What was the first rocket you ever launched?

I launched a Baby Bertha.

My first was an Estes Amazon.

​Estes Farside with a C6-5. In the excitement of the launch, I left the launch rod cap on, causing the whole assembly to be lofted 16 feet up into the air, fly around the air, and crash to the ground where the ejection charge popped out the parachute.

first was an Estes Black Brant III #1293 circa 1978
second an Avenger
third a Renegade so when I found a decal for a Renegade about a month ago, I thought, time for a clone.


Idk why it is sideways

Estes Alpha - 6th grade

Since I was born-again - Estes Magnum Load

TRF said:

​Estes Farside with a C6-5. In the excitement of the launch, I left the launch rod cap on, causing the whole assembly to be lofted 16 feet up into the air, fly around the air, and crash to the ground where the ejection charge popped out the parachute.

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That must've been a sight! Did you have any spectators?

Yeah. We launched it in a local park and a lot of people were just hanging around there.

Mine was and Estes "Vampire". A plastic ready to fly black rocket that I must have ran half a dozen packs of 1/2 a-3's through until the last launch. It came in ballistic and the nose cone split the rocket at the seams into two pieces. I'm sure the recovery failure was my fault as I didn't clean the residue from the body tube/nose cone area. I wrote Estes and gave them my hard luck story and Lo and Behold they sent me another one with a 4-pack of motors to appease my situation. I will never forget that. What a great time it was to be a kid back in those days.

4 years late to the party....1969 a Centuri Payloader ii...donated to the universe via a typically stout Oklahoma "breeze".

Alpha III starter kit that I got for my 13th birthday.

An Estes WAC Corporal circa 1965. Flew it at the MacElwaine school yard, Birmingham, AL. Flew it for several flights. Followed, possibly, with an Estes X-Ray with bees as passengers in the payload section. Never lost a single bee.

An Alpha III Starter kit in which the rocket was lost on the first launch. A lot was learned that day.

Astron Streak, early 70’s. Big surprise— last seen leaving the pad!

1967, aluminum cigar tube with match head propellant, no recovery system. Light enough that a ballistic landing wasn't very fast and didn't hurt it. 5 or 6 successful launches with the same rocket. Once I found an Estes catalog, got a Skyhook. Launched it with an A.8-3 (lit with Jetex fuse) from the schoolyard in back of our house and promptly lost it due to wind, but I was hooked. Built my own launch pad and electric ignition system and many rockets until about 1973 when I found many more people flying model airplanes. Did that for 20 years. Became a BAR around 2007, and got my Level 2 about 6 years ago.

Cox Honest John, around '72

Around 2005 I flew an Estes Moon Dog (RTF, A motors) with my daughter, and I had a Dynastar Orion, flying on D motors.

Late starter due to availability in Australia and my parents not having much money to spare. They always seemed to fund my electronics from a young age. Lucky me .

The 80s Sizzler! My dad bought me the starter kit with the Bigfoot launch pad for my 11th birthday. I loved that rocket.

Space Eagle by Estes, same used by space camp kids at the time in 2016.

Estes Magnum, circa 1991/1992. WAY too much rocket for my first build, and my HS Aeroscience teacher tried to tell me that, but I was 17 years old and couldn't possibly settle for a single stage rocket.

Flew it in too much wind from the Hillsboro (Ohio) HS football field. Recovered the booster stage without issue. Never recovered the rest of the rocket as it drifted...and drifted...and drifted.

Would love to have another kit of that to build. I will have to do a little ebay searching.

Estes Eggspress, way back in the early 90's

Estes Alpha — balsa nose, fins, the works. Circa 1967. Immediately hooked

Estes Streak. Forerunner to the Mosquito, the Streak had a mylar airframe, featherweight recovery (3 grams), and it was cheap, 50 cents if memory serves. Parents bought me and my brother one each, and 3 1/4A motors. Parents were quite pissed when it was found that the motors couldn't be reused... (3 for 90 cents?)

Estes Alpha III from the Porta-Pad Starter Kit I got for my 10th birthday in 1973. Flew it from the parking lot adjacent to the big schoolyard at Beaumont Elementary School.

That place was our Edwards Air Force Base; just a big, flat, dirt field. Model airplanes, model rockets, model airplanes with rockets strapped to 'em... (It was inevitable)

Estes Sky Hook in 1967

Estes Scout, on borrowed launch equipment in late 1976 or early 1977.

Way back in 1978 or 1979....

Took a rocket building class at my local city library one summer.

I don't think it was a commercial kit. The folks running the class brought parts. We cut our fins and glued the pieces together. If I remember correctly, it was a 3 FNC on at 3" BT-5. I remember taking it home and painting it. Had to wait a few months for my birthday and Christmas to get a launch pad, controller and motors!

Centuri Astro-1 in November 1968. The flight was a success. Followed promptly by a Centuri V-2. I remember that I was really nervous. Those things seemed important at 8 years old.

1972 - Decatur, AL Brookhaven Middle School Model Rocket club. "'Chuter-II" (I believe it was a Centuri product back then). Shortly thereafter I had an Astro-1 that I flew incredibly often on C6-7's that just soared almost out of sight.....

1968 - Estes Alpha with C6-7 landed on roof of school... got it back, flew it again on a B6-4

Estes Viking