What rockets did you fly "back in the day"?

[Leo]

Well, I think I also have to jump on the band wagon

For me it all started in 1977 at the tender age of 14 were no girls had any interest in me and thus I had to find an alternativ for pleasure
I had found an ad in a comic book and ordered some stuff. The company was called "Johnson Smith Company". They also included a catalog and inside was an item that looked very similar to this ad:

Pic:

So I went to order it not knowing what kind of rocket I would get. The day finally arrived. My parents went to the post office to get the package. I could hardly wait to open it.

Well, to my surprise this is what saw the light of day:

Pic:

WOW, and to think... my favorite TV show was Star Trek

Here a picture of the rocket:

Pic:

My first flight was done on a B6-4, second using A8-3. I didn't know the difference at the time.

That's how I got hooked to rocketry. Thank's Vern

Boy, I love this thread

 

[kenobi65]

The Johnson Smith Catalog! Boy, that brings back memories, too. An amazing selection of things to interest boys, from high-quality merchandise like Estes rockets, to utter cr&p (and, a whole lot of the latter, IIRC). I remember lots of magic tricks, fake barf, fake dog-doo, teach-yourself-karate books, etc., etc. Even more amazingly, they're still around, and on the web:
https://www.johnsonsmith.com

 

[GoBang]

All right, you asked for it. Yow, the memories...

Young rocketeer:
* Estes Saturn V Semi Scale, with the acrylic fins (remember this one?) I think it ended up in a tree.
* Estes Photon Disruptor: Kind of a neat little model with perpendicular fins. This is one of those I wish I still had; as I recall I actually did a pretty good job of putting it together and even painted it pretty well too (rare for me.) Flew it a few times too.
* Estes Wolverine: Another neat little model with something of a ram-jet nose cone that looked pretty good painted. Don’t think I ever flew it, though. It used the mini-motors, the only such model I owned back then, I think.
* Estes Arcas: lost in the sun when I gor overambitious motor-wise. This was at our childhood "launch area", the football/activities field ay Griffith, Indiana’s Franklin Elementary School. Having been back to town a few times since becoming a BAR I am constantly amazed at what we did manage to fly and recover on such a small field.
* Estes Interceptor: one incredibly cool looking model. I got this as a gift on my birthday one year, part one of a three rocket surprise. I have never been much of a painter and this was no exception but it wasn’t bed and it flew well, as I recall. The current "Renegade" looks pretty similar. I have one built and can't wait to get to Manchester to fly it next month.
* Estes Bomarc: Part two of the above birthday set, and another one that looked pretty good despite my brushwork (I wasn’t all that hep on spray pain back then.) I did fly it once, I think, and unlike the Interceptor it flew like a constipated duck.
* Estes Orbital Transport: A tough one to put together but even with my lack of finishing expertise it looked pretty good. It didn’t fly all that well though. I believe the second time I flew it, it was without the boost glider attached. I have one of the reissues waiting to be built.
* Estes Apogee II: my first two-stager but it was never flown as such. I did put a caterpilar in the payload bay once, though and felt guilty afterward when it died...
* “The Golden Centurion” as it was dubbed by my Pop the Cop was a bodged-togther conglomeration of mine that was actually painted copper, no pun intended. To date it is the only homebuilt I’ve tried, and it looked pretty good too...perhaps two feet long and delta winged. I swing tested it initially and it seemed to be pretty stable, then I added a set of forward fins that apparently were slightly angled, as when I launched it, it did a prompt 180 and buried itself in the ground at my feet. Thank heavens it was on an A rather than a B or C or I might’ve been wearing it!

Young adult rocketeer, v1:
* Estes Andromeda: I’m pretty sure I built this while I was in the Marine Corps but never flew it, probably because of the proximity to the airfield. Pity. Would’ve been a great place to fly too. Wish I still had this one. It was a really cool bird. Estes ought to reissue it.

Young adult rocketeer, v2:
* Estes Alpha III: Had one of the starter sets back when I lived in Moreno Valley, California and I actually shot it once or twice, but somehow the magic wasn’t there. I’d like to have another Alpha III if nothing else for old times’ sake though. I’d fly it too! Maybe the next time HL has a half-off...

and finally, the BAR:

* Estes/Built: ARV Condor, Astrocam (yes, we have actually gotten some decent pictures out of it!), Big Bertha (x2 both done as 24mm), Comanche-3 (will fly at Manchester next month, full up!), Big Daddy, CC Express, Eliminator, Fat Boy, Fireflash, Freaky Flyer, Gemini DC, Mercury-Redstone, Mighty Mites Torque & Fury, Mini Meanie, Nemesis, Sky Writer (x2), Screamin' Mimi, Stars and Stripes, Super Nova Payloader, SuperShot and Twister (the set), Tidal Wave, MK 109 Stingray, Wacky Wiggler, and Wizard. The last three my son built mostly by himself. Unbuilt: Outlander, Orbital Transport, Night Wing, Baby Bertha, Hi-Flier, another Gemini DC, another Fat Boy, Stormcaster (May follow Stymie's lead here and cluster it) Cluster Bomb, Paveway, Guardian, Meteor Masher, Shuttle Express, and Venus Probe. And the inevitable Quark and Mosquito.

* Holverson: Silver Hawk

* Quest/Built: Big Betty, Courier (x2, for father/son egglofts), Falcon (x2), various MicroMaxx darts, Navaho AGM, Totally Tubular. Unbuilt: X-30, Aurora, Intruder.

* Aerotech: Wart-Hog, our first mid-power rocket. Goes like a batoutaheck on a G80. Yow!

That's quite enough bandwidth occupied for one day...

 

[Len B]

My fleet "back in the day" consisted of several rockets ordered directly from Estes as that was pretty much my only option. Mid 70's was the time.

In no particular order:
1) Maxi Brute Honest John
2) Alpha - of course
3) Mini Bomarc
4) Scrambler - (cluster version)
5) Little John
6) Nike-X
7) Goblin

All of those are gone and have been for a long time. I am rebuilding my favourites out of those.

Friend's rockets flown back then, and now I have due to his generosity:
1) Scout
2) Renegade

I have 35mm slides of a friend's Cineroc lift off. It weather cocked hard and was never recovered. Looked all over the university where we did the demo (even from the roof) and no luck. sniff!

Don't anyone ask about what rockets are "in progress" or "on deck" as that's too embarrassing.

Len Bryan

 

[ELBRAZ]

In 1966, I was living in a trailer in Altus, Oklahoma. One of the local Kids, Tim Murphy, asks if I like to fly rockets. "Rocketses?" Heck yea! I got introduced to the typical eighth grade modroc club, and the guys looked through the Estes Catalog and decided that they would like to see what an Astron Drifter kit looked like, so That's what I ordered along with an A.8-3 engine. Thats right. Point eight dash three. No weird metric crap yet. At least they weren't calibrated in furlong/stone by then. Anyway, three weeks later, the package comes in the mail, and I builds it posthaste, developing a dislike for paper shrouds that persists to this day. Didn't have the cash for a bottle of Testors enamel. It was the only model paint I knew of at the time.... Anyway I get some discarded fingernail polish out of the trash and a pink and purple Drifter was ready for the next launch. Some of the other dads (mine was in Vietnam) drove us out south of town to one of the myriad wheatfields and I got to see my first rocket fly. WAC-Coprpral, I think it was. Smoke,noise, speed, and it was a REAL ROCKET!!!! It was lost in about six inches of wheat and then it was my turn. I loaded up the A.8-3 and the 24" chute and let her rip. This being Oklahoma, we thought 15 mph winds were reasonable. The rocket probably landed just south of Hutchinson Kansas. I was hooked.
-Braz

 

[GoBang]

Drat. Forgot the coolest memner of my current fleet. The Screamin' Duecy, which is pretty much what you'd think it is...!

FlisKits makes the best kits. Really. But that's not to say they can't be bodged!

 

[Lee Reep]

Originally posted by carldoc
I forgot to add the fact that at the time of my rocket purchases, the engines (Estes) came in a blue tube and we always tried to made rockets out of those tubes. Some flew great, some.....well...not so great. Centuri engines came in a box that looked like playing cards. We never tried making those fly though lol.

Engines also came in red tubes. I do not remember if they changed the tubes, or red meant booster motors? Also, they included a length on nichrome wire that you were to cut into three pieces. You used a ballpoint pen to roll the loops in the igniter, and then you were to dip them in paint to insulate the loops. Motors were in a piece of rolled papaer that could be cut and folded to make a parachute protector.

And, I still have some of those engine boxes from Centuri -- postmarked 1970 (mailorder only back then for Centuri, as far as I know).

Wow, that was a trip down Nostalgia Lane.

 

[Initiator001]

My new scanner has a slide reader.

Here's a picture of my rocket fleet, circa, April 1972.

 

[kelltym88]

Bought my first kit when I was 12. It was the Star wars Proton Torpedo starter set. Lost it many years ago, but thanx to ebay found another one. Have built and flown probably well over 120 kits. Currently a 2x BAR, but this time I don't think I'll quit.
Check out the thread "What's in your fleet? " here on TRF to see what I currently have.
Here's a picture of my Proton Topedo.

 

[kelltym88]

Hit the wrong button,sorry. Here's the picture.

 

[HawaiiRocketeer]

It seems like my childhood of growing up in central Florida was cutting my neighbors yards for money to keep my mini bikes and go-carts running and buying model rockets to launch.

Which one’s…? Many! The one that stands out as my favorite was also my best contest winner from those early 80’s. The Estes Stiletto kit #1323, anyone remember this one? I still have the nosecone from mine.


Mahalo,
Mot

p.s. big thanks to the guy that started it all… my 6th grade science teacher Mr. Dan.

 

[Stewart32]

rockets from teens...

1) an "Alpha like" model built entirely from scratch for 8th grade shop, rolled tubes, cork NC, cardstock fins, waxed soda straw LL
It never flew, but ignited the fire.

2) first purchased: X Ray, the K series, not the contemporary plastic finned junk. Lost to drift.

3) first two stage: Hercules, Serched in vain, but lost the sustainer to drift.

4) first ducted model: Bandit, again the K series with a nice balsa NC. Had about four shots before the wimpy shock cord burned through. The fuselage core sampled and really screwed up the duct work. Salvaged the payload and NC though.

5) a Frankenstein pieced together from the Hercules boost stage and Bandit payload and NC. Surprisingly, it flew.

6) Solar Sailer: flew naked on the maiden voyage directly into the neighboring forest. I knew better.


While these early rockets no longer exist, the fond memories of them do, like other major events in a young mans' life.

 

[Lee Reep]

Originally posted by PWALPOCO
Its during these moments when you realise that the term "Veteran Member" is somewhat of an understatement !

You can remember your first kit !! From THEN ?!? I hope my mind will be as a sharp as yours in 2044 when Im asked about the what we were building "back in our day". I fear I shall be as sharp as Grandpa Simpson rather than Mr Reep however.

Paul

Wow, you did it. Called me "Mr. Reep"! That was my Dad, certainly not me! I really feel old now ...

Oh, I am!

BTW -- it was easy to remember my first kit, because rocketry was so integral to growing up in the 60s. Getting up at 3-4am at times to watch a space launch. Every magazine and TV channel covered launches. Also, remember that we did not have computers, video games, VCRS/CDs/DVDs, or anything "hitech" to invest in -- it was plastic models or rockets. I was in high school when Apollo 11 landed. The build up of excitement during the days leading up to the launch, and the days in transit from Earth, were magic. I started college a year later, pursuing Aerospace Engineering, decided I was NASA-bound. Then the space program got cancelled and I got nervous and switched to Electrical Engineering. Those were times I'm not sure will ever be equaled -- maybe if we do a Mars mission, but the political climate may never be the same. Remember, it was Kennedy, that kicked off the race to the Moon! I doubt Teddy would be so inclined.

Okay, I'm done now ...

 

[kenobi65]

Originally posted by Lee Reep
I was in high school when Apollo 11 landed. The build up of excitement during the days leading up to the launch, and the days in transit from Earth, were magic.

I was only 4 in '69. However, I do distinctly remember being very excited about it all, and watching the TV coverage of the landing.

I also remember that Gulf gas stations gave away a cardboard kit of the LEM, and having several copies of it (my dad made one for me, as did two of the neighbor dads, knowing how "into" space exploration I was.) Now *there's* something I wish I still had...though now I'd be wondering how I could fit an engine mount to it.

 

[Missileman]

Back in the day.
Late 60s and early 70s.
My mind don't work so well and I can't remember the names of most of my rockets.
Me and a couple of friends, every time we would get a couple of bucks together would peddle our bikes 8 miles to the nearest hooby shop and buy Estes kits, motors and a couple feet of thermolite.(we never heard of electric ignitors and that is what the hobby shop sold)
We built the kits and launched them on our homemade launcher (straitened coathanger stuck in the ground)
The Thermolite always worked well except on one occasion.
I want to say it was a mosquito. It had a clear plastic body tube with balsa fins and nc.
The fuse got too close to one of the fins setting it on fire.By the time the motor lit the body tube sarted to melt. It launched about 4 feet up and the headed strait toward us.
I had a 3 stage that flew perfectly.
I had one with a piggyback glider (glider looked like one of those balsa gliders you used to get at the grocery store check out)
Had a payloader (probably a Nova)
a Big Bertha
And a bunch of others that I just can't remember anymore.
None survive today.

 

[Missileman]

Posted twice for some reason

 

[jflis]

that clear tubed rocket was the Streak. Claimed 2000 feet on a C6-7.

cost $0.50 in '69

 

[Initiator001]

Slide readers for scanners are great!

Here's a picture from 1972 of my Estes Citation Patriot kit launching. The ever popular B4-2 motor provided the propulsion.