Rockets I miss.

[Bat-mite]

This thread is dedicated to those rockets we have lost/sold/destroyed that we wish we had back. What are yours?

I'll start with my Level 1, 2, and 3 birds.

My AT Sumo, L1. Tree landing after many flights, wasn't worth the $300 to get it down.


My Giant Leap Vertical Assault, L2. Catoed on a high thrust motor at URRF2, due to undersized altimeter ports causing the drogue charge to fire under thrust.


My MAC Performance Radial Flyer, L3. Got no charges lit on a very cold day, core sampled.


Rocketry Warehouse X-Celerator, with full wrap by StickerShock23. Launched to 9000' on a windy day, and lost GPS signal.


AT G-Force. Most successful flights I ever got out of a rocket, but a water landing pretty much ruined it.

 

[dr wogz]

Sorry for your losses.. some nice ones in there..



I miss my 'Scale Kits' AMRAAM

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?140819-CATO!&highlight=cato

 

[fyrwrxz]

My Aerotech Mirage was the family 'pet'. 97 flights and I core sampled it with too much dog barf and an I-200-packed the recovery set with too many G's.

 

[jsargevt]

My Madcow Frenzy which I L1 certified on is most likely still hanging up in a tree in Berwick, ME. Maybe the cardboard has disintegrated by now but I bet that the parachute, nose cone and harnesses are still up in that tree.

I also lost my Arreaux at the same field, a G80 puts that thing up to a nice altitude. Too bad it was windy in the upper altitudes and a device like the Jolly Logic chute release didn't exist then!

 

[DeeRoc29]

I love getting my rockets back as much as the next guy. But, I'm much happier in the hobby if I stay convinced that it's all about the experience and less about keeping the hardware forever. But boy is the sting still real when you lose a favorite.

Derek

 

[Nathan]

I miss my Estes Trident that crashed on its first flight. That was in 1969.

 

[Normzilla]

I miss the Ultra Fat Boy by Public Enemy.

Lost it during my first L2 attempt in the Houston Texas area back in 2000.

planning a scratch build using fiberglass

 

[Dipstick]

Estes Corkscrew! Lost mine as a young boy in a grain field and spent two days walking around in it

 

[GlenP]

Centuri Magnum D Jayhawk. Landed on top of a building. Never got it back. I did a facecard quality finish on that one.

 

[Mugs914]

I still miss my old Estes LTV Scout that was lost on top of a house. No one was home and several notes on the door produced nothing. I'm a fan of the real Scout and the Estes version not only looked the part but was a great flyer, even thought it could have used a "mighty D engine".

I'm fortunate to have not lost many rockets at all, but I usually replace them if I do. I would love to have another Scout, but the kits are way too expensive now and all of those weird tube sizes make scratch building a bigger project than I want to start at the moment. One day though, maybe in a larger scale.

 

[cwbullet]

My 54mm mongoose and 4 inch V2. Both lost on their second flight.

 

[rstaff3]

I miss all of them, but the ones that really hurt are:

Pre-Estes NCR Big Brute - It lawn darted at the Sod Farm. I reused the motor mount and fins on a rebuild. I like it too, but it isn't quite the same.
Post-Estes NCR Archer - It is currently living in the trees at the Sod Farm I scratched a downscale...but it isn't the same either.
A 3x18mm scratch build that featured one of my first turned cones. Eaten by a corn field.

 

[jrkennedy2]

'72, Estes Mars Lander, chute failed to open, landed real hard and broke 2 legs. My skills at that age prevented me from repairing it. That took the rock out of rockets for a few decades.
'15, Scotts SS1, My L1 bird. Had many flights >10 on I-345s. Later ran a CTI 3gr red and got a burn-through cato and landed still burning. Got stomped-flat by someone who confused burning grass with smoking BT. Oops!
'16, 3" FG Frenzy. Got distracted by a Piper Cub flying right over the launch rail at about 150'. Guess tail-draggers don't read NOTAMs? I was sighting up the rail thinking, yep exactly through the fuselage. After Mr. Cub left the area, we launched it. As I heard the pressure-up I realized, I didn't turn on the deployment computer. Dang! Got my launch check-list interrupted and blew it. J-449 blue did her job and it is still somewhere out where the buffalo roam near Hartsel...
'17, 8" Crowd Pleaser (DX3). 3/4" Kevlar harnesses can get sawed in 1/2 by a spinning 60" fin-can under drogue and a lip not radius'd enough. That one is being rebuilt so not really lost nor missed except I sure missed burning another M last weekend.

Having lost those rockets, I did notice that Aerobee 150 in the For Sale area. Must... Resist... The... Pull!!!

 

[MaxQ]

The only HPR - rocket I have "lost"* was a Binder Stealth that I modified for a night flight at VAST...strobe in the nose cone, glow wraps on the airframe with inverter/power source.

The day time test flight for the night flight qualification went up just fine...the main shock cord broke while under drogue...
Neil M. and Bob U. were there covering the flights that day for Rockets magazine - got a shot of the up part - they thought a fin caught the shock cord tubular nylon and cut it...post flight indicated the Nomex sheath on the cord moved and left a part exposed to the top of the motor ejection well - I think it suffered some melting that weakened it.

Once cut free the upper part recovered under chute (still have it), the fin can however re-stabilized in a ballistic free fall, and hummed in like a bat out of hell - missed my car and punched the windshield of the car parked right next to me.
I have the fin can (albeit shortened) ...all the batteries glow wrap and electronics were smashed.

I keep telling myself I'll rebuild it.....but the memory of that flight still creeps me out so much I can't even look at it....




* Binder Raptor went up gloriously in flames on the pad in a drag race when a snap ring in the Loki red let go....gave new meaning to the words "Red Glare". LOL
Since rebuilt. Cosmodrome Aerobee Hi CATOed, TWICE in a row, from those notorious Aerotech SU G-80s ...the booster was blown to smithereens.
Can't stand to loose a favorite rocket so they were both rebuilt, still flying.

 

[Bat-mite]

When was the Raptor cato? I'm pretty sure I was there that day.

 

[rockets]

I've lost quite a few rockets in my rocket days..
Quest Pip Squeak.
Scratch "Laser" flew it on a D12, the ejection charge destroyed the body tube, and the shock cord separated.
Scratch "Laser XL" lost it on a E20, we saw it come in hot, but never found it.
Starlight "Flash 24" minimum diameter rocket, lost it on a Ellis G37-10 along with my APRA altimeter.
Estes Mini Meanie not sure what happened to them, but the only things that are left is a nose cone and a fin.
2 Estes Hi-Fliers, 1 went out of sight, the other crashed and pretty much destroyed the body tube.
Estes Sky Writer landed too hard, destroyed the body tube.
Estes Crossfire ISX modified, flew on a D12, body tube was destroyed from the ejection charge.
___
I'm sure I'll think of more later, but that's all I can think of now.
Most of those rockets were either lost, or thrown in the trash.


Thanks,

 

[Cabernut]

I miss basically every rocket I had as a kid. What didn't get lost in a tree or on a roof eventually got thrown out by Mom.

These days, the one I miss is my Cosmic Interceptor. As soon as I can get my hands on that nose cone, I have templates ready to rebuild from scratch...

 

[MaxQ]

When was the Raptor cato? I'm pretty sure I was there that day.

Could be.
One of the Red Glares......Red Glare V 2008 IIRC - it was one of two Raptor drag races I lost to Crazyrocket Glen D.
First attempt I couldn't get the Loki to light.
Next one - I scrambled to get the motor built and didn't wait to hear the forward snap ring "click" in place....the red balls of fire ejecting out the top like a roman candle was quite a sight.
The upper section survived...the forward part of the fin can was soft charred cloth ...all the epoxy having burned out of the fabric mesh.
Repaired it and came back a few years later - and then there was this:
[video=youtube;pbe2Y-jt6lM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbe2Y-jt6lM[/video]
Rear closure blew off letting the whole motor travel up inside and knock the upper airframe off.
You can see the silver Cessaroni case pop out the top of the fin can momentarily....and drop back into the fin can
My Raptor flights at Culpeper always seem to go perfectly...must be the Higgs field - LOL.

 

[Crazyrocket]

Too much pressure given all of the past experience at Higgs. I still fly mine. Think I have about 30 flights on it. I have to check my logs.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

 

[MaxQ]

Too much pressure given all of the past experience at Higgs. I still fly mine. Think I have about 30 flights on it. I have to check my logs.
Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

I know better than to mess with you again. LOL

That last mishap was a Cessaroni problem, but the Raptor was undamaged and Wildman replaced my motor and all has gone well since...haven't got 30 flights on mine, maybe half that.
Great rocket, whistles nice after motor shutdown....love to have a second one....as back up.
(wait,......what am I saying...like I need a back up ? !)

 

[Crazyrocket]

Yeah, you do. You will need it to replace the one that burns up on the pad when we drag race again!

 

[MaxQ]

Yeah, you do. You will need it to replace the one that burns up on the pad when we drag race again!

:lol::lol:
Good idea, if I race two to your one, odds are I might beat you next time.

 

[cwbullet]

The Estes Port-a-pot. I used my last one and it is Kaput.

 

[AfterBurners]

This thread is dedicated to those rockets we have lost/sold/destroyed that we wish we had back. What are yours?

I'll start with my Level 1, 2, and 3 birds.

My AT Sumo, L1. Tree landing after many flights, wasn't worth the $300 to get it down.
View attachment 330558

My Giant Leap Vertical Assault, L2. Catoed on a high thrust motor at URRF2, due to undersized altimeter ports causing the drogue charge to fire under thrust.
View attachment 330557

My MAC Performance Radial Flyer, L3. Got no charges lit on a very cold day, core sampled.
View attachment 330556

Rocketry Warehouse X-Celerator, with full wrap by StickerShock23. Launched to 9000' on a windy day, and lost GPS signal.
View attachment 330555

AT G-Force. Most successful flights I ever got out of a rocket, but a water landing pretty much ruined it.
View attachment 330554

The Sumo and Gforce are nice kits. Good flyers and easy builds. My Sumo came ballistic after second flight. First one was for my L1. Miss the rocket.

 

[Nick@JET]

Sorry to hear about your F200 John, big ones are hard to take a loss like that, hope you can salvage it.

There was a guy at MWP had a hand airbrushed flying art that he had built 12 yrs ago if memory serves and first flight for L3 buried it 3’ deep - total loss. I’m sure they all hurt especially when you don’t have a garage full of the bigs


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

 

[Bat-mite]

Thanks! If Mike can supply me with the parts, I will rebuild it. Got to get it ready for Red Glare in April!

 

[K'Tesh]

Right now, I'm missing all of my rockets that are currently in the US. Someday I hope to be reunited with them... But that'll be a while off still.

 

[Charles_McG]

My Estes 1284 space shuttle.
My Centuri Hummingbirds - I keep building them. They keep flying away.

 

[Tobor]

Of all the kits I built as a kid/teenager/young adult, one's I miss the most are my Estes: Andromeda, Bomarc, Space Shuttle, Gyroc and Mercury Redstone. The only Centuri kit I can recall atm is the Taurus.

 

[Dugway]

Ahhh, the Andromeda. Kinked mine over the outfield fence on its second flight. Always meant to get one from Q Modeling, now it's too late.