring. My advice is- don't try this at home.

BTW, that same orbiter also has a real cockpit with seats and windows and the aft bulkhead is a very small photo of the an actual shuttle aft bulkhead... ( Hey...I had some free time one evening.)

That's cool... WAY cool...

Weight balance on the REAL shuttle was incredibly complex as well... basically they had to figure the weight changes during the entire mission to get the CG location right on reentry for the glide back... (water and RCS propellants used, foodstuffs and waste material use and stowage locations, payload disposition such as satellites or payload deployed and delivered, etc.) IIRC they used a stack of lead weights placed in the nosegear compartment to "trim" the shuttle to the final reentry weight distribution they had calculated in advance to ensure that the real shuttle would glide properly... as you well know, a nose heavy (or tail heavy for that matter) glider is NOT a good thing!

I'd imagine with those mods to your glider, that getting the CG right for glide (and minimizing the weight at the same time) was very very challenging! Kudos!

Please post pics!!! Later! OL JR

[luke strawwalker]

I'd LOVE to build this kit someday, but would be too afraid to fly it for fear that the orbiter will sail away along with all the hard work that went into building it.

Don't let that worry you Mushtang... you can build duplicate gliders from the patterns if you keep them... the glider construction is actually pretty simple once you've done it...

Besides, this thing glides pretty similar to the real thing-- it glides nicely, but you're not talking about a slope-gliding soaring glider that will stay aloft for hours... this ain't no contest glider! She's coming down, no doubt about that!

She just comes down with so much STYLE, though....

It's a neat kit and I'm sure you'd love it! GO FOR IT!!!! OL JR

[Mushtang]

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours near DC at the Smithsonian Air & Space museum Udvar Hazy center where they have the Space Shuttle Discovery on display. I took about a million pictures and am now even more excited to build and fly the Zooch model. I'll be ordering one online this morning!!

[NJRick]

those are awesome pictures! what an amazing machine the Shuttle was...you will have a lot of fun building the doc's Shuttle and even more flying her! it is agreat kit!

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours near DC at the Smithsonian Air & Space museum Udvar Hazy center where they have the Space Shuttle Discovery on display. I took about a million pictures and am now even more excited to build and fly the Zooch model. I'll be ordering one online this morning!!

[Mushtang]

those are awesome pictures!

Thanks!!

what an amazing machine the Shuttle was...you will have a lot of fun building the doc's Shuttle and even more flying her! it is agreat kit!

I ordered it from Zooch's site shortly after the last post of mine. At some point in the next couple of days he'll pull a box from the shelf, fill it with parts and instructions, and send it to me!! Or maybe he'll pull a pre-filled box from the stack.

Either way, I don't guess we need another build thread, but I'll be referencing this one quite a lot before and during my build.

[luke strawwalker]

Thanks!!


I ordered it from Zooch's site shortly after the last post of mine. At some point in the next couple of days he'll pull a box from the shelf, fill it with parts and instructions, and send it to me!! Or maybe he'll pull a pre-filled box from the stack.

Either way, I don't guess we need another build thread, but I'll be referencing this one quite a lot before and during my build.

Hey, feel free to comment on your experiences here... before the forum crash a couple years ago, there was a L-O-N-G thread about the Dr. Zooch shuttle, which served as sorta "one-stop shopping" for all things having to do with the Zooch shuttle kit. Lots of different folks contributed, posting their build and flight pics, telling of their experiences, mods and stuff they were doing or trying on their kits or orbiters, etc... it was REALLY cool... sort of a "master thread". It just kept going and going and going... and it was REALLY cool because you didn't have to look up a dozen different threads in a search to find the information or pics you were looking for... you just needed to go to that ONE master thread and read whatever you wanted, surfing through the pages as you went...

Unfortunately, the old thread couldn't be revived after the TRF crash, so Wes over at Dr. Zooch asked me to start a new one... which is right here... so hey, the more the merrier... so PLEASE feel free to post your pics and experiences here, questions, comments, or whatever else is on your mind. I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have or offer suggestions, and I know Wes checks in pretty often as well, so you can go straight to the source... Of course your welcome to start your own thread, but contributing here would really help to get the "master thread" concept going again... which requires regular contributions from guys actually building and flying the kit adding new content and keeping folks coming back...

Good luck with your build and I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing about it!
Later! OL JR

[Mushtang]

Of course your welcome to start your own thread, but contributing here would really help to get the "master thread" concept going again... which requires regular contributions from guys actually building and flying the kit adding new content and keeping folks coming back...

In that case I'll do a build and put it on this thread. Of course I tend to post a lot more pictures in my builds than most of the other build threads I've seen here (because that's what I'd like to see) and I ramble on about what I'm doing in detail. As long as nobody minds me hijacking this thread to add a couple of pages more of just my posts, I'm okay with that.

Wes, the ball is in your court. Send me a kit. Oh, and include extras of those pieces that I'm going to mess up during my build. Thanks.

[gdjsky01]

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours near DC at the Smithsonian Air & Space museum Udvar Hazy center where they have the Space Shuttle Discovery on display. I took about a million pictures and am now even more excited to build and fly the Zooch model. I'll be ordering one online this morning!!

It would be awesome if you could post them in a flickr (or like) album for reference by all. Should you so be inclined of course.

[Mushtang]

It would be awesome if you could post them in a flickr (or like) album for reference by all. Should you so be inclined of course.

I may have over estimated the number of pictures in my referenced post. It's considerably less than a million. There's 24 pictures of the shuttle, and a bunch of some other stuff.

Try this link. It's a Facebook album, but it's supposed to be viewable by anyone.

[NJRick]

thanks for sharing Mushtang! for the record, I think your Estes SR-71 looks nicer than the real one in there!

the Shuttle is BIG...I know it was no Piper Cub, but seeing the people walking around it gives a great view of its size. I liked the shots of the Saturn V Instrument Unit and the SPS engine (without the engine bell attached)...just neat stuff all around!

[Orion14ed]

Going to DC in a few weeks! Told my parents that I need to see the shuttle. Whole reason I want to go to be honest. Cant wait! I will be sure to get plenty.... plenty... of pictures.

[Mushtang]

My Zooch Space Shuttle kit arrived in the mail yesterday. I put the rolled card stock sheets under a large heavy pile of books and spend a little time reading over the directions. I'm VERY excited to get started with it. I'm planning on posting my build on this thread unless I'm told otherwise. I'm sure I'll end up adding a couple of pages with just my posts.

I love the way the kit goes together! I've wondered about several things and after reading through the instructions a lot of my questions have been answered. The good doctor did a great job with this design, I just hope I'm successful with my attempt at building and flying it.

My only concern is losing the orbiter after spending a lot of time building it. There's not a big space close to me (that I know of so far) where I can launch something like this. If you saw my Batman rocket build thread you know that I launched it at my son's school field and lost it to the trees on the edge (I did get a replacement kit that I haven't built yet, but that's beside the point), so I'm not going to chance losing this one in the same place.

But that's something to worry about another day, in the mean time I'm going to have a GREAT time building it!!