Gary Byrum
Overstable By Design
I used to put live cockroaches in my X-Ray, but I was just a dumb kid.
And please spare us us the graphic photos of said cockroaches. :y: We did that already.
I used to put live cockroaches in my X-Ray, but I was just a dumb kid.
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.
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!
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
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.
My very first build was also a Skyhook. Lost in the sky via C6-5, first launch around 1977.
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!
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!
Around 1983...the Estes Sizzler...no - not the tiny little thing that's around nowadays. This one was a starter set that I got. https://www.estesrockets.com/media/instructions/001432_SIZZLER.pdf
Hey, I had a Sizzler back in the day! Just the rocket, not the starter set. It's a good looking rocket!
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.
Enter your email address to join: