Yellow Jacket is Back!

[Johnnie]

This is a cross post message that Jim Ball made on the Rocketry Online Forums:

Hi Folks,
I just wanted to make it official that I am reopening the doors at Yellowjacket Launch Systems. I'm now in the process of building the Wasp mid-power pads and am introducing a new HPR pad called the Wasp-XL. The Wasp-XL is a "big brother" to the Wasp and is very affordable, yet still 100% Yellowjacket quality.

The Yellowjacket & Hornet HPR pads will only be available in very limited quantities and only as a custom order.

Please check out the website at www.yellowjacketsystems.com for details.

Thanks,

Jim Ball
Yellowjacket Launch Systems


This is great news, to see well known rocketry venders to come back out of the ashes like a Phoenix...

Woohoo!

 

[Cougar93]

So does anyone know if this is still true? I've written two emails to Jim Ball and have never gotten a response. I thought I read somewhere that he was having health troubles... but it looked like he was going to resume construction of his pads in 2005.

This model was supposed to roll out in 2005:
https://www.yellowjacketsystems.com/wasp-xl/

I'm still waiting to find out if they are available. Looks like it could be a good, long-term pad for me... capable of launching low power rockets all the way through HPR.

 

[Johnnie]

Wow, did I really post this that long ago...?

When I posted this Jim was putting the finishing touches on his new shop and was about to return to making pads...

Jim Ball used to frequent the RocketryOnline chat room, maybe you could catch him there if he still hangs out there...

 

[Cougar93]

You would think he would simply return email from any of the email addresses published on his website. Oh well, there are clones out there. I hate buying from people that copy, but if the original designer won't sell his product... no choice.

 

[RocketboyG80]

Does anybody happen to remember the name of that guy (or his website) that ocassionally sells imitations on ROL? My club bought a pad from him a while ago and it is actually pretty nice and it cost less than a Yellow Jacket.

 

[Cougar93]

Similar Pad

 

[RocketboyG80]

Thanks Cougar, I just came back to say that I found it and I see that you already replied. I happend to have an old e-mail from him that had a link in it. By the way Victor is a great guy to work with.

 

[Cougar93]

I like the blast deflector a little better on the Yellow Jacket, but otherwise I guess I'm indifferent between the two.

The Yellow Jacket site mentions a Wasp XL version that would be offered for sale in 2005. No price that I noticed. The Launch Pad Company has a small pad (no footprint specs given) that launches through K engines for $179. I think to launch engines of that size on a Yellow Jacket pad, the comparitive pad is priced around $189.

I also read all the customer comments on the Launch Company home page and it was a lot of good stuff about Victor. Then again, who would ever post the negative stuff. At this point, I'm thinking I will probably order the small pad very soon.