Model rockets

[Ryan Pultz]

Hey I use to launch model rockets as a Kid with my grandfather and a few of his friends were not talking the big ones you need a permit to launch just smaller single stage rockets well I Have a son now and he loves space ships and stuff I think he would get a real kick out of launching some off but were in the Portland are is there a big enough field were if the wind were to blow we could still recover the rocket. We use to use my uncle’s field and a football field but now most schools look down on you lunching let alone possessing any explosives on campus. The Grasslands would be great but a very long drive for some rockets maybe if a group would like to do it. It would be worth the drive but not just two or three people

[Fast Water]

Hey Ryan,

Give this guy a ring.

Oregon
Oregon Rocketry Enthusiasts Organization (OREO) #555

Dennis Winningstad
8400 Southwest Ridgeway Drive
Portland OR 97225-3050
(503) 297-3685


Here is the reference page from the National Association of Rocketry site.

Good luck!!

:smile:

[Pilar]

Ryan, I have used the soccer fields at Delta park. You have to get there before the fields are in use. Plenty of mowed grass and open fields. Before 9 most weekends and it is all yours.

Nothing beats spending a few weekends building a multistage model and then watching it roar up out of sight.

[Fast Water]

Originally posted by Pilar:

Nothing beats spending a few weekends building a multistage model and then watching it roar up out of sight.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">That's the truth. Having built dozens over the years, I have noted several "one shot wonders".

My favorite is the Comanche 3, a slim, three stage rocket that has little chance of retrieval.



I forget the engine sizes. D-12-0 then C-7-0 and a C-7-something. I have built four of them and I enjoyed all four launches. One of the more memorable shots was a failure in the first stage separation and too much wind. For whatever reason, during the second stage ignition, the lower third (on one side) of the second stage blew out. Losing part of the stablizing fins on one side caused the rocket to veer in an arch toward a neighborhood. At this point the rocket is a gonner but there was much more of the flight left. By the time the third stage ignited (properly I might add)it was in a somewhat downward trajectory about 200 feet above the houses and going much faster than I cared to think about. :shocked:

I lost sight of the missle but I "thought" I heard the sound of the reverse charge component of the engine light off. I really hoped it did because well... I think you get the picture.

:smile:

I spent hours building a glide recovery rocket and on the first launch it got caught in a thermal and now it is in Idaho or further east.

[The Overfishin Condition]

Ah good old comanche 3, I built her once, though she was green. We only launched her single stage because of the small field we were in, should find her and load her up max capacity, see where she stops.

[Ryan Pultz]

I had a three stage rocket once that was the best rocket we flew it twice and never found it again ohh well it was well worth the time to build

[Pilar]

Estes has pretty much quit the multistage rocket model bit. In the recent trips to the model store I have not seen any models for sale recently with multistages. I had a 3 stage model as a kid, it may even be the Comanche 3 you show above. On the advice of the model shop proprieter I used the minimum recommended engines and had several good shots.

Some weeks later I upped the ante to 'C' size motors and had one hell of a time finding the top stage. Several hours of cruising the neighborhood on a bike found the top stage hanging from a palm tree on a quiet S. Florida retirement community street.

I made one more shot the next morning and at 8 years old I was arrested for 'disturbing the peace'. It was about 0700 and calm winds. I keyed the launch controller and the model spouted a huge cloud of white smoke and began the normal slow motion climb. At about 25 feet off the ground it staged and began to pick up speed. About 100 feet off the ground the second stage exploded and the third lit off at a parallel to the ground and streaked across the ball field.

It roared right over the head of a blue hair woman walking her crabbait dog and landed in the canal behind the ball diamonds.

I was unperturbed by the indignant woman and went right into rescue operations for the doomed spacecraft and it's crew, a large palmetto bug. 20 minutes later the police came and took me, my rocket paraphernalia and bicycle to the Cooper City jail.

An hour or so later my Dad came by and picked me up. He did not say much until we got down the road. I thought I was going to die soon. Then he said 'Did it fly?'

"Yes sir!" I piped up.

'Did you find the last shot?'

"Nope, that sucker crashed in the canal behind the ball fields".

'Damn, that thing was spendy.'

"Sorry Dad, I tried to pick a no wind day."

'Did you see the old lady before you shot the rocket?'

"No sir."

'You scared the hell out of her boy, will you please be more careful next time?'

"Yes sir."

'Lets go over to the store and get another model to replace it.'

"Thanks, Dad!!!"

My Dad was grinning at this point and probably not too ticked about getting called out of work. I had forgotten all about this thing until I got interviewed for a security clearance when I joined the Sub fleet. NIS wanted to know how I got arrested at 8 years old for disturbing the peace.

Kids love this stuff. I know I did. I still do.

[ 05-20-2003, 04:26 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

I had the first stage of a 2 stage rocket get about 75' up and blow. The second stage ignited and the rocket flew into the ground at an angle. and scooted along the sagebrush and dry grass beyond the school yard. Big Fire!

[Miss B Haven]

Keta - ask me about model rockets and the girls PE class in Junior High some time! :grin:

Good after fishing story if ya know what I mean!

[Pete]

Somehow, I think I got the wrong mental picture here ....

Originally posted by Pilar:

It roared right over the head of a blue hair woman walking her crabbait dog and landed in the canal behind the ball diamonds.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">

I had a 400 acre field across the street when I was growing up ... used to take the tractor over to use the battery for launching. Regular little Werner Von Braun! Hmmm ... looks like this topic caught all us boys at the same time.

[bucketmouth]

When my son was in his early teens back in the 80's, we built several estes rockets and shot them off in a park across the street in Bend OR. We had some good times together building them and firing them off.

One time my son had a science teacher at school who encouraged kids to build and shoot off a rocket for a class project. My son & I colaberated on a rocket that did not have a recovery system. It was only supposed to reach an altitude of about 200 feet. It was built of balsa wood instead of the usual cardboard hollow roll. It was very sturdy and supposed to withstand impact so it could be reused. We fired it at his class project meeting and out of all the rockets we shot off in those days, it was the only one we never found again. I don't know why, but that sucker went alot higher than 200 feet.

Those were fun days.

[Silver Hilton]

I bought one of the kits from Walmart last summer to entertain the kids one summer afternoon. Entertained me pretty well, too.

Pilar, great story. Reminds me of my Dad, too.

[Fast Water]

Originally posted by The Overfishin Condition:
should find her and load her up max capacity, see where she stops.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">TOC,

Go for it. One thing though. You'll will probably not see where it stops. :smile: IIRC, it has a maximum altitude of 2500 feet or so. (if every thing goes correctly)

The maximum engine configuration would be D-12-0 C-11-0 C-11-7. Good luck.

Man, I'm getting the itch to build rockets again..... :grin:

:smile:

[ 05-20-2003, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: Fast Water ]

[Sky-Guy]

When I was young I built many a rockets, until the day came that I lost my space shuttle rocket. The space shuttle rocket was the Big 'ol Grand Daddy of rockets at that time. Took me forever to build it.

It launched and veered off to a plane and flew directly into the woods adjacent to the field we were in. I dont think I ever cried harder as a kid when darkness fell and the search was called off. I returned for several days trying to find Mr Space shuttle to no avail.

Now I just look back on it and...well start crying again. She was a beauty!