YellowJacket Launch Pads...???

[Steward]

Are these guys out of business?

Of all the launch pads out there... theirs would have been the one to go with...

 

[gorillamotors]

Steward,

I am also looking for one of their launch pads. Let me know if you find out anything.

Jim Harris
Gorilla Motors

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

I am pretty sure Yellowjacket remains on hiatus. Hey if you want to try something comparable take a look at Fred Ziegler's Fade to Black pads. They are very close in concept to the Yellow Jackets and one heck of a bargain.


Besides anyone with an e-mail address of TURBOPIG really needs our support.

 

[troj]

Jim stopped making launch pads several years ago, unfortunately.

I've never seen anything built anywhere near as well as his.

-Kevin

 

[fastfreddie]

I am pretty sure Yellowjacket remains on hiatus. Hey if you want to try something comparable take a look at Fred Ziegler's Fade to Black pads. They are very close in concept to the Yellow Jackets and one heck of a bargain.


Besides anyone with an e-mail address of TURBOPIG really needs our support.

LOL! Thanks for the referral.

I also do custom pads, so if you want something different from my standard designs, shoot me a post with what you have in mind and I give you a quote. IIRC Yellow Jacket pads had sealed bearings on the mast assembly, and I'm sure I could replicate that but obviously the price will reflect the complexity of the design.

Let me know what you need.

 

[Necromancer]

If you want a "good" pad, then get one made by Ron's Pads. Accept no imitations!

He doesn't have a website anymore, but he still makes them. You can find contact information for him from the MDRA website.

 

[troj]

LOL! Thanks for the referral.

I also do custom pads, so if you want something different from my standard designs, shoot me a post with what you have in mind and I give you a quote. IIRC Yellow Jacket pads had sealed bearings on the mast assembly, and I'm sure I could replicate that but obviously the price will reflect the complexity of the design.

Let me know what you need.

Have you thought about contacting Jim and getting his jigs, etc, from him? He may be willing to part with them, for a reasonable price.

I'd love to see his pads back in production -- I have a Wasp I bought about 6 years ago, and it's been hauled all over the place and used for hundreds of launches. The only indication of wear is where we tested it to see how it'd handle an I motor.

-Kevin

 

[fastfreddie]

Have you thought about contacting Jim and getting his jigs, etc, from him? He may be willing to part with them, for a reasonable price.

I'd love to see his pads back in production -- I have a Wasp I bought about 6 years ago, and it's been hauled all over the place and used for hundreds of launches. The only indication of wear is where we tested it to see how it'd handle an I motor.

-Kevin

I suppose that's a possibility Kevin.

However, I really don't like four legged pad designs, I feel the three leg design will always be more stable on uneven surfaces. Sure, I could add "jacks" on the legs, but that just adds more complexity to the pads and therefore more maintenance. I also don't add the rotational aspect to my pads, and for very good reason (besides even more added complexity, that is). We've found that at our club's launches (JMRC in Jackson Michigan) folks would tend to twist the pads around without really knowing what the effects would be, and we ended up with rockets flying every which way. Through discussion, we've come to the conclusion that it's much safer to have the setup of the pads be such that they sit so that all the rods/rails can only be tilted in one direction, said direction being designated by whoever is in charge of pad management at that launch. If a change needs to be made, the pad manager simply picks up the pads and turns them.

In the past I've seen a couple of comments that my pads are cheap because they are inexpensive. I can assure you that they are solidly built and will take a beating. We recently flew my Mad Dog (PR kit) dual deploy rocket off my standard Concept on a Loki J712 blue motor. The rocket weighed in at about 13 lbs loaded, and literally shot off the pad with no issues at all. We continued all day to load high power rockets on that pad and it performed without a single glitch.

All of my Thunder, Lightning or Concept pads are built from 14 gauge or heavier steel, come complete with adapters to allow 1/8" to 1/2" rods or standoffs, and accept a 3/4" rod or standoff in the receiver, except for the Concept X-Treme which will accept up to a 1" rod. With the pins and knobs upgrade, no tools are needed to set up the pads or change rods. I keep them simple for ease of use, and to keep them reasonably affordable.

I'm always open to comments or suggestions on any of my products. I've been working on a more streamlined design of the Thunder and Lightning mast assemblies which I planned to unveil in the very near future. (see attached image) Thanks to everyone for their input!

View attachment V2.1 Thunder.jpg

 

[cwbullet]

Anybody got a pic of a rods pad?

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Fred

It would be nice if you could add a rotational collar that is an option like the mast standoff. Basically a coupler that goes between the base and either the standoff or receiver that allows you to rotate the launch angle. It would be of value in places where the wind constantly shifts.


BTW, have you checked your spam bucket recently? I have not gotten a reply to 2-3 e-mails about a custom pad I'm considering.

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Anybody got a pic of a rods pad?

Not the best picture of one of his bigger ones - Ron's are extremely heavy duty and are more than likely not what you would want to tote around. They are massive and quite heavy. You will also never, ever break one. Of course you will pay commensurately for them. We considered Ron for our club buy, and the price was more than we could absorb. Fred's met our needs and were a fraction of the price that was posted.

You can see a few more pictures by going to the MDRA photo gallery and nosing around

 

[ben]

Fred

It would be nice if you could add a rotational collar that is an option like the mast standoff. Basically a coupler that goes between the base and either the standoff or receiver that allows you to rotate the launch angle. It would be of value in places where the wind constantly shifts.


BTW, have you checked your spam bucket recently? I have not gotten a reply to 2-3 e-mails about a custom pad I'm considering.

you need to buy a 38/120 motor not a pad

Ben

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

you need to buy a 38/120 motor not a pad

Ben

PM me...I need contact info

 

[fastfreddie]

Fred

It would be nice if you could add a rotational collar that is an option like the mast standoff. Basically a coupler that goes between the base and either the standoff or receiver that allows you to rotate the launch angle. It would be of value in places where the wind constantly shifts.

Sure, I can always add this feature.

BTW, have you checked your spam bucket recently? I have not gotten a reply to 2-3 e-mails about a custom pad I'm considering.

I've been having a lot of problems with the spam filter with my provider, the posts aren't even making it to my computer. I have a feeling I've been losing a lot of mail. You're using [email protected] , correct? Hit me again, I'll keep an eye out for it, or you can shoot me a PM here on the board and I'll watch for that.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

 

[Steward]

Is there any chance that Jim Ball would simply sell (License) the plans... I can fabricate it myself... I'd certainly prefer to give credit where it's due.

 

[fastfreddie]

Is there any chance that Jim Ball would simply sell (License) the plans... I can fabricate it myself... I'd certainly prefer to give credit where it's due.

Ummm, just to clarify, I won't be cloning Jim's pads. Jim deserves all the credit for his design. I have my own. If someone asked for mine to be modified to use the sealed bearings in it, I would certainly do that, but it would still be my basic design.

 

[lawndartman]

Southern Colorado bought several Fade-To- Black pads. Well worth the money. They are working 'just fine'

 

[fastfreddie]

Thanks Tim. I appreciate the support!