My last post featured a "Them Poem" by Mason Williams.
Being inspired by that, I sat down this morning and penned my own "Them Poem" - one about model rocketeers.....
THEM ROCKET FLIERS
How 'bout them rocket fliers, ain't they nerds?
Flyin' them rockets, callin' them "Birds".
Flyin' them big rockets, flyin' them small,
Watchin' them parachute, watchin' them fall.
Lookit them high-falutin,' sun-burned, back'ards countin', fire-breathin', smoke-smellin'
Rocket Fliers!
How to be a rocket flier? Ain't hard to try it.
Just make yerself a rocket, find a field and fly it!
(OK.... I'm not normal......)
Monday, July 8, 2019
A Rocketry Related Poem... Kind of.....
How many of you folks remember a gentleman named Mason Williams?
Mason Williams is an entertainer best known for his hit guitar piece "Classical Gas" in the early 70's.
Mason was also a comedy writer known for his contributions to the Smothers Brothers Show and the very early days of Saturday Night Live (We're really going back a long ways, here).
Some of Mason's work also included a series of poems that were recited to music accompaniment.
These are called "Them Poems" and are spoken in sort of a 'redneck' voice. The poems are about stuff that "Them People..." do. Most of them can be found on a Google search.
So, what do the "Them Poems" have to do with model rocketry?
In my case, plenty.
Being a performing musician, I have memorized a number of these gems and have integrated them into some of my public shows.
This past Saturday, July 6th, I attended a rocket meet in Pueblo, Colorado, hosted by S.C.O.R.E.
As I was traipsing across the weedy field on a rocket recovery mission, I noted that my canvas tennis shoes and socks were being covered with all manner of stickers. These are the weed seeds designed by our Creator to stick to animal fur (and human clothing) for the purpose of distributing them far and wide to propagate the species'.
Some of those stickers embedded in my socks began irritating my ankles as I continued on my trek.
I was reminded of one of the 'Them Poems" and recited it to myself as I walked....
THEM STICKER GITTERS
How 'bout them sticker gitters, ain't they neat?
Gittin' them stickers in they feet.
Gittin' them goat-heads, gittin' them briars,
Pickin' 'em out with sticker-pickin' pliers.
Tenderfoot sticker gitters, how they squeal,
Stickers in they toes, stickers in they heel.
How to be a sticker gitter? Don't need a ticket -
Just stick yer foot in some weeds,
and let a sticker git it !
OK.....I'm not normal.......
Mason Williams is an entertainer best known for his hit guitar piece "Classical Gas" in the early 70's.
Mason was also a comedy writer known for his contributions to the Smothers Brothers Show and the very early days of Saturday Night Live (We're really going back a long ways, here).
Some of Mason's work also included a series of poems that were recited to music accompaniment.
These are called "Them Poems" and are spoken in sort of a 'redneck' voice. The poems are about stuff that "Them People..." do. Most of them can be found on a Google search.
So, what do the "Them Poems" have to do with model rocketry?
In my case, plenty.
Being a performing musician, I have memorized a number of these gems and have integrated them into some of my public shows.
This past Saturday, July 6th, I attended a rocket meet in Pueblo, Colorado, hosted by S.C.O.R.E.
As I was traipsing across the weedy field on a rocket recovery mission, I noted that my canvas tennis shoes and socks were being covered with all manner of stickers. These are the weed seeds designed by our Creator to stick to animal fur (and human clothing) for the purpose of distributing them far and wide to propagate the species'.
Some of those stickers embedded in my socks began irritating my ankles as I continued on my trek.
I was reminded of one of the 'Them Poems" and recited it to myself as I walked....
THEM STICKER GITTERS
How 'bout them sticker gitters, ain't they neat?
Gittin' them stickers in they feet.
Gittin' them goat-heads, gittin' them briars,
Pickin' 'em out with sticker-pickin' pliers.
Tenderfoot sticker gitters, how they squeal,
Stickers in they toes, stickers in they heel.
How to be a sticker gitter? Don't need a ticket -
Just stick yer foot in some weeds,
and let a sticker git it !
OK.....I'm not normal.......
Friday, July 5, 2019
Steampunk Protostar, Part 29 - Finishing Up The Launch Lugs
After doing a little bit of work on the Protostar body tube, I am now turning attention back to finishing up the launch lugs.
The first order of business is to apply some CWF to the lug stand-offs.
After sanding the stand-offs smooth, its time to apply some rivet detail.
The original plan was to use sections of Avery paper with the rivets punched in, but I opted instead for the technique of carefully applying some precision-controlled drops of white glue to form the rivet heads. I had to practice for a while on some scrap paper to get blobs of consistent size and shape.
Once the 'rivet' heads are completely dry, the launch lug assembly can be painted.
Regular old brush-on acrylic model paint will be used here. A fine flat tipped artist's paint brush is employed for this step.
First, the lugs. Some nice 'Steampunk' brass works here.
Once dry, the lugs are masked off and the lug 'collars' and standoffs get a coat of flat aluminum acrylic paint. Care is taken not to get any paint onto the bottom gluing surfaces.
Here are the completed launch lugs. These will get glued on to the model after the main body tube is painted.
The first order of business is to apply some CWF to the lug stand-offs.
After sanding the stand-offs smooth, its time to apply some rivet detail.
The original plan was to use sections of Avery paper with the rivets punched in, but I opted instead for the technique of carefully applying some precision-controlled drops of white glue to form the rivet heads. I had to practice for a while on some scrap paper to get blobs of consistent size and shape.
Once the 'rivet' heads are completely dry, the launch lug assembly can be painted.
Regular old brush-on acrylic model paint will be used here. A fine flat tipped artist's paint brush is employed for this step.
First, the lugs. Some nice 'Steampunk' brass works here.
Once dry, the lugs are masked off and the lug 'collars' and standoffs get a coat of flat aluminum acrylic paint. Care is taken not to get any paint onto the bottom gluing surfaces.
Here are the completed launch lugs. These will get glued on to the model after the main body tube is painted.
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
The Estes Photo Contest
OK, so I dropped the hammer earlier today and submitted a photo to this latest 'contest' sponsored by Estes.
In reading the contest description, it sounds like there will not necessarily be any judging of the submissions, rather the winners will be selected at random.
The grand prize is pretty juicy - A four kit set of models covering the U.S. manned space program - a Saturn V, an Apollo Little Joe II, a Mercury Redstone, and a Mercury Little Joe.
Sweeeet!
The contest is very simple - all you have to do is get on the Estes website, click the contest entry box, submit your name and email address, upload a picture of yourself or a family member launching a rocket - any rocket - and hit the 'GO' button.
Hey, Presto....You're in!
Good luck!
In reading the contest description, it sounds like there will not necessarily be any judging of the submissions, rather the winners will be selected at random.
The grand prize is pretty juicy - A four kit set of models covering the U.S. manned space program - a Saturn V, an Apollo Little Joe II, a Mercury Redstone, and a Mercury Little Joe.
Sweeeet!
The contest is very simple - all you have to do is get on the Estes website, click the contest entry box, submit your name and email address, upload a picture of yourself or a family member launching a rocket - any rocket - and hit the 'GO' button.
Hey, Presto....You're in!
 |
| "THAT'S EASY !!!!" |
Good luck!
BAR Fleet #123 - Big Rage
Source:
Quest
Aerospace
Kit #1010Type: Sport Model
Recovery: Parachute
Length:
(With Payload): 93.2cm(Without Payload): 71.7 cm
Diameter: 35mm
Weight Empty:
(With Payload): 92.8g
(Without Payload): 77.5g
Nose Cone: Conical
Fin Type: TrapezoidalNumber of Fins: 4
Color Scheme:
Dark Blue, Black, Red,
Chrome silver Trim
28 June, 2019
There were a few
modifications and fixes necessary before the model could be deemed flight-ready
and added to the fleet. Chief among
these was painting the fin can and nose cone.
The original kit parts came molded in a hideous bright pink color! I chose to change this to a more palatable
bright red.
The model also came sans
launch lugs, so I had to raid my parts stash to remedy this. Since I did not want to re-paint the entire
booster section to accommodate the new lugs, I chose to color them with a blue
Sharpie marker. 
For safety’s sake, I also replaced the stock kit shock cord, which was a bit too short, and had been sitting in storage for over twenty years. I like that the model is equipped with a Kevlar shock cord anchor, as do most Quest kits. All I had to do was install a four foot, ¼ inch elastic cord to the Kevlar loop. A heavy duty snap swivel was attached to the free end of the shock cord to allow the model to be flown with or without the payload section.
Finally, the model was embellished with some rub-on fleet number decals and a two inch wide Chrome Silver Monokote band at the top of the booster section.
 |
| The Big Rage in no-payload-section configuration |
This big bird is a welcome addition to the fleet, and is destined to log a lot of flight missions as the designated carrier for a key chain video camera.
Monday, July 1, 2019
Launch Date: 30 June, 2019
Today’s launch
was another ‘Shoe Box’ session conducted at Founders Park in Castle Rock,
Colorado.
Perfect flying
conditions prevailed for this session with wind speeds ranging from dead calm
to maybe 3 mph tops. Temperature at
launch time was near 80 degrees and the field was in perfect condition.
The first
launch went to the perennial Estes Hornet.
The model rose straight up on an A3-4T motor, reached apogee and ejected
the parachute, which opened instantly.
There must have been a little thermal activity going on upstairs,
because the model hung for a fairly long time under a 9 inch parachute equipped
with a small spill hole. At 42 seconds
after launch, the model touched down softly on the turf a short distance
away. This was perhaps the best ever
performance of the Hornet in its 46 year, 46 flight history!
The next
flight went to the Estes Lynx. After a
perfect straight-up boost and coast to apogee, the parachute ejected, but
failed to open. Fortunately, the model
balanced so that its descent was in a horizontal attitude, so no damage
occurred on the harder-than-planned landing.
The parachute failure was a bit perplexing because it was well powdered
just before the flight, and was properly packed into the airframe. Nevertheless, it was still a fun and
successful flight.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
BAR Fleet: #121 FlatCat-C
Scratch Built From Published Plans,
Designed by: G. Harry Stine,
Type: Boost/Glider
Wing Span: 34cm
Weight: 18.0g
Pod
Length: 17cm
Diameter: 18.7mm
Weight: 8.3g
The FlatCat-C was
constructed to replace FlatCat-B, #117, which was lost on its maiden flight in October
of 2018.
Construction and color
scheme is identical to the previous version.
This glider will be flown using the original pop pod numbered 117.
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