What was the first rocket you ever launched?

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My first rocket was a starblazer some where around 1970. Lost this somewhere around 1975. Ugly gold paint job and the strakes were nowhere near straight.
 
Estes Reliant.
Built and flown in 7 grade shop class.

Later, I bought an Estes Patriot starter set around 91 or so from a local Hobby shop.

JD
 
I launched my first rocket about 20 years ago. It was an Estes Pegasus, just another clone of the Athena / Manta / generic E2X rocket. It was a fast build, a reliable flyer, and got me hooked for a lifetime.
 
Estes Alpha on New Years day 1974. I received the Alpha Starter Set for Christmas and spent the intervening week building the Alpha and launch controller. Lost it on the third flight on the included B6-4.
 
simonov said:
I was just reading in G. Harry Stine's Handbook of Model Rocketry how everyone is supposed to remember his first launch. I sure don't. I remember one of the rockets I had as a kid, an Estes X-Ray, but I am pretty sure that wasn't the first. I flew that X-Ray a lot. I thought it was so cool in the catalog with its clear payload section, but once I built it I could never think of anything really cool to stick in the payload bay. Flew well though, and survived many a recovery. This would have been around 1972 or so.

Stine says you are also supposed to have adult supervision at every launch. Ha ha! The only adults we ever had around were the regional park rangers who would come out and chase us away.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, now reading about Stine's (and the NAR's) definition of a safe and proper launching pad. That reminded me of mine, from back in the day. I had a shoebox I used as my field kit. I stuck a 1/8 inch rod through a hole in the shoebox and into the ground, and used a mayonnaise jar lid as a launch deflection shield. To this day I can't imagine where we got the 1/8 inch rods. The launch controller was a collection of D cell batteries my father taped together for me and to which he soldered one lead of a lamp cord. Touch the other lead to the battery pack and whoosh!
 
simonov said:
Oh yeah, now reading about Stine's (and the NAR's) definition of a safe and proper launching pad. That reminded me of mine, from back in the day. I had a shoebox I used as my field kit. I stuck a 1/8 inch rod through a hole in the shoebox and into the ground, and used a mayonnaise jar lid as a launch deflection shield. To this day I can't imagine where we got the 1/8 inch rods. The launch controller was a collection of D cell batteries my father taped together for me and to which he soldered one lead of a lamp cord. Touch the other lead to the battery pack and whoosh!
Click to expand...

My launch rods were welding rods, from our farm shop.
 
Estes Alpha III today :)

3rd flight chute failure led to crumpled body tube. Ejection fine, lines unfurled, just came down with a lump of plastic wadding :(
 
Alpha III, mid nineties! 95 I think. I had the classic "Range Box" starter set with the old original YELLOW Porta-Pad II that actually looked cool, not the hokey lightning bolt pad they have now. Not to digress, but it looks like a toy, which is what they're going for I'm sure.

JohnRE said:
Estes Alpha III today :)

3rd flight chute failure led to crumpled body tube. Ejection fine, lines unfurled, just came down with a lump of plastic wadding :(
Click to expand...

That's the way to go! Congrats! Was the chute melted or just didn't unfurl? Always make sure to properly fold and pack the chute (a little talcum powder helps), as well as ensure you have enough recovery wadding to keep the chute from getting melted/damaged.
 
Cheers, was certainly fun :)

Chute was fine, had installed some Nomex (mind you, does seem to clap out rapidly), just failed to unroll :( Note to self ... talcum powder.

Never mind, have some body tubes sitting here so can salvage parts and go again soon enough.
 
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Estes Alpha III starter set that came in the white cardboard box. Still have it all. That was probably 1995-1996 when I was 10 or 11.
 
maxvelocity said:
Estes Alpha III starter set that came in the white cardboard box. Still have it all. That was probably 1995-1996 when I was 10 or 11.
Click to expand...

You were smart about it! I have none of my original stuff and regret it. My kids are probably going to be annoyed by the fact that I will constantly tell him to take care of their things and not lose or break them!
 
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The very first rocket I built couldn’t be launched.
Fire hadn’t yet been handed down to man by Prometheus.

But seriously folks; I often can’t remember what I had for my morning’s breakfast much less what my first rocket was more than 40 years ago.

Most likely it was an Estes “Alpha”.
 
First I launched was an Estes Nike-Apache. Painted it to spec. Looked awesome. I was obedient to the packaging and used an A8-3. After what I recall being about a 200 foot flight, no ejection charge. Lawn dartness ensued, and the rocket was, let's say, not in flyable condition.
 
My very first build was also a Skyhook. Lost in the sky via C6-5, first launch around 1977.

I turned 50 recently and while turning out and organizing old hobby stuff, I came across an old box I had labeled " Estes rocket stuff". I tore into it and in a blaze of nostalgia, quickly finished these half-finished models a Quark, a Baby Bertha, a Guardian, and a Bullpup.

I grabbed a buddy and we launched a few and got a boot load of shins and giggles. All my ancient launch gear still works! Now I got his kid and their friends building kits, LOL. It just happened to be good timing with all the rainy days we've been getting lately. It's quite fun to build these kits on these rainy days, and it requires little space and minimal tools. And it gets the kids off these accursed computers and hand held devices, so the parents dig it!

I also found a very well built and very pretty Scissor Wing Transport!!! I just need to touch up some hangar rash, and put in fresh a rubber band. The old band disintegrated from age! This one is nearly ready to fly! Never got around to launching it...

I also found virgin sealed kits for the Outlander and Patriot, and some building aids.

This is my first post here and so I welcome me to this forum! I was doing rockets before there was internet or cell phones!
 
MarkusXL said:
My very first build was also a Skyhook. Lost in the sky via C6-5, first launch around 1977.
Click to expand...

Same here. Flew it on a B6-4, then on a C6-5. Since then, I've used the phrase "C you later". ;-)

Welcome to the forum. I'm always new here, since my visits have long lapses.
 
I was 9 or 10 years old and my grandfather had an Estes leprechaun kit that we assembled and flew. That started it all.
 
Estes Mini-Bertha about 1976 or 1977. I know I couldn't drive yet and we were all out on our bikes to chase the rockets down. In a flash of brilliance I painted it camouflage! I think I lost it on the third launch.
 
Centuri Javelin--came in a kit with the pad and controller. 1967 Dad says..
 
MarkusXL said:
My very first build was also a Skyhook. Lost in the sky via C6-5, first launch around 1977.

I turned 50 recently and while turning out and organizing old hobby stuff, I came across an old box I had labeled " Estes rocket stuff". I tore into it and in a blaze of nostalgia, quickly finished these half-finished models a Quark, a Baby Bertha, a Guardian, and a Bullpup.

I grabbed a buddy and we launched a few and got a boot load of shins and giggles. All my ancient launch gear still works! Now I got his kid and their friends building kits, LOL. It just happened to be good timing with all the rainy days we've been getting lately. It's quite fun to build these kits on these rainy days, and it requires little space and minimal tools. And it gets the kids off these accursed computers and hand held devices, so the parents dig it!

I also found a very well built and very pretty Scissor Wing Transport!!! I just need to touch up some hangar rash, and put in fresh a rubber band. The old band disintegrated from age! This one is nearly ready to fly! Never got around to launching it...

I also found virgin sealed kits for the Outlander and Patriot, and some building aids.

This is my first post here and so I welcome me to this forum! I was doing rockets before there was internet or cell phones!
Click to expand...

Since nobody bothered to welcome you, I present open arms to the asylum. Good folks here. We're all rocket crazy. C6-5 had a very clear draw to it, (in it's day), why bother with a puny motor when you can use the beast!. Lost a lot of rockets on that note. Lesson learned. I invite you to a video of the master engineer of our beloved hobby. He and his wife are very aged anymore, but the 120 minutes it takes to watch this, is worth it.

[video=youtube;sLn8UX2UYaQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLn8UX2UYaQ[/video]
 
MarkusXL said:
My very first build was also a Skyhook. Lost in the sky via C6-5, first launch around 1977.

I turned 50 recently and while turning out and organizing old hobby stuff, I came across an old box I had labeled " Estes rocket stuff". I tore into it and in a blaze of nostalgia, quickly finished these half-finished models a Quark, a Baby Bertha, a Guardian, and a Bullpup.

I grabbed a buddy and we launched a few and got a boot load of shins and giggles. All my ancient launch gear still works! Now I got his kid and their friends building kits, LOL. It just happened to be good timing with all the rainy days we've been getting lately. It's quite fun to build these kits on these rainy days, and it requires little space and minimal tools. And it gets the kids off these accursed computers and hand held devices, so the parents dig it!

I also found a very well built and very pretty Scissor Wing Transport!!! I just need to touch up some hangar rash, and put in fresh a rubber band. The old band disintegrated from age! This one is nearly ready to fly! Never got around to launching it...

I also found virgin sealed kits for the Outlander and Patriot, and some building aids.

This is my first post here and so I welcome me to this forum! I was doing rockets before there was internet or cell phones!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, I missed this post. Welcome to the forum! I had a Scissor Wing Transport in the 70's, but could never get it to glide. My buddy had a Skyhook, and lost it on a C6-5 as well. It's very cool that you're getting kids interested, my son never was. You should attend a club launch if you can, so they (and you) can see some mid and high power launches. It's also very cool that you found your old rocket stuff! Mine is all long gone.
 
qquake2k said:
Hey, I had a Sizzler back in the day! Just the rocket, not the starter set. It's a good looking rocket!
Click to expand...

Yeah - I love that one. When finances are better, and I have more discretionary income that I can literally send up in smoke, I'm planning on building a 3x upscale of that one for my L2.
 
Astron Alpha. Circa 1968. I was in third grade.

The fins were on crooked, the paint was globed on like you would expect from an 8 year old.
Everyone in the class built the same rocket. It cost us 70 cents, plus I think another 50 for the motor.
Everyone got the same motor, and there was a contest to see who's rocket went the highest.
My Science Teacher saw my rocket and must have felt sorry for me, and instead of putting in the A class engine that everyone got for some reason decided to put in a C.

The rocket was never seen again as the evil rocket eating trees that infest the pacific northwest were very hungry that day.
 

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