Dr. Zooch Purchase

I felt like being challenged so I bought a Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle kit. HAs anyone assembled and flown this kit? Any tips or pointers?

Thanks

Mike

Mine has been opened and the cardstock parts set under a stack of rocketry magazines to uncurl while I wait for the time/mental fortitude needed for the build.

See: This thread and this thread for general construction and this thread for some updated wraps.

We'd love to have another build thread of this rocket around here!

Good luck!
Doug

The Zooch Shuttle is GREAT kit....lots of fun to build and even more fun to fly! I think this kit is probably Dr. Zooch's masterpiece. My suggestion would be to take your time and follow the instruction sheet. When I purchased my Zooch Shuttle I thought that it would be beyond my skills, but I found his instruction sheet to be just perfectly done. Follow the directions and you will have a great kit!

I am attaching a build thread done by Luke Strawalker on the Zooch Shuttle. There are a ton of tips and pointers throughout this link and I think you will find it helpful! Luke will take you right through the build! Enjoy! https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?1207-Dr-Zooch-Return-To-Flight-Space-Shuttle-build-thread-2&highlight=dr+zooch+shuttle

Just as an aside, I think the Zooch Lifting Body is one of his gems too! Its a cool little wingless glider....lots of paint schemes you can do....lots of fun to fly! I am attaching Luke's great thread on this kit too....just in case you find it interesting. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?2092-Dr-Zooch-Lifting-Body-build-thread&highlight=dr.+zooch+lifting+body

NJRick said:

The Zooch Shuttle is GREAT kit....lots of fun to build and even more fun to fly! I think this kit is probably Dr. Zooch's masterpiece. My suggestion would be to take your time and follow the instruction sheet. When I purchased my Zooch Shuttle I thought that it would be beyond my skills, but I found his instruction sheet to be just perfectly done. Follow the directions and you will have a great kit!

I am attaching a build thread done by Luke Strawalker on the Zooch Shuttle. There are a ton of tips and pointers throughout this link and I think you will find it helpful! Luke will take you right through the build! Enjoy! https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?1207-Dr-Zooch-Return-To-Flight-Space-Shuttle-build-thread-2&highlight=dr+zooch+shuttle

Just as an aside, I think the Zooch Lifting Body is one of his gems too! Its a cool little wingless glider....lots of paint schemes you can do....lots of fun to fly! I am attaching Luke's great thread on this kit too....just in case you find it interesting. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?2092-Dr-Zooch-Lifting-Body-build-thread&highlight=dr.+zooch+lifting+body

Click to expand...

Thanks for the endorsement Rick... Of course anyone building a Dr. Zooch Lifting Body should consult Rick's fine build threads on a number of these kits... He's the uncontested MASTER of the Zooch Lifting Body kit, and the Zooch Saturn IB's!

The Zooch shuttle is a cool kit because you can build it stock shooting for maximum weight savings and the best possible gliding characteristics, or you can really put a little effort into it and "doll it up" with add-on wraps (non-OEM wraps) and little 'extras' and make it look like a million bucks! It's all up to the builder! Either way you'll have a really neat flying kit of the shuttle!

If you want to do a build thread, you're certainly welcome to contribute whatever you want to the 'master thread' Dr. Zooch asked me to re-start after the Great TRF Meltdown a few years back... all are welcome to post whatever questions, comments, or tips/tricks they come up with on that thread... or you can do one on your own if you wish... whatever you like!

Later and good luck on your build! OL JR

Launch report: I finally got out to a club launch today and was able to get my Shuttle in the air, twice. I lined up the EFT-1, SLS, and Shuttle on the 5-rocket pad, all of them on C6-3s. First went the EFT-1, sweet and straight, perfect chute deploy, slight drift with the breeze, landed just beyond the field in the gravel of the parking area, but soft enough no damage. SLS also was an impressive lift-off, perfect chute pop, and a decent drift about the same spot as the EFT-1, but in the grass. Then went the Shuttle, the crowed oohed and aahed, right of the rail it started the Roll Maneuver as it cleared the tower, weathervaned a good bit towards the wind and chute came out nice. the Orbiter glider circled as it glided, drifting side by side with the ET and SRBs on the cute, garnering more applause and enthusiasm from the crowd. They landed within a few yards of each other on the far end of the field. Wind was steady, but not a problem with this size field. I launched the Shuttle a second time and it was consistent with the first, I put the Orbiter on the back side of the pad away from the spectators, as it tends to arch over towards that direction, but this might have been a coincidence that this was into the wind direction also. Wow, what a fun kit to fly. I would have liked to have tested it on the B engine to see if I might be able to fly on a smaller soccer field area. But, man what fun! I tried to take some video, but not sure if I even got them in frame, I could not see the viewscreen at all. Here are a couple of photos from a friend.

Glenn,
Great pictures! Looks like a great day! For what ever this is worth, I think the C6-3 is the perfect engine for the Zooch shuttle....if you are going to go with a B engine, make sure its a B6-2...I would guess on a B your going to get an altitude of maybe 90-100 feet or so...she will definitely fly on a B but you need a quick ejection charge....a B6-4 will probably result in chute deploy on the grass...

[ I would have liked to have tested it on the B engine to see if I might be able to fly on a smaller soccer field area.
View attachment 254889View attachment 254890[/QUOTE]

NJRick said:

...make sure its a B6-2...

Click to expand...

definitely would want the short delay, I did not have any with me, but probably could have borrowed one. Here is the video I shot, I could not see the viewscreen at all, so rather than lock-on target I had to use best-guess. The high-def version of this video barely shows the Shuttle circling and land just as the ET/SRBs on the chute crosses mid-tree height on the way down, so this low-res version is not too great video quality, but the audio captures the excitement of the crowd at the club launch, definitely a good show.

not sure if this video clip thingy will work
[video]https://home.comcast.net/~glen.p.doggett/ZoochShuttle.m4v[/video]

here is the URL:
https://home.comcast.net/~glen.p.doggett/ZoochShuttle.m4v

I've flown mine on B6-4's a number of times and it flies pretty well. I'd say it gets about 150 ft or so good for small fields. Mine is the older higher shuttle configuration though.