Back To The Workbench...!

 Today, I had a little bit of free time, so what better way to spend it than working on a rocket project?

This time I broke out the box that contains the long-neglected Viking-4 scale project.  Back toward the beginning of 2024, I had been working on sanding the airfoil into the four balsa fins.   

Looking at them now, I am not at all satisfied with how the parts look.  The Viking-4 fin airfoil facet pattern is really fairly complex, and very difficult to properly sand onto 1/16th balsa stock.  A couple of the fin edges came out a bit too thin in some spots, while others had badly defined facet angles.  I recall applying some CWF to some of the mis-sanded surfaces in an attempt to restore the original stock thickness and try again, but that didn't work too well, either.

So today, I decided to give basswood stock a try.  After cutting out one fin to use as a test unit, I set to work with the sanding blocks.

  Much better!   Even though the wood is decidedly harder than balsa, I found I had greatly increased control over sanding some of the angled facets without taking too much material off at one time, while maintaining the proper fin shape. 

If all goes well on the test fin, I'm rolling with basswood for the rest.

Here's a photo of the still-obstructed air-brush paint station.  

The final band rehearsal is scheduled for September 7th, so I can finally take down the amps and speakers afterward and get to playing with the air-brush.

Cheers!

No Posts Here For Awhile

Thank all of you blog readers for checking in.  You've likely noticed there hasn't been much in the way of new posting here lately.

3 reasons:

1 - Lots of life happening and things going on with family.

2 -  I recently acquired a huge stash of used LEGO pieces - over 15,000 - that I have spent a good part of the past month cleaning, sanitizing, sorting and integrating into my existing collection.  This entailed re-vamping my entire storage system I had in place to accommodate a whole new crap-ton of ABS !!  I pretty much had to get this done because the 10 storage containers that the parts came in were inconveniently in the way and underfoot.

If any of you are interested, I write a parallel LEGO blog.  Pretty good read!  The link is on the right, here on my blog page under 'All My Other Blog Pages'.  It's the "Tales From The Double Decker Couch LEGO Blog".

3.  I've got a music band together and have been immersed in preparing song charts, a set list, practice, and rehearsing for a gig coming up in late September.

All this has left very little time for anything model rocketry related.  I haven't built any new rockets the entire year, save for the two booster stages I posted about recently.  I've only done one launch session that netted only four flights.   The airbrush I bought last Spring hasn't even been used once.  In fact, the paint station and paint booth I built is currently blocked from use by a large PA speaker and stand that is being used for band rehearsals in the basement workshop area.

Heck, I didn't even make the 70 mile jaunt down I-25 to attend even one day of NARAM-65 !!

Once I make it past the gig and some other family concerns, I'll have the time to, once again, flick on the basement lights and fire up the BlastFromThePast rocket operation again.

On a brighter note, the fields at Dove Valley Regional Park are finally open again, so as soon as a day of good wind and weather conditions shows up on the radar, I will initiate another Front Range rocket launch.  I'm hoping that will happen within the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned !

I certainly am....

Fresh Off The Workbench...

 I finally completed the first two build projects of 2024 - a pair of open gap booster stages for use with BT-5 and BT-20 upper stage rockets.

These vehicles feature an open interstage adapter to prevent the free escape of gas pressure from blowing the stages apart before sustainer ignition.

The design of these boosters is inspired by the various Aerobee sounding rockets flown in the past.

The short tube at the top of each interstage adapter will slip over the protruding upper stage motor casing as long as it is 1/4" in length.

The booster stages also contain a music wire motor retainer to prevent ejection of the booster casings.

The black paint on each of the models is of the high heat variety, used to paint BBQ grills, to protect the interstage structure from hot gases.

Here are some pics:

AGS-132

AGS-181

The booster stages in flight configuration:

An MPC Super Star clone atop the 13mm booster, and an Estes Viking mated with the 18mm version.

I greatly look forward to flying these tandems at the next Colorado Front Range launch session.

Cheers!

Paint 'em Up, Move 'em Out, YEE-HAW !!

 True to my word, I spent a good part of yesterday immersed in model rocket building and repair.

The first item on the agenda was to get the two open gap boosters I've been working on outside to shoot some high heat black paint to the tops of the airframes and interstage adapters.

While these were drying, I pulled out the Skeeter Eeter 3 to repair a broken fin.  A while back, the model took a dive onto the cement floor of the BlastFromThePast shop while I was re-organizing the model storage cabinet.

Snapped a fin real good.

I've also dug out a few other unfinished rocket projects to resume work on, including the Artemis plastic conversion.

It seems that last Friday's launch was just the spark I needed to break out of those rocketry doldrums.

Cheers!

Shucky-Darns !! I Forgot My Anniversary !!

 Nope, not my wedding anniversary, but my eighth anniversary of becoming a Born-Again-Rocketeer!

I merely allowed the May 16th event to slip by completely unnoticed and unobserved.

I attribute the oversight to the fact that the month of May was extraordinarily busy in the BlastFromThePast home, none of the activity being rocketry related.

So, to make it up, today I resolve to eschew all outdoor gardening/yard work, music practice, etc, and descend into the basement La-BOR-atory, pop open a Mountain Dew or two, and spend some quality time with the ol' build pile.

Maybe even fire up that brand new but long-neglected airbrush....

Launch Date: June 14th, 2024

 This past Fall, Winter, and Spring along the front range of Colorado has been largely plagued with a non-stop succession of days in which there have been constant windy conditions, thwarting any hopes of flying model rockets.  Today, we finally caught a break and took advantage of a morning of nice, calm conditions here in Castle Rock, ending a long hiatus that began back in October 2023.

We've been long over-due for a flyin' fix!

Joining me at Founders Park were Mike Goss, Mike Perreault, and Greg Hauser.

Greg is a newcomer to our 'Band o' Rocketeers'.  It turns out that he is Mike Perreault's back door neighbor.  A casual curbside conversation the other day revealed that Greg is an avid builder and flier, a past NAR member, and holds a Level 1 High Power Certification!

What are the odds of having three serious rocketry enthusiasts living in the same neighborhood only a few houses apart?

Anyway, on to the launch report.  

Mike Perreault started the festivities with a
re-named Hi Flier converted for 13mm motors

.

 'Not-So-Hi-Flier' at ignition on an A3-4T.

Mike Goss flew this Estes Stormcaster for a
great run on a C11 motor.

Greg Hauser's Estes Python-4 model poised for flight.

A perfect C6-5 powered liftoff of the Python 4 as
Mike Perreault and Mike Goss look on.

Mike Perreault's second flight of the day -
a new Estes Mini Arcas.

The Mini Arcas leaps off the pad on an A10-3T motor.

An Odd'l Birdie ready for flight on Mike Goss's launcher.

"Keep your eye on the Birdie !" 
Liftoff for a perfect flight on a plugged A10

I finally got my first bird of the day on the pad -
a battle-worn EAC Viper for its 16th flight on B6-4 power.

Liftoff for a perfect, straight-up flight.

Greg's Estes Red Nova ready to launch.

A 'Mighty D Engine' sends the Red Nova off
for a perfect flight.

Mike Goss's scratch-built M-EX lifts off on a 1/2A motor.

My Citation Patriot set to go on a C6-5.

Leaving the pad for a textbook perfect flight.

Mike Goss's Quest Nike K.

Perfect flight on a B6-4.

Mike Perreault's new Mini Max. 
The model turned in a great flight on an A10-3T motor.

 Mike Perreault's Patriot Missile hits the skies on a C6-5 motor, carrying a Jollylogic 2 altimeter and an Estes Astro cam.   
The model corkscrewed to around 200’ with a long lateral flight.
Chute deployed at 77’.  A 'heart-stopper' flight, but the model sustained no damage.

Mike Goss's Quest Payloader One takes to the
skies on an A8-3 motor.

Another of Mr. Goss's models - a Custom Rockets
Dynamic Carrier - sits ready on the pad.

Great flight on a B4-2 motor!

Next up was my Estes Nike-X.

A perfect B6-4 flight and recovery.

Greg Hauser's third flight of the day, an Estes
AIM-120 AMRAAM.

Liftoff for a great flight on a C6-5 motor.

Mike Goss successfully flew a Mini Max on a 1/2A.....

...followed by a Der Red Max on a B4-4.

Not long after, Mike Perreault had his new
Baby Bertha on the pad for its maiden flight.

Excellent flight on a B6-4!

Mike Goss was in action again with the launch of a LOC mini Striker-X. Great A8-3 flight that returned via break-apart recovery due to the streamer failing to eject.

My final flight of the day went to the fleet Big Bertha.

The Bertha turned in another perfect flight and
recovery on a C6-5 motor.

The next model to poke a hole in the skies
was Mike Goss's mini HyperLOC 835 on an A8-3 motor.

A Boosted Bertha in single stage configuration
was next launched by Mike Perreault.

A perfect C6-5-powered maiden flight!

In short order, Mike Goss had another bird prepped and on the pad.  This is the PARA 'Bandersnatch', scratch-built from plans on JimZ.  The model turned in a great flight on a B4-2 motor.

At this point, the two Mikes were the only ones who still had remaining models to fly.  This is Mike Perreault's EAC Firecat.

A start to a perfect B6-4 flight!

Next, Mike Goss was seen prepping what appeared at first glance to be a Centuri Laser-X. Turns out, it was an
Estes Plasma Probe instead.

Great flight on a B6-4 !

Mike Perreault's Bullpup takes off on a perfect B4-4 flight.

At this point, Mike P., Greg, and Yours Truly blogger had exhausted (pun intended) our on-field arsenals of birds.  The remaining three flights of the session were put up by Mike Goss, who had brought fifteen pre-prepped models to the party.

This cool-looking rocket is Mike Goss's New Way Sky Fighter.

A superb B6-4 liftoff!

Next up was Mike's Nike Needle, an Estes Design of the Month plan.

The 'Needle' caught at ignition for a perfect B6-2 flight!

The final launch of the day went to Mike's Estes Rogue clone.

The attractive classic bird turned in a great
flight on a 1/2A3-4T motor.

To round things off, Mike Perreault had flown four other models during the session for which I have no on-field flight pics.   Mike kindly sent me this after-the-fact group photo of the birds arranged on his workbench:

Estes Little John clone.  Flew perfect on an A10-3T.
Mini honest John.   A3-4T.  Great flight.
DoorBelle - BT60 downscale of Doorknob.
Estes High Flyer.  B6-4.  Great flight.
As you can see, all four of these models returned un-scathed!

EPILOGUE....

All in all, it was a great day for model rocket flying. The field was in great condition and wind was very minimal.  C and D motor day, indeed.  Most of the rockets landed within leisurely walking distance of the pad area.  Between the four of us, 34 models were aired out. There were no serious mishaps or losses. Only some minor scrapes or fin breaks on a couple of models.

One amusing anecdote:

At one point, I believe it was during Mike Perreault's Mini Max flight, I happened to be bent over my range box prepping one of my birds. I heard someone exclaim, "It's coming down right on top of Ed!"

Looking up, I saw the bird wafting down on its parachute just feet above me. I managed to immediately get to my feet and catch the model before it touched down!

And...here is the interesting and unusual photo of the day: 

Thanks for looking.... Cheers!