NASA Pegasus clone

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BobH48

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I finished up a clone of the Estes NASA Pegasus.

I don't have any idea where the balance point should be but the plans that I got from Jim Z's site didn't show any nose weight added to the original.

The only difference between the clone and the original is the nose cone. The original was plastic and this one is balsa.

I'm guessing that the balsa cone is at least as heavy as the plastic one so I shouldn't need to add any nose weight.

Opinions????
 
Bob, looks great! I'm a fan of space planes, this old one is a new one to me.

can you prove the stability with a swing test?
 
Very nice job on a cool rocket!

If you built it stock (other than the material for the nose cone) it will fly great.
 
Originally posted by Fore Check
If you built it stock (other than the material for the nose cone) it will fly great.

That's what I thought. I built this one mainly so that I could find the balance point and then build an upscaled one.

The stock one is a BT-55 and the side pods are BT-50.

The upscale factor of 167% brings the main body to BT-70 and the side pods to BT-60 almost exactly.

I think this is going to be one of my winter projects since it doesn't look like I'll be watching any Hockey.
 
Great work Bob!
I really like this model.. did you cluster it? it bagged to be clustered:D:D and flys like a bat out of down below on a C6 with 2 A10's in the scramjets;) If you do an Up scale I'd be inclinded to make it a cluster of 3 motors in the core plus one in each of the outboards. HOOOOOweee! now that would be a very nice lift-off:D
 
Bob

Thats a nice looking model, I've had a look over at JimZ but can't seem to find the plans...can you point me in the right direction, this is one I've got to add to my winter building list!

Thanks:)
 
I found this one too Steve, but like you say it doesn't look the same...might have to build it though:D

Pete
 
Originally posted by micromeister
I really like this model.. did you cluster it? it bagged to be clustered and flys like a bat out of down below on a C6 with 2 A10's in the scramjets If you do an Up scale I'd be inclinded to make it a cluster of 3 motors in the core plus one in each of the outboards. HOOOOOweee! now that would be a very nice lift-off

No, I built it stock because I wanted to get the balance point for the upscale. Once I fly it a couple of times and I'm sure where the CG should be, it would be a simple job to put motor mounts in the scramjets. That would be a perfect use for the A10-PT motors since you don't need an ejection charge in those.

The nose cone on your looks pointier. The plans call for a PNC-55AO but I didn't have one and used a BNC-55AO (Goblin cone). I thought that the shape would be the same because they were both 55AO cone and just the material was different.

Is it just my imagination?
 
thanks Bob!

Bob, what is the length of the BT-55C body tube?
The Estes BT size charts I have don't show the BT-55C
 
never mind - the length of the BT-55C is printed right on the fin photo in the plans
 
Originally posted by BobH48
No, I built it stock because I wanted to get the balance point for the upscale. Once I fly it a couple of times and I'm sure where the CG should be, it would be a simple job to put motor mounts in the scramjets. That would be a perfect use for the A10-PT motors since you don't need an ejection charge in those.

The nose cone on your looks pointier. The plans call for a PNC-55AO but I didn't have one and used a BNC-55AO (Goblin cone). I thought that the shape would be the same because they were both 55AO cone and just the material was different.

Is it just my imagination?

No it's not your imagination, mine is the Kit nosecone. PNC-55AO , the rest of the model is a remake after a nasty Cato. I think Estes kept the disignation but changed the taper between the balsa and plastic cones.
 
Originally posted by micromeister
No it's not your imagination, mine is the Kit nosecone. PNC-55AO , the rest of the model is a remake after a nasty Cato. I think Estes kept the disignation but changed the taper between the balsa and plastic cones.
John,
Apparently it was my cone after all.. I had taken one from the parts I have and it was in a bag labeled BNC-55AO so thats what I thought it was. I went back and compared it to the cone from my original Goblin kit and it was different. The one in the kit looks just like the one on your model.
 
I got to fly the NASA Pegasus today.

I tried it on a B4-4 first. It was a little windy so it weathercocked slightly into the wind but it was probably due to the slower launch speed on the B4. I tried it again later on a C6-3 and the flight was much straighter.

Because of the slower liftoff with the B4, I was actually able to get a launch pic.
 
On a separate note I was amused this weekend when I was watching the Rodney Dangerfield movie "Back To School". In one scene Robert Downey Jr. was going to crash the pep rally, he had a football helmet with a rocket going "through" it. The rocket was an Estes Pegasus painted silver.
 
Originally posted by Micromeister
Great work Bob!
I really like this model.. did you cluster it? it bagged to be clustered:D:D and flys like a bat out of down below on a C6 with 2 A10's in the scramjets;)

I flew it last week so I could get the balance point for the upscale and then went back and put 13mm motor mounts in the scramjets.

I will use A10-PT's in the outboards, but what did you use for a delay on the C6?

I used a C6-3 for the single engine flight. Would you think a C6-5 is about right? C6-7 maybe too long?

pegasus_4.jpg
 
Originally posted by BobH48
I flew it last week so I could get the balance point for the upscale and then went back and put 13mm motor mounts in the scramjets.

I will use A10-PT's in the outboards, but what did you use for a delay on the C6?

I used a C6-3 for the single engine flight. Would you think a C6-5 is about right? C6-7 maybe too long?

>>>>I fly a C6-5 with the A10-0t's works just fine.
 
BOBH48 wrote:

"BNC-55AO so thats what I thought it was. I went back and compared it to the cone from my original Goblin kit and it was different."

BNC-55AO (balsa) is a different length than PNC-55AO (plastic) This is one area where cloning can be tough, as ESTES used essentially the same part # for two different dimensioned cones. The same PNC-55AO cone was used on the Blue Bird Zero, and a few other kits.

Fortunately, the Custom PNC-55 is REALLY close to the old PNC-55 dimensions. Closer than the Blasa version that ESTES used to produce, and that BMS produces.

Phred.
 
Yours is a nice remake. I have an original that I built in 1982 along with the Estes Starliner. I was going through phase.

Did you download the decals? Mine are all faded and most have peeled off. However, the rocket is still flying strong and has many many flights on it.

Scott
 
Originally posted by ScottRC
Yours is a nice remake. I have an original that I built in 1982 along with the Estes Starliner. I was going through phase.

Did you download the decals? Mine are all faded and most have peeled off. However, the rocket is still flying strong and has many many flights on it.

Scott

I downloaded the decals and then cleaned them up using MS Paint and printed them on my inkjet printer.

I just finished an Estes Starliner clone but need warmer weather to paint it.

I never built either earlier because they were available during my "non rocketry" years.
 
Originally posted by astronboy
BOBH48 wrote:

"BNC-55AO so thats what I thought it was. I went back and compared it to the cone from my original Goblin kit and it was different."

BNC-55AO (balsa) is a different length than PNC-55AO (plastic) This is one area where cloning can be tough, as ESTES used essentially the same part # for two different dimensioned cones. The same PNC-55AO cone was used on the Blue Bird Zero, and a few other kits..

I compared the BNC-55AO (balsa) cone that I got from BMS with an Estes BNC-55AO (balsa) cone that is in an original Goblin kit.

The kit was one of the Bonus Kits that Estes gave away to mail order customers before they went in the catalog. The BMS cone has a rounder blunter nose than the Estes cone.

So did the nose cone shape change after the free Goblin kits were gone and they started selling them?
 
Originally posted by rokitflite
On a separate note I was amused this weekend when I was watching the Rodney Dangerfield movie "Back To School". In one scene Robert Downey Jr. was going to crash the pep rally, he had a football helmet with a rocket going "through" it. The rocket was an Estes Pegasus painted silver.

Me and my brothers always got a laugh from that scene. The NASA Pegasus was one of my older brother's most flown rockets.

That scene is 42 seconds into this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0HqKrUVqes

backtoschool2.jpg
 
Originally posted by BobH48
That's what I thought. I built this one mainly so that I could find the balance point and then build an upscaled one.

The stock one is a BT-55 and the side pods are BT-50.

The upscale factor of 167% brings the main body to BT-70 and the side pods to BT-60 almost exactly.

I think this is going to be one of my winter projects since it doesn't look like I'll be watching any Hockey.

Is that minor fight sport known as hockey going on strike again?

Joe W
 
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