Back In The Day, Part 40, The Original Skeeter Eeters

 Having recently completed the build of the Skeeter Eeter 3, I dug up a photo and some information about the original Skeeter Eeters built back in the Old Fleet days.

The first Skeeter Eeter, fleet number 45, was built in 1975.  Powered by D12 motors, the model was a great performer.  Flight records from the era indicate that the bird was flown three times.  Its last flight was at a model rocket demonstration event held in Limon, Colorado on June 26, 1976.  This demo took place in the middle of the crowded downtown area. Unfortunately, the SE was lost. I don't believe I ever took a photo of the model, and I don't even recall its color scheme.

In 1977, I built a second Skeeter Eeter . This one was constructed with a standard 18mm motor mount.  Even without D power, the model turned in impressive flights on C6 motors.

Skeeter Eeter 2 (fleet no. 63) was actually built with a specific purpose in mind:  The Skywatchers/ROMAR club conducted a contest meet in which one of the events was 'Maxi-Scale'.  This event called specifically for models that were actually upscales of other model rockets, whether they were kits or custom designs.  The upscale model was presented to the judges along with the original model. Models received points for correct scale, color scheme, degree of difficulty, and craftsmanship.  Of course the model had to make a qualified stable flight, as well.

Obviously, I chose a pretty easy subject to upscale. 

There are 4 documented flights for Skeeter Eeter 2, but there may have been more that simply were not recorded.

SE2's third flight on September 23, 1979 was notable in that it was flown on an AVI D6.5 motor.  True to the dubious nature of those motors, the ejection charge exploded, blowing the entire motor mount out the aft end of the model. Luckily, the airframe wasn't damaged, and the Skeeter Eeter 2 was successfully repaired to fly again another day..

Skeeter Eeter 2 went on to be my entry in the Open Spot Landing event at HOTROC-4 in August 1983.  It actually won 2nd place in D Division!

And, of course, here is the original Mosquito, fleet no. 65, also built in 1977:

The diminutive model was flown only once with a 1/4A motor on May 10, 1981.   Surprisingly, the bird was actually found and recovered, but was never flown again.

Both the Skeeter Eeter 2 and the Mosquito were sold in 1985, when I exited the hobby.