Most Flown Low Power Rocket?

I was wondering what low power rocket has been flown most often in your fleet? I don't frequently see low power rockets that have been flown more than twenty times, and so far as I know, my poor Estes NSA Starship takes the cake, at 59 launches as of 9/3/2013, and still going strong.

Quick status briefing for the Starship: All of the fins have been broken off and glued back on at some point. The launch lug assembly has peeled off and is now being held in place with electrical tape. The Starship now has a different shock cord and parachute, but I'm thinking of replacing those because they're getting quite sooty and grungy. The boattail section of the motor retainer had to be replaced after the plastic melted, preventing motors from fitting in there. The inside of the tube is perpetually black with soot and has recently begun to crumble. Other than that, the rocket's in the peak of health.

Anyway, I'm sure that some of you have done a much better job at maintaining your rockets, and that they've lasted longer than this poor fellow. Feel free to post pictures or video of your longest lived contraptions!

...and I'll leave you with a picture of the Starship's 53rd flight --

I have an Estes Astron Elliptic with 22+ flights on it
A truly great flyer!!

For me it would have to be the Estes Alpha III. It is over 10 years old, and must have been launched at least 50 times, usually with a C6-7. It is one of my few kit rockets, and an ideal demonstrator. It goes out of site on a C6-7, and has come down over a mile from where it was launched. I have hauled a mountain bike with me to the launch site to retrieve rockets that come down so far away. I have a small 50x telescope to watch and see where they came down at.

My SpaceX Falcon 9, launched 32 times.
Great rocket, very sturdy, its been through 2 crashes and lived to tell the tale, and still launches today Its the one rocket I always launch, and it was also the first rocket I ever made.

Big Bertha. Not sure how many times, always a crowd-pleaser.

25ish year old Big Bertha has the most launches by far but I haven't launched it in the past 3 years. Every piece of her has been replaced at least once and she could do with a complete rebuild right now.

Other than that my keychain camera carrier rocket probably gets the most launches now.


I actually have a few rockets that have never been launched, I'll get around to putting them up sooner or later.

IIRC, Jim Flis had an Estes Sprint that he flew for its 500th flight at NARAM 47. I think Vern Estes may have launched it for the 500th flight.

JPVegh said:

25ish year old Big Bertha has the most launches by far but I haven't launched it in the past 3 years. Every piece of her has been replaced at least once and she could do with a complete rebuild right now.

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Sounds like the Ship of Theseus!

Fishhead said:

IIRC, Jim Flis had an Estes Sprint that he flew for its 500th flight at NARAM 47. I think Vern Estes may have launched it for the 500th flight.

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That would be correct . In fact Gleda Estes launched her on flight #499

One of the best days of my life and a TOATAL relief to Bill Spadafora as he was getting sick of seeing that thing at our club launches so often LOL

i am in the process of uploading old photo albums, and THAT one just got there. You can see is puppy here https://fliskits.com/photo_album/best_of/index_2005.htm

Good times!

Typically I get 25-50 flights out of an established design (much less o. Protos though...)

Probably my 1970-vintage Centauri V-2. I flew it a bunch of times as a kid, and it's flown twice more in this century after I recovered it from my parents' attic and refurbished it.

I have a Custom Rockets Fiesta I kitbashed into a rough-equivalent of an Astron Sprint (using a spare nose cone for a tail cone), which I use as my 'test flight' at almost every launch -- I send it up on an A to see what the wind is doing in terms of weathercocking, recovery drift, etc etc. I've probably flown it 50 times.

Estes Polaris, with 33 launches on record before a tree ate it

Big Bertha. Not sure how many flights but guessing 30+. A few cracked fins along the way and an upper body tube replacement due to a rock pile, but still going very strong. Keychain cams and D13's are what it does most of the time now.

dpower said:

Sounds like the Ship of Theseus!

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Which brings up an important point, if nothing remains of the original rocket does it count as the most launched? I think that the motor hook may be from the original kit so it is the most launched motor hook that I own.

My Odd'l Rockets Birdie. I've launched it all over, and is great for small fields or demos.