Having just completed the Mountaineer IV model rocket, I thought it would be a good time to re-cap the history of this series.
In the late 1970s, I flew three Omega Mountaineer model rockets for the purpose of launching Cineroc flights for Herb Desind of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Mountaineers I and II were built by Herb and mailed to me. Since these two rockets were not part of my personal collection, they did not have fleet numbers assigned to them.
Mountaineer I, shown below, was last flown at Breckenridge, Colorado. The model and attached Cineroc 8mm movie camera drifted into the nearby woods and was lost.
Mountaineer II was launched several times, each flight carrying a Cineroc. The collage below is the only picture I have of the bird.
I don't recall what became of that rocket, whether it was lost or destroyed.
Mountaineer III, fleet # 71, was built by myself in 1979. It also flew several Cineroc missions for Mr. Desind. The model was part of the general rocketry sale in 1985 when I exited the hobby.
A quick note: My old flight logs indicate that the launch shown above was made in Colorado Springs during peak coverage of a partial solar eclipse. My intention was to see if there were any visible effects on the ground from a few hundred feet altitude. I'm uncertain if I still have the video footage from this flight.
All of these Mountaineer/Omega models were such a joy to fly. Sturdy, good-looking, and reliable workhorses, they always performed very well with the 'Mighty-D' engines.
I fully anticipate that my newly built Mountaineer-IV will follow that tradition and prove to be just as much fun to launch as those from the days of yore, and log lots of great video-cam flights.
Cheers!
