Calling Out The BIG ONES! Need a Suggestion For my Daughter

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DRAGON64

DRAGON64

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So here's the deal, my daughter is really spurring on my love for rocketry, which I am sad to say, has been faltering through the last 7 - 8 years or so. She wanting to fly rockets with me, and she does not want to fly just any rocket... she wants a really BIG ONE! Her description of the rocket she wants averages 2.6" - 3" diameter and is insanely long. Her choice at the moment is the awesome Aerotech Mirage... But I feel I need to show here some other options, something that won't be prone to snapping the tips off of the fins during landings. Who makes long sleek rockets anymore? As an aside, she is contemplating Junior Level 1 with her new BIG ONE! The only rocket I have found thus far is the Loc Precision Tweed... but again, those fins look pretty suspect.

The last time we built rocket together, she jumped on RocSim and designed her own... I may coax her in that direction again, and maybe see about building something from Blue Tube...What do you all think
 
I like LOC for Cardboard. Hi-Tech H45, Caliber ISP (My Level 1), Phantom, EZI 65 are all great non-cluster models that a re L1 capable (L2 even on the Caliber and EZI) if you car fly high).

Fiberglass is my choice for the heavier birds. Blue Tube a nice in between. Stronger, and lightweight. Still has issues with moisture. The thin walled fiberglass is nice too. Seen the canvas/phenolic rockets at LDRS. They look promising.
 
The Mirage should be fine. Just reinforce the fin can with some plastic-friendly epoxy and size the chute appropriately.

epxy_plstc_s.png
 
If it doesn't have to be long, the Estes mega der red max is a big, chunky, impressive rocket as well. Just that it's stubby with a big diameter body tube and wiiiiiiide fin profile.

Otherwise I think the mirage looks to be a great choice for the long and sleek.
Also look at the loc tweed-b. 3.1" tube, 81" long
Just don't look too long at the loc, they had an issue with their nose cone mold, that will be a while until it can be replaced.

-Hans
 
I have a couple of unique proposals if you are looking for something out of the ordinary:

The 3" Radial Flyer from MAC Performance Rocketry has everything you need except for motor retention. I have the 4" version, and it is truly "top of the line"!
https://shop.macperformancerocketry.com/collections/3-diameter-rocket-kits/products/radial-flyer-3

Another very unique kit is the Raven from Polecat. It is glassed Kraft Phenolic. Polecat kits are a great value. 3" x 67" and comes with all needed parts except parachute and motor retainer for under $100. Very sleek and unique!
https://www.polecat-aerospace.com/kits/3_inch_kits/raven.html

Cheers,
Michael
 
+1 on the Mirage, I turned mine into a duel deploy and its fins held up fine.
even after a few crashes! as a matter of fact the fin can is all that's left after 3 rebuilds. (I had battery issues to altimeter)
 
+1 on the Polecat, plenty tough and I think you can even get a stretch version.
 
My daughter built a Hawk Mountain Basilisk dual deploy kit. It's 2.1" diameter and about 5 feet tall. It's fiberglass and tough as nails.
 
Don't rule out Estes Pro Series, 2.5 or 3" BT's and all over 4' And on sale for $23.00
 
Binder Design Velociraptor (now has Hot Pink decal package option)

velo5.jpg


DIAMETER : 3.9 inches
LENGTH : 85 inches
MOTOR MOUNT : 54MM
RECOVERY : 45 inch Binder Design Premium X-STREAM Chute, Stainless Steel Bearing Swivel, Tubular Nylon Shock Cord
FINS : 3/16" Aircraft Birch Plywood
MOTOR RETENTION: Binder Design Motor Collar
DEPLOYMENT: Binder Design Modular Baffle System with Zipperless Design!
GUIDANCE: Binder Design Delrin rail buttons
RECOMMENDED MOTORS: I through K

A "Fisher Series" premium kit that comes with impressive upgrades! With its extensive vinyl decal package, sleek boat-tail, "talon" fins and aggressive styling, the Velociraptor one mean looking bird! Our most complex kit in current production, the Velociraptor is a true modelers kit but our detailed 11 page instruction manual makes the construction easy to understand. Instructions include optional detailing tips for the upper "talon" fins as well as Rocksim stability data courtesy of Apogee Components. Includes our new modular baffle system that converts any of our 3.9" rockets to a "zipperless" design, and includes delrin rail buttons for stable launches.

Designed for 54mm motors, but light enough to fly on 38mm motors with optional adapter.

Comes with 3/16" aircraft plywood fins, 20 feet of 3/8" tubular nylon shock cord, stainless steel ball bearing chute swivel, and a Binder Design premium X-STREAM Chute. A machined aluminum motor retainer is included!

This new kit includes pre-slotted airframe for an easier build, and comes with a fin alignment guide!

This kit is a great Level 2 bird that gives very memorable flights on easy access J350 or J570 motors, or fly it on a K550 and watch it scream!
 
I vote for scratch. If she will be proud to say "I built this kit", imagine how proud she will be to say "I DESIGNED and built this rocket". If she has the skills (and you the patience), she will learn even more about rocketry if she has to make the hard design choices herself.
 
And if possible, maybe it can be rolled into a school project. If she is taking a pre-eng. class or shop, that would be an awesome project.
 
dcullen said:
Don't rule out Estes Pro Series, 2.5 or 3" BT's and all over 4' And on sale for $23.00
Click to expand...

Good point...and for that price you could stack 2 or 3 of them together! Now you have me thinking of building a "Stretch Partizon". Nice...

Cheers,
Michael
 
Estes Mean Machine, if you can find one.

Or, if she wants to go DD and get her L1 and L2 on the same rocket, Giant Leap Vertical Assault.
 
Binder has the 3" Excel. I'd call him up and have him stretch it a bit until it reaches the "insanely long" criteria.
 
grouch said:
Binder has the 3" Excel. I'd call him up and have him stretch it a bit until it reaches the "insanely long" criteria.
Click to expand...

That could just mean a 3" Excel Dual Deploy kit at 51" it fits the bill, nobody says the coupler actually has to be a AvBay, build it without the coupler bulkheads and make it nose blow recovery or build it DD and be ready for L2. I like the looks of the Excel and Binder makes a great kit.
 
2.6" bluetube. Long and skinny? a 48" with a 38mm mount. bang. And you can chop it later on and add an av bay. Winner all around.

16146677198_0b8bbb8335_c.jpg


Or a Madcow 2.6" Screech or Tomach. I kinda like mine :)
19172064739_995ed9b287.jpg
 
Great support here guys, thanks for all of the recommends. I can say safely that Pink is out, she is into the non-color of Black. I have a couple un-built Estes Pro_series rockets, and they did not interest her. She pointed at my Rocketry Warehouse Adventurer3 rocket and said she want something like that so she can fly "bigger" motors than the ones that smell like rotten eggs. I pointed her in the direction of Hobby Linc and told her to let me know what interests her... she landed on the Mirage.

Unfortunately she is not wanting to do any engineering... she just wants to fly rockets with her daddy... She is 16, so there are definitely worse things for her to ask for... like the keys to the car etc.

Honestly, I like the screech for myself, as well as the Loc Hi-Tech45. 2.6" has always been my favorite airframe to build in.

I will get her to read through this thread, and have her look at some of your suggestions, while I try to get my RocSim re-activated to this new computer... I'm sure scratching out a rocket is not off the table yet either.
 
Last edited:
DRAGON64 said:
Great support here guys, thanks for all of the recommends. I can say safely that Pink is out, she is into the non-color of Black. I have a couple un-built Estes Pro_series rockets, and they did not interest her. She pointed at my Rocketry Warehouse Adventurer3 rocket and said she want something like that so she can fly "bigger" motors than the ones that smell like rotten eggs. I pointed her in the direction of Hobby Linc and told her to let me know what interests her... she landed on the Mirage.

Unfortunately she is not wanting to do any engineering... she just wants to fly rockets with her daddy... She is 16, so there are definitely worse things for her to ask for... like the keys to the car etc.

Honestly, I like the screech for myself, as well as the Loc Hi-Tech45. 2.6" has always been my favorite airframe to build in.

I will get her to read through this thread, and have her look at some of your suggestions, while I try to get my RocSim re-activated to this new computer... I'm sure scratching out a rocket is not off the table yet either.
Click to expand...

No crayon rocket for her !

I built a 2.6" half scale Black Brant VI mine is a 38mm but if building today would have built with a 54mm to fly the J145-SK LB. Accessories like the aeropack cost more than the tubes and nose cone.

Mine used LOC tubing so was cheap to build and fly. H97 H250 I125 so far

Kenny
 
I do have an original Crayon Bank that I bought before they went extinct at the stores... it is blue with a silver glitter label. I will pose that option to her, as she probably does not know I have it.

DizWolf - that ride along video footage was awesome!
 
CZ Brat said:
I vote for scratch. If she will be proud to say "I built this kit", imagine how proud she will be to say "I DESIGNED and built this rocket". If she has the skills (and you the patience), she will learn even more about rocketry if she has to make the hard design choices herself.
Click to expand...
I occur! One of the reasons why I love scratch building! :)
 
The Loc Hi-Tech H45 would be a good 2.63" kit and for an extra $10 you can add a 30" BT and coupler. At 2.63" diameter and almost 80" tall, that should be close to what she's looking for.
 
Do you have an Estes Partizon in your build pile? It is 56 1/2 inches long. Doesn't look like much in the pack, maybe dry fit it for her so she can see just how long it is, I was a bit surprised after I dry fit mine. For just a few bucks grab another coupler and section of body tube and stretch it out some more.

It's pretty awesome your daughter is taking interest in rockets. I hope mine does when she is older.

Mike
 
DRAGON64 said:
Great support here guys, thanks for all of the recommends. I can say safely that Pink is out, she is into the non-color of Black. I have a couple un-built Estes Pro_series rockets, and they did not interest her. She pointed at my Rocketry Warehouse Adventurer3 rocket and said she want something like that so she can fly "bigger" motors than the ones that smell like rotten eggs. I pointed her in the direction of Hobby Linc and told her to let me know what interests her... she landed on the Mirage.

Unfortunately she is not wanting to do any engineering... she just wants to fly rockets with her daddy... She is 16, so there are definitely worse things for her to ask for... like the keys to the car etc.
Click to expand...
Not entirely sure what you end-game might be. If she already chose a Mirage, let her build a Mirage. And paint it black.

She is 16. Your days of her "hanging out with daddy" are numbered, so you want to keep her placated as long as you can so you can enjoy a few more rockets and a few more launches together. Don't give her an excuse to change her mind. Being the father of daughters, I have enjoyed many launches with my girls. We have built a few dozen rockets together and had some great times. My youngest built a few model rockets during her 4H days but has lost interest. I can live with that and we do other things together. The point is, all teenagers, particularly girls, grow out of spending time with daddy. The good news, they come back full circle later.

Build and launch the Mirage with her - that is what SHE wants.

--Lance.
 
llickteig1 said:
Not entirely sure what you end-game might be. If she already chose a Mirage, let her build a Mirage. And paint it black.

She is 16. Your days of her "hanging out with daddy" are numbered, so you want to keep her placated as long as you can so you can enjoy a few more rockets and a few more launches together. Don't give her an excuse to change her mind. Being the father of daughters, I have enjoyed many launches with my girls. We have built a few dozen rockets together and had some great times. My youngest built a few model rockets during her 4H days but has lost interest. I can live with that and we do other things together. The point is, all teenagers, particularly girls, grow out of spending time with daddy. The good news, they come back full circle later.

Build and launch the Mirage with her - that is what SHE wants.

--Lance.
Click to expand...

The years with her are speeding up at an alarming rate... I plan to get the Mirage, and pick up some scratch materials, in hopes she'll want to build more than one.
 
DRAGON64 said:
So here's the deal, my daughter is really spurring on my love for rocketry, which I am sad to say, has been faltering through the last 7 - 8 years or so. She wanting to fly rockets with me, and she does not want to fly just any rocket... she wants a really BIG ONE! Her description of the rocket she wants averages 2.6" - 3" diameter and is insanely long.
Click to expand...
That is basically the description of an Estes Mean Machine. And nobody says you have to stick to the original motor mount. ;) You will probably want to check stability with Rocksim or Open Rocket if you put a heavier motor in the back.

There's also the Fliskits Richter Recker. That's designed to take a cluster of 3 D12's. If it's stable with that, it's probably stable with a single higher power motor, though again a check with Rocksim or Open Rocket would be a good idea.
https://www.fliskits.com/products/rocketkits/kit_detail/richter_recker.htm
 
adrian said:
That is basically the description of an Estes Mean Machine. And nobody says you have to stick to the original motor mount. ;) You will probably want to check stability with Rocksim or Open Rocket if you put a heavier motor in the back.

There's also the Fliskits Richter Recker. That's designed to take a cluster of 3 D12's. If it's stable with that, it's probably stable with a single higher power motor, though again a check with Rocksim or Open Rocket would be a good idea.
https://www.fliskits.com/products/rocketkits/kit_detail/richter_recker.htm
Click to expand...

Her brother has the Richter Recker from FlisKits, and I actually talked her out of the Mean Machine... As I remember from my own Mean Machine build, the couplers where too small to support the length of the airframe (built stock of course)... She wants 2.6 - 3 inch airframe, she was quite adamant about the dia and length of the rocket she wanted... I will be placing the order for her Mirage by weeks end hopefully. She has until then to research the recommends off of this thread. To wrench the works, she starts band Camp this week, so she is feeling pressured to get something before her Junior year in school starts.
 
DRAGON64 said:
Her brother has the Richter Recker from FlisKits, and I actually talked her out of the Mean Machine... As I remember from my own Mean Machine build, the couplers where too small to support the length of the airframe (built stock of course)... She wants 2.6 - 3 inch airframe, she was quite adamant about the dia and length of the rocket she wanted... I will be placing the order for her Mirage by weeks end hopefully. She has until then to research the recommends off of this thread. To wrench the works, she starts band Camp this week, so she is feeling pressured to get something before her Junior year in school starts.
Click to expand...

Not hard to fix the coupler issue, Balsa Machining service sells full length coupler stock, using a thin epoxy its not too hard to "double" the tube, add in a 29mm MMT and away it goes, if you don't mind cutting the tubes between couplers you can mod your built Mean Machine this way. Eventually I am getting around to dual deploying my Mean Machine because with G motors the darn thing nearly disappears.
 
She has not pushed the rocket thing, as band camp is holding her attention for another week... but when we last talked, she was adamant about getting the Mirage, so I will go ahead and order the kit with a 29/4-120 case for her first re-loadable motor.
 

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