Estes Space Shuttle #301467

Has anyone built and successfully flown this kit?

The rocket kit has an engine pod that ejects at apogee and is recovered via parachute.

The shuttle glides back to earth.

I have. It has been a real long time since I flew it, at least 10 years because I just got it back from my X wife in a box of modeling stuff last year. It sure was dirty from setting in her lawn building. I am in the process of cleaning it up making it look good again. I have lightly sanded and giving it a very light coat of primer. I still need no give it the finish paint and make new decals for it. I flew it on C63 motors off a 3 foot stainless steel launch rod and never had the power prang problems people spoke of. I didn't get a real long glide but hey it is a Space Shuttle (aka. flying brick). I also have an un-flown one in my display case I bought off eBay in a starter kit. I have thought about a D10 composite but never have tried it.

Cool Brent. Bring it along if I manage to be in Orangeburg this November

Try and remind me . This 52 year old guy gets forgetful at times

Yep- sorry, but not a fan. Felted in all the ablative tiles (wing gloves too) and panel lines. Walked the decal dog all over it and while it looked good standing still, it was a dog in the air. Many repeated improvements to adjust deployment and glide slop(e). The washer stack under recovery is a real heads up warning. Worked better as a wind direction/folk art topper for the tent.

Brent said:

I have thought about a D10 composite but never have tried it.

Click to expand...

The D13 reload for the 18mm RMS case is a great motor for this model. Doug Pratt used to fly them regularly at NARHAMS launches up in Middletown, MD.

kj

I have one never flew it, had the plan to build a ET and SRB's for it but never got around to it

Brent, I'm 51. You think I can remember ??

Today, after lots of carving, I glued the rudder piece to the fuselage using 5 min. epoxy (which, for some reason, Estes doesn't recommend)



One thing that's got me worried is the nose section. I wouldn't be surprise if the force of the ejection charge will blow off the front portion (after the body tube) of the shuttle nose. I'm going to have to do some reinforcement to reduce the risk.

DO NOT LAUNCH IT!!!!!!!

This model has started more fires at our old launch site (now redeveloped from a "hobby area" to a golf course) than any other rocket.

It was very rearely stable and it would usually turn sideways at 30 to 50 feet altitude and then fly horizontally for a great distance or until it impacted the grouns. Ejection just above the ground or whilst on the ground would cause a fire in dry grass brush.

The rocket that worked much better was the symmetrical Estes Air Show which had two gliders with a central pod.

Thanks for the heads-up Fred.

However this rocket will fly and I'll be using Klima motors. It will get a spin to keep it straight on launch, at least that's my intention.

I still have mine since the 90's. Two years ago, I fixed the tail that had broken off and took it out for a launch. For some reason this time it flew parallel to the ground and almost towards us. It finally ejected on the ground. Luckily the grass wasn't dry. It now sits waiting to be refurbished and displayed.

Anyone know the CG location for the orbiter in "glide" phase??

If that is the one with the rear ejection motor tube with all the steel washers on it then yes. I've built it an flown it and crashed it. I still have it in the basement somewhere. I pulled the guts out of it and planned to turn it into a static display model.

There isn't enough room to get the parachute in around the motor tube and when you it tends to rip the cords off the cute on ejection. As for the glider, well it's more of a tumble recovery that glide recovery. Broke the tail off on both "landings"

I had one of those when it first came out. I only applied the cockpit windows and it practically needed no trimming out of the box. It had several successful flights with good glides, including one where it did a carrier landing on the roof of a friend's Chevy Suburban. Eventually though after about nine flights it retired itself. You can't really put recovery wadding in this bird because it then becomes nose heavy. What happened was during ejections, the nose cavity would erode slightly each time until the nose came completely off. It still glided on that flight, just doing stalls on the way down. The damage was potentially repairable, but I never got around to doing it since it would eventually blow off the nose again anyway.

BTW, my model never went unstable on boost. Sometimes it would do a slightly wide spin on ascent, but it never went sideways like an Estes shuttle with boosters kit I had did on its only two flights.