Pumpin' Jiminy!!!:shock:
funny rocket stories
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Pumpin' Jiminy!!!:shock:
blackbrandt
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Come on thread, don't die on me!!!!!!!
JStitz
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There was a guy named Pius Morizumi with Aeropac? at Black Rock he managed to stick a rocket under power through both walls of a truck tire...I guess it's now a lawn ornament in Gerlach. (Rumor was it was a BATF vehicle)
I would LOVE to hear the whole story attached to this.
I would LOVE to hear the whole story attached to this.
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A few years ago, during our version of TARC, we ran some sport launches for the benefit of visitors and the local television station at the Frankemuth RC Club field. One such launch involved a foam bead catapult-launch Space Shuttle converted to ride a BT-60 carrier rocket. The combo has flown many times on B6-2, C6-3, C6-5, D9-4W RMS, and D12-3 motors.
On a C6-5 this time, the model soared into the overcast sky with ejection and glider release shortly after arcing over at a hundred yards South of the rangehead. The glider levelled off and travelled East a hundred yards or so before turning left. At this time, it was joined in flight by a barn swallow which made several intercepts, much to the amusement of spectators. Another left turn and the shuttle was on "final", descending and losing it's "fighter escort". It's flight path was lined up with the club tractor shed and the model landed on the flat roof with an audible clunk. (The shed is but a few tens of feet behind the rangehead and adjacent to the parking area.)
All of this was caught on video and is up on my youtube channel as My Little Space Shuttle.
A few years earlier on the same field, my Deltie was attacked by swallows as it came down into a nearby beet field as spectators watched.
On a C6-5 this time, the model soared into the overcast sky with ejection and glider release shortly after arcing over at a hundred yards South of the rangehead. The glider levelled off and travelled East a hundred yards or so before turning left. At this time, it was joined in flight by a barn swallow which made several intercepts, much to the amusement of spectators. Another left turn and the shuttle was on "final", descending and losing it's "fighter escort". It's flight path was lined up with the club tractor shed and the model landed on the flat roof with an audible clunk. (The shed is but a few tens of feet behind the rangehead and adjacent to the parking area.)
All of this was caught on video and is up on my youtube channel as My Little Space Shuttle.
A few years earlier on the same field, my Deltie was attacked by swallows as it came down into a nearby beet field as spectators watched.
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Rocketjunkie
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Not really too much to it. Rocket land skarked and went through the tire. Rocket was a 54mm body with IIRC, a 38 mm mount. Vehicle was a BLM Jeep.
blackbrandt
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Wow, forgot about this thread.
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Damn near shot down a seagull once. I wish I had a video
Was launching at the end of the day near the southern end of the Upper Klamath Lake (Klamath Falls Oregon) with some college buddies back around 1993. We were just launching and recovering minding our own business, when I finally put my Estes Black Brant II with a D12-7 loaded on the pad. Fire off the rocket, and as it sails up, we noticed a flock of seagulls flying in formation overhead...
Just about that time, the three of us started saying something like...
"Say, wouldn't it be funny if..."
Just then, one of the seagulls does this crazy in-flight move I've never seen a seagull do before as the rocket streaked right in front of it, missing by only the narrowest of margins.
We about died from laughter... Imagine the thoughts of that bird.
Oh ****! They're shooting ****ing Missiles at us now!
We really weren't trying to do anything other than launch the rockets, but had I a camera, I'd have easily won AFV's top prize.
Was launching at the end of the day near the southern end of the Upper Klamath Lake (Klamath Falls Oregon) with some college buddies back around 1993. We were just launching and recovering minding our own business, when I finally put my Estes Black Brant II with a D12-7 loaded on the pad. Fire off the rocket, and as it sails up, we noticed a flock of seagulls flying in formation overhead...
Just about that time, the three of us started saying something like...
"Say, wouldn't it be funny if..."
Just then, one of the seagulls does this crazy in-flight move I've never seen a seagull do before as the rocket streaked right in front of it, missing by only the narrowest of margins.
We about died from laughter... Imagine the thoughts of that bird.
Oh ****! They're shooting ****ing Missiles at us now!
We really weren't trying to do anything other than launch the rockets, but had I a camera, I'd have easily won AFV's top prize.
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Back when I lived in Ashland, Oregon, I occasionally launched the odd rocket or two...
In the winter of 1991 I finally got a clear day to launch. So, I grabbed my roommate, his 8-year-old son, and a couple of local kids and headed out to a local park to launch my latest build, a sweet looking Estes Magnum, with a D12-0 in the booster, and a C6-7 in the upper stage. I couldn't find my launcher to save my arse, but I could find a couple of batteries, my launch rod, a couple of alligator clips, and 8 feet of wire. I split the wire into two 4' lengths, attached the alligator clips to one end of each, and then taped the batteries together. At the launch site, I stuffed the rod into a dandelion (feeling certain that the parks commission wouldn't mid a scorched weed), loaded the rocket, attached the clips to the ignitor, and stood back as far as I could (way too close). We did the countdown, and...
BOOM!!! WHOOSH!!!
The booster exploded, tearing the booster section cleanly down one side, at the same time, it ignited the upper stage. The upper's motor mount was damaged by the explosion, and canted at an angle. I'm laying on the ground and I get a sight as the rocket flew nose up, but at an odd angle, then when momentum ran out, it fell to the ground. The 8-year-old made a mad dash for the rocket. I yelled at him to stop, and only a few feet away from it, he came to a stop and looked back at me, just as the ejection charge fired off. Nobody was hurt, but I was shaken up quite a bit. Only the nosecone, payload section, parachute, and shock cord were salvageable.
One summer day in '92, when school was out I grabbed an assortment of rockets to launch out at Walker Elementary's playing fields. This time I had my full launch kit, and my longer wires (I'd learned my lesson last time). Among the collection of rockets was an Estes Warp II. I had a D12-0 in the booster, and a C6-7 in the upperstage. A few successful launches go by and it's time to try the Warp II. Everything is fine, right up until I pressed the button, and...
BOOM!!!
Another exploding booster engine. The upper didn't launch, but it was torn apart by the explosion. I could clearly see the windows of the house 50 odd feet away flexing from the concussion. There was a wedding party going on, and the owner comes out, mad as HELL, until he realised that I had just experienced a CATO, and wasn't just touching off M-80's. I managed another launch or two from the undamaged rockets, with a lot more interested people watching.
Winter of '92 I decided to launch rockets one windy day. A friend and I went out to the football field at SOSC (now SOU) to do our launches. Among the other rockets I had a modified Magnum clone that I had built, and another one of my own designs. My Magnum (as a single stage) was first up. I cranked the rocket into the wind, and launched. It went up about 40 feet or so, then a gust canted the rocket from 30 degrees, to more like 60-70 degrees. The rocket sails over a soccer match in the next field, and heads straight for a small group of people sitting on their 2nd floor deck in a beautiful ballistic arc. I was certain that the rocket would hit them, but about 100 feet short of the "target", the ejection fired off, and the rocket then blew back over the heads of the now paused soccer match and into my hand. I only had to walk back about 6 paces to catch the rocket. I had the biggest grin on my face as "I MEANT to do that!" (yeah, right).
So, following that successful launch, I put up my own design... It was about the size of an Estes Alpha, but it had 3 fins copied off of the 1985ish Sizzler (as well as it's nose cone), and a "D" engine. For stability, the entire nose was filled with clay, and the rocket had a 12 inch (very ventilated) chute. Remembering the two explosions of my boosters from previous launches, I wasn't about to use my last D12-0 in any nice 2 stage rocket. I loaded it into this rocket, and Launched it. And...
WOOSH!!! BOOM!!!!
The rocket went up about 20-30 feet fine, then exploded into tiny little fragments. My friend and I watched as the fragments of the fins spun down like confetti and shredded body tube falls all around us. "Dude! Where's the nose co..."
Whistling sound and THUMP!"
About 6 seconds after the last of the fragments hit the ground the parachute (unopened) appeared suddenly. I walked up to it and tried to pick it up, but discovered that it was still attached to the nosecone, and that was about 4 inches underground. I dug the nose cone out, and I think it's still in my spares box.
In the winter of 1991 I finally got a clear day to launch. So, I grabbed my roommate, his 8-year-old son, and a couple of local kids and headed out to a local park to launch my latest build, a sweet looking Estes Magnum, with a D12-0 in the booster, and a C6-7 in the upper stage. I couldn't find my launcher to save my arse, but I could find a couple of batteries, my launch rod, a couple of alligator clips, and 8 feet of wire. I split the wire into two 4' lengths, attached the alligator clips to one end of each, and then taped the batteries together. At the launch site, I stuffed the rod into a dandelion (feeling certain that the parks commission wouldn't mid a scorched weed), loaded the rocket, attached the clips to the ignitor, and stood back as far as I could (way too close). We did the countdown, and...
BOOM!!! WHOOSH!!!
The booster exploded, tearing the booster section cleanly down one side, at the same time, it ignited the upper stage. The upper's motor mount was damaged by the explosion, and canted at an angle. I'm laying on the ground and I get a sight as the rocket flew nose up, but at an odd angle, then when momentum ran out, it fell to the ground. The 8-year-old made a mad dash for the rocket. I yelled at him to stop, and only a few feet away from it, he came to a stop and looked back at me, just as the ejection charge fired off. Nobody was hurt, but I was shaken up quite a bit. Only the nosecone, payload section, parachute, and shock cord were salvageable.
One summer day in '92, when school was out I grabbed an assortment of rockets to launch out at Walker Elementary's playing fields. This time I had my full launch kit, and my longer wires (I'd learned my lesson last time). Among the collection of rockets was an Estes Warp II. I had a D12-0 in the booster, and a C6-7 in the upperstage. A few successful launches go by and it's time to try the Warp II. Everything is fine, right up until I pressed the button, and...
BOOM!!!
Another exploding booster engine. The upper didn't launch, but it was torn apart by the explosion. I could clearly see the windows of the house 50 odd feet away flexing from the concussion. There was a wedding party going on, and the owner comes out, mad as HELL, until he realised that I had just experienced a CATO, and wasn't just touching off M-80's. I managed another launch or two from the undamaged rockets, with a lot more interested people watching.
Winter of '92 I decided to launch rockets one windy day. A friend and I went out to the football field at SOSC (now SOU) to do our launches. Among the other rockets I had a modified Magnum clone that I had built, and another one of my own designs. My Magnum (as a single stage) was first up. I cranked the rocket into the wind, and launched. It went up about 40 feet or so, then a gust canted the rocket from 30 degrees, to more like 60-70 degrees. The rocket sails over a soccer match in the next field, and heads straight for a small group of people sitting on their 2nd floor deck in a beautiful ballistic arc. I was certain that the rocket would hit them, but about 100 feet short of the "target", the ejection fired off, and the rocket then blew back over the heads of the now paused soccer match and into my hand. I only had to walk back about 6 paces to catch the rocket. I had the biggest grin on my face as "I MEANT to do that!" (yeah, right).
So, following that successful launch, I put up my own design... It was about the size of an Estes Alpha, but it had 3 fins copied off of the 1985ish Sizzler (as well as it's nose cone), and a "D" engine. For stability, the entire nose was filled with clay, and the rocket had a 12 inch (very ventilated) chute. Remembering the two explosions of my boosters from previous launches, I wasn't about to use my last D12-0 in any nice 2 stage rocket. I loaded it into this rocket, and Launched it. And...
WOOSH!!! BOOM!!!!
The rocket went up about 20-30 feet fine, then exploded into tiny little fragments. My friend and I watched as the fragments of the fins spun down like confetti and shredded body tube falls all around us. "Dude! Where's the nose co..."
Whistling sound and THUMP!"
About 6 seconds after the last of the fragments hit the ground the parachute (unopened) appeared suddenly. I walked up to it and tried to pick it up, but discovered that it was still attached to the nosecone, and that was about 4 inches underground. I dug the nose cone out, and I think it's still in my spares box.
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Bump
Winston
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I saw the same thing from a very experienced modeler who had done a very nice kit bash on a two-stage 13mm rocket. Booster had the delay, sustainer had zero delay. Climbed nicely, arced over to about a 45 degree angle downward, fired sustainer.
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Bump...
blackbrandt
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I'm going to shamelessly bump this thread again because I know at least one person has had some funny story since the last post. 
DavidMcCann
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I'm going to shamelessly bump this thread again because I know at least one person has had some funny story since the last post.
This one time, some kid got on the forums and was all over anything anyone posted as "for free"
I guess there's no story we still make fun of him for it.
blackbrandt
That Darn College Student
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Oh I've heard about scrap_daddy as well.
DavidMcCann
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Oh I've heard about scrap_daddy as well.
Did he beat you to a half used bag of estes wadding?
op:
blackbrandt
That Darn College Student
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I still think my worst thing I did was attempting to sell a used Estes cardboard centering ring for $0.50+shipping.
Gary Byrum
Overstable By Design
Here's something recent that I thought was amusing. Some guy with a rocket issue requesting some "how to" info on his latest build, also made the comment that he had 10 rockets and that was a gracious plenty to own. He wasn't going to build any more than 10 rockets. Now, who here can resist telling him about the rocketry addiction we all share? It sorta reminds me of a Lays potato chip commercial.."You can't eat just 1" or 10, in his case.
Jackball74
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In my early rocketry days my friends and I used to launch near a number of cattle fields and, more often than not, would have to retrieve our rockets from the fields. It was no big deal, as the cows were fairly disinterested in our activities. One day, however, I happened to get halfway across a pasture and realized that there was a bull present - and he was ambling towards me. I quickly made it to a tree and waited until he wandered off. I wasn't amused, but everyone on the other side of the fence got a good laugh.
shreadvector
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Guy made an oddroc out of a triangular USPS shipping tube. Three fins at that apicies of the triangle and triangular nosecone. Triangular bulkheads on the motor tube. After 14 or so flights decides to try a "K" motor.
Rocket is motor deployment. Well, button is pushed and the cardboard "skin" turns to confetti at about 500 feet. Due to the cloud of paper, we couldn't see a smoke trail or what happened to the motor tube. We're offering our
condolences to the flier along with accolades for such a cool destruction and sure enough, here comes this bare tube drifting nicely down under a deployed parachute. There were one or two bulkheads still attached to the tube
but no outer "skin".
Now this was before "spool" rockets and we were trying to surmise how the thing flew. If must have gone pretty well straight as it took quite sometime to come back.
What happened is probably the drag from some of the bulkheads kept it straight until some of them tore away due to the forces. The fact that the motor was likely spent may have helped it to continue to climb straight.
It was terribly funny because it flew straight up, the recovery system worked and the flight was inherently nominal even though the outer skin turned to confetti. This is opposed to land sharking where rockets are recorded
flopping all over the ground and one doesn't know if it's going to head their way. [video=youtube;aDCFS2JYAa0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDCFS2JYAa0[/video]
Stuff like this is downright scary.
Rocket is motor deployment. Well, button is pushed and the cardboard "skin" turns to confetti at about 500 feet. Due to the cloud of paper, we couldn't see a smoke trail or what happened to the motor tube. We're offering our
condolences to the flier along with accolades for such a cool destruction and sure enough, here comes this bare tube drifting nicely down under a deployed parachute. There were one or two bulkheads still attached to the tube
but no outer "skin".
Now this was before "spool" rockets and we were trying to surmise how the thing flew. If must have gone pretty well straight as it took quite sometime to come back.
What happened is probably the drag from some of the bulkheads kept it straight until some of them tore away due to the forces. The fact that the motor was likely spent may have helped it to continue to climb straight.
It was terribly funny because it flew straight up, the recovery system worked and the flight was inherently nominal even though the outer skin turned to confetti. This is opposed to land sharking where rockets are recorded
flopping all over the ground and one doesn't know if it's going to head their way. [video=youtube;aDCFS2JYAa0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDCFS2JYAa0[/video]
Stuff like this is downright scary.
