Flights per rocket

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AeroTech Mirage-ballistic on it's 97th flight (I have witnesses and a pic of my kids when they were younger standing next to it. This was just a couple of years ago. Not even Bob from Aeropac could believe it. I stuffed an I-200 in it and packed the laundry (and dog-barf) pretty hard. It was like losing a pet or even a child. Everybody cried a little (even me!)
 
This one I`ve posted before: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hMvT9BKzbUg
16 flights on its second iteration Pure cardboard rocket, plywood fins. Was single deploy, zippered, restored to
a dual deploy and had blow out the 16th or so flight as the DD rocket. Cardboard only lasts so long.
The upper bay the camera was on zippered completely off the ebay and fluttered nicely down. Frame by frame catches
shots of the fincan in the death dive The tired apogee harness broke. Surprisingly, the fincan survives and awaits another
coupler repair! Kurt
 
I have found a difference in the number of flights for rockets that fly <20K versus rockets above 50K. You would expect this, but the difference is very pronounced. In the "under 20K" group, I have a two-stager that's flow maybe a couple dozen times, anywhere from 5K to 18K. I have (had) a big daddy 29mm mount that flew maybe 50 times before getting lost for a second time in a forest. And, my Bi-Polar (sometimes it flies well, sometimes it doesn't) has flown at least a dozen times, although there were a couple of lawn darts in there. The two-stager is glassed phenolic. Pretty amazing how it's held up.

My "over 50K" record is in the pic. Not so good. The LCY are 3" rockets, the HCY are 4" rockets. I'm not sure how to do the statistics, but it looks like 11 rockets with 7 lost or destroyed over 16 flight. Hmm. Maybe I need a new hobby. I do have one booster that's done 12 N-motor flights! How many rockets can claim that! Not sure that one will fly again, though, but it could.

Jim

History pic.jpg
 
Steve Pollak, a gentleman who built an upscale orbital transport, has more than 100 flights on it. He flies it at a lot of Spaceport Rocketry and NEFAR launches in Florida. Well, just about every one I've been to haha.
 
I imagine a lot of rockets turn into a "ship of Theseus" type situation...
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Or [video=youtube;BUl6PooveJE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUl6PooveJE[/video] as it's known round here, wot I re-named my 4" Loc Fantom.

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Nah, come on - let's 'ave it right: back then you were aiming at London all along, mate.
 
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My mid 90's cardboard NCR Archer is probably pushing close to 20 flights, about half F, half G. It's showing it's age due to surface mount fins being re-glued several times, but it's still going strong and I still fly it fairly regularly.
 
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