Back In The Day, Part #10: Launching Model Rockets From A Broom Closet!

 

This post is an account of a demonstration launch that occurred back in the summer of 1976 in Limon, Colorado.  I had posted this same story on a previous version of this blog which I took down back in 2016. All of those posts became lost in the internet abyss, and I did not keep any original drafts of them.  So forgive me if this sounds familiar….

It all began when the Skywatchers/ROMAR rocket club of Colorado Springs, Colorado got a call from Houtz’ Drug Store in Limon, Colorado.  They had just started carrying Estes model rockets in the hobby section of their store, and decided it would be nice to host a demonstration launch by someone who was experienced with flying model rockets.

The club gleefully accepted the invitation.

On the appointed day, half a dozen stalwart members of ROMAR, including myself, loaded up two vehicles with the club launch rack, P.A., range boxes, and a bunch of rockets, and hit the road for the wide open plains of eastern Colorado.

Now, friends, we would have thought that a model rocket launch at a small rural town would have meant flying from a spacious, open field with unobstructed views to the four horizons.  We were thinking F-engine country, here!

Instead, upon arriving in town, and speaking with the drug store owner, we learned that our designated launch site was to be the parking lot adjacent to the business’ building, right smack-dab in the middle of downtown Limon!

We’re talking a very small asphalt-covered space with maybe 50 feet on the longest dimension, surrounded by three story buildings, tall trees, and plenty of power lines.

Hmmm….

It was quite obvious that our hosts were unaware of the altitude capabilities of even the smallest of model rockets.

We huddled and held an impromptu meeting to decide whether we wanted to try this or not.

“Yeah, why not?  We traveled all the way out here!  We don’t want to chicken out and dis-appoint our kind hosts!”

So, we bravely went about setting up the range equipment, the display table, and prepping the models that were to fly that day.

Once all was in readiness, our LCO conducted a test of the launch system.

Dead as a doornail.  What else could go wrong? By now, a substantial number of spectators had shown up to see the demo.

As the equipment team scrambled to troubleshoot and repair the system, one of our members  engaged the crowd with a lengthy description of what model rocketry was all about, and demonstrated prepping a model.

Finally, we got the word that the launch system was operational.  Huge sighs of relief!

As the rack was being loaded, I started things off with the first flight of the day – my Cold Power Convertible Yankee 5.  Since it was a warm Colorado day, the model lifted off and flew quite high.  The best part is that it was successfully recovered.

We managed to fly about two dozen models over the course of the demo.  Most of them were recovered, thanks to the owner of Houtz Drugs, who had stationed some of his employees and other townsfolks volunteers on the rooftops of several nearby buildings.  A few models were still lost, nonetheless.

I had taken along a few birds from my personal fleet to fly in this demo:
Astron Spaceman – this one flew nicely and landed on top of the local theater building.  It was retrieved by a kind gentleman who was stationed at that location.  The Spaceman did, however, sustain a broken balsa brace piece.

Estes Starblazer (The old K version with curved fins and carved canopy) - This model turned in a very nice flight, but was never found.  I was somewhat sad at the loss because it was my second ever rocket build.

Skeeter Eeter – This one was my BT-60 upscale of the Estes Mosquito, powered by a D engine.  It was the only model flight of the day flown with a larger impulse engine.  I had a little trepidation about flying this one, but went ahead anyway.  A real cloud pleaser, it was, achieving a very respectable altitude.  Unfortunately, it too, was lost, despite descending in sight on a large streamer.

Despite the flying conditions and loss of some models, our demo drew a good sized crowd, and can be classified as a success.

On the drive back to Colorado Springs, one of the club members made the comment:
“That’s the first time I’ve ever flown rockets out of a broom closet!”

Addendum:  After submitting this post on the old version of this blog, I managed to get in email contact with the owner of the drug store in Limon.  It is no longer Houtz Drugs, but is still in business as Howard’s Drugs.  The gentleman remembered this rocket demonstration event from so long ago, and said that it sparked some interest among some of the townsfolk, who afterward purchased rockets and flew them in and around Limon.

-Ed

MPC Lunar Patrol: Part 13 - An Engine Hook Retro-Fit.

The build of this version of the Lunar Patrol was originally intended to employ friction fitting of the engine for flight. Since the model is not an exact replica of the original kit, I had mulled over a way to attach a standard engine hook, but it would have to be external to the body tube with some sort of retainer/covering. Not an ideal solution, either functionally or aesthetically.
I had pretty much resigned to sticking with the friction fit method, which would be somewhat of a pain out on the flying field, since the engine is well recessed between the two side tubes.  Inserting and removing the engine casing would be difficult at best.
This scenario changed when I found this while rummaging through a tool drawer in the garage…

This is an extra-length small diameter twist drill bit I had purchased for some long-ago electronics project.
I immediately recognized this as a solution to the Lunar Patrol engine hook dilemma.
The idea is to use the internal music wire hook method about which I posted a short time ago.  With this new-found drill bit, I could reach inside the aft end of the rocket body tube, poke a small hole through the engine block right next to the inner tube wall, and insert the music wire down through the top of tube.
With the bit chucked into a standard electric drill, I carefully inserted it into the tube.  Keeping the bit carefully aligned against the tube wall, I felt it butt up against the engine block.  I had to be very careful that I did not mis-align the bit so that it would not drill through the side of the body tube, or pass crookedly through the engine block.  Drilling very slowly, I felt the bit pop through the block.
Sighting down the inside of the body tube, I could see a neat little hole in the engine block in the exact location I wanted it. 
Eureka!
Now it was only a matter of forming a hook on the top end of the long piece of music wire to fit over the engine block, and fishing the wire down the tube to insert in the newly drilled hole. 

Once all was in position, I applied a drop of CA to the hook and let the wire drop into position by gravity.  Easy-Peasy!

Once the CA had cured and the wire was secure, I inserted an engine casing into the model, bent the wire over the end of the casing, and cut to proper length.

 

Instant retro-fit engine hook!    I did notice in one of the above pics that there are some new dents and dings on one of the fins.  These will have to be filled before painting.
The right tools and a little engineering work ultimately resulted in a pretty nifty solution to a sticky problem.
Now, I will have to get busy and perform this identical bit of ‘rocket surgery’ on the Star Trooper and Mini-Maggot pop pod, both of which I’ve had perennial problems with friction fit engines ejecting……

Model Rocket Build Progress Over Easter Weekend.

This weekend, I had a series of short blocks of time to get into the shop and make progress on some model rocketry projects.

Also, the wind conditions in the back yard were such that I was finally able to get out and perform a small amount of spray painting.

The first project was to get some clear coat on the decal sheet I made up the week before.  To help with this, I cobbled together a handy little sheet holding device out of a piece of card board, a paint stir stick (what else?), duct tape (what else?), and some paper clips.

 

Next up, the newly constructed Estes Astron Alpha received its first primer coat.  I had just enough Duplicolor gray to cover the entire model before the can ran out. 

Must get to the nearby auto supply store.

 

 

Moving on, I completed construction of the Satellite Interceptor build by attaching the launch lug and spot filling left-over small grain and gaps.  This model is now ready for primer, as well.

 

 

The Lunar Patrol model got pulled off the shelf for one final touch.  I’ll detail this in the next installment of that long-running build post series.

Finally, I applied CWF to the seams of a BT-50 body tube purloined from a Comanche 3 kit that I bought a couple weeks ago for parts. This tube is ear-marked as the booster airframe of a new Orbital Transport build. 

In between the rocket work, I also managed to do a small production run on a new set of shop-made sanding blocks.  I will also expound on these in a near-future post.

The rest of the weekend was pretty much spent in other important activities, such as playing electric violin in the church praise band for three back-to-back Easter Sunday services.  Most of the songs played were high-energy, up-beat rockers.  Phew!  Including early morning rehearsal, that was a 6 ½ hour day at church!

A large chunk of the weekend was devoted to hanging out with the grand-kiddoes (a.k.a. future model rocketeers!) – feeding and helping take care of the 3 week old, and participating in an epic basement-wide Nerf-gun battle with the 9 and 7 year-olds.

Sheesh – give me a few model rockets, a Nerf gun, or a pile of Lego, and I become a kid again!

Cheers.

Busy Weekend In The BlastFromThePast Rocket Laboratory

Greetings, Blog Followers
This past weekend I finally was given a substantial block of time to get into the shop and actually work on some rocketry projects.
First item on the agenda was to drive up to Lone Tree from Castle Rock to stop in at the Hobby Town store.  There I finally picked a Little Joe II kit for which I had been saving pocket change in a coffee mug throughout the past year .  While there, I picked up one each of the Estes PNC-20 and PNC-5 nose cone packs.  These fulfill nose cone requirements for several of the model rocket builds currently on the bench.  I'm actually taking the 'lazy man's' way out with these as the original intent had been to turn balsa cones for these models on the lathe.  The plastic cones will save me a lot of time in the interest of actually getting some rockets built.
Also acquired at the hobby store was a packet of blank clear decal material.
Once I got home, out came the lap-top.  After a couple of hours jimmying around with downloading decal patterns, designing custom decal patterns, attaching them all to a word document, adjusting sizes to fit the intended models, and making B&W test copies, I was ultimately able to produce a good decal sheet covering five of my current build projects.
I had hoped to get some Krylon clear seal on the decal sheet, but the excessive ambient airflow velocity of the vehicle finishing facility (wind in the back yard) was such that any spray painting was rendered out of the question.  This has been a problem throughout most of February and March.  All of the calm days have been too cold, and all of the warm days have been overly windy.
Frustrating, this.
I've had the Lunar Patrol model all prepped for painting all this time, but never the right conditions for spray painting.  Serious consideration is going into perhaps building an indoor spray booth.   The weather conditions have also prevented any hopes of getting out for a rocket launch during the past two-month span.  Sigh....
Next up on the 'tuh-doo' list was to break out the container of CWF and fill seams on the multitude of body tubes for no less than six rocket projects.  I see much sanding in the near future.
While puttering around in the shop, I managed to perform pretty much a complete build of an Astron Alpha.  Early this morning, I got up and did final grain-fill sanding on the fins, and attached the launch lug. All that is left is applying a glue fillet to the lug, then the model goes into the  painting queue to await its first coat of primer.
I also made substantial progress on grain filling and sanding the many balsa fins on the Satellite Interceptor.  This one should also be primer-ready by the end of the week.
Yet another project was to fashion a 500g weight to calibrate a Magnum digital scale I acquired back in February. The weight consisted of a glass baby food jar filled with enough nickels and a few paper clips to exactly equal 500 g.
Now I can weigh my models in style!
As a final touch to the Model Rocketry Weekend, I was able to fashion a new dowel 'antenna' for the tail fin on the Lynx model.  This piece had been lost on its last flight.
Phew!  I'm ready to go back to my regular job this morning for a little R & R....
Cheers!

Back On Track....

This morning I finally got back to building model rockets after having spent the past month diverting my attention toward a campaign of de-cluttering and re-organizing the basement.  This project also encompassed the wood shop and, of course, the model rocketry operations center. 
In my last post, I included a picture of the model rocket/utility workbench.  Last week I modified it to make it a little easier to use by removing the water bed drawer unit and a section of the under-bench shelf.  I can now sit comfortably on the shop stool facing forward with ample leg room underneath the bench.

Above the bench is a cabinet carcase which I had hanging around the wood shop.  The original intent was to build a hanging wall cabinet for my wood working hand tool collection, but I found that it makes a dandy enclosure to store all of the in-progress model rocket builds up and off the work bench.
Underneath the bench is a single wide recessed shelf that holds my model rocket tool box, the range box, a first aid kit, and a few other random tools, odds and ends.
Even though it is highly functional, I am still not entirely pleased with this bench, mainly for aesthetic reasons.  It's ugly. As noted before, it was originally built (nailed together!) out of scrap dimensional lumber to be used as a makeshift chop saw station. 
I currently have a design finished on the drafting table for a new dedicated model hobby bench that I will soon be building in the wood shop. It will be considerably smaller than the current bench, but will be equipped with a better system of tool storage drawers and a hutch unit with overhead shelves and cabinets.
And it will be much prettier!
As for my model rocket tool kit, I have organized it all into this:

It's an old lidded box that at one time held some sort of A/V equipment.  For many years it has been a storage repository for a lot of random junk that I have since discarded or re-purposed.
Last weekend, I cobbled together a shallow tool tray for this box out of a piece of 1/4" plywood and some Home Depot paint stir sticks.  The box now houses most of my model building tools and stores conveniently on the under-bench shelf.

In other un-related news, the BlastFromThePast family was increased by one with the birth of a new grandson on March 9th.  Another future model rocketeer soon to be in the making, I should suspect.....
Cheers!

Time For A New Vehicle Assembly Facility

 

This is a night-time photo of the current BlastFromTHePast rocket building/electronics/small repair project workbench -  where all of my BAR activity has taken place over the last year and a half.

The structure was originally built for use as a chop saw station, and is constructed entirely from scrap 2x dimensional lumber procured from nearby house construction dumpsters.  Yup – I'm a consummate ‘Dumpster Diver’ !

When I moved my woodshop to the basement, I no longer used power tools, so the bench got pressed into service as a general utility work surface.

Under the bench top is a storage unit made from the under-drawers of my old waterbed. They are fairly functional as well, but do not allow any leg room under the bench top.  I have to sit sideways on the shop stool to get any modeling work accomplished.  Quite uncomfortable and impractical.
Above the bench is a ramshackle hodgepodge of shelving, also made from various pieces of found,  scrounged, and scrap  lumber.  Again, very functional, but not particularly aesthetically pleasing. 
 
Mrs. BlastFromThePast is certainly not thrilled with the ‘rustic’ appearance of my workshop, despite being tucked away in a corner of the unfinished basement.

So, to remedy this, I am in the process of designing a proper work station that will feature a nice smooth work surface, ample under-bench tool and supply storage cabinets with ball-bearing drawers, a back-of bench shelf and ‘cubby’ unit, and an overhead lighting bracket.

And it won’t be made out of scrap lumber!

Of course, building such a beastie will, no doubt, take time away from work on model rocket projects, especially since it will all be done using hand tools. But I’m sure I’ll manage.  The nice thing is that the new bench can be built nearby in the woodworking area of the shop, so I can continue using the current bench in the meantime.

I will certainly keep all of you blog-readers updated on the progress of this endeavor.

On another note, I got a good opportunity to view the lunar spectacle this morning. Awesome stuff!

Cheers,

-Ed

Star Trooper Back In Business

If you recall, back in early 2017, the Star Trooper model experienced a fairly substantial crash that left it in less than perfect condition.

Two new fins, some body tube repair, nose cone clean-up, and a new paint job later, the Star Trooper is once again fully flight ready.

One small change in detail was the placement of the fleet number decal.  It was originally on one of the fins, but with the model's propensity for losing fins (3 to date), the marking was moved to the body tube.
To go along with the Trooper, I finished off the booster section that caused the mishap.  It now has proper fins and a paint job.
The model is scheduled for its next test flight in an upcoming February launch.  If all goes well, and the staging system proves reliable, I will begin work on a scale BT-20 based WAC Corporal / Tiny Tim model.