Flight Logs

Since day ONE I have been keeping a log of every flight I have ever had. It is great to look back and recall all the fun I have had flying rockets. I keep a paper log for each rocket. Click here to a see a copy.

flightlog.jpg (42131 bytes)Click to download a copy of the flight log sheet that you can modify and use.

Highlights from my flight logs

Rocket

Date

Comments Status Last flown
Alpha

5/21/69

First ever launch, from my front yard, with 1/2A6-2 Fine launch and recovery Last flight 4/17/70, no record why
Big Bertha

5/22/69

On 5th flight, engine mal function, destroyed rocket. Estes sent new one.

On 7th flight, chute didn't open, crashed.
Was repaired and flown again Last flight 5/16/71, no record why
Streak

6/13/69

A 50 cent rocket with tumble recovery. This rocket was so cheap, I didn't even keep a log off it. I think I got it free. 2 flights Last flight 6/13/69, no record why
Astro Apogee II

8/7/69

My first and last 2 stage rocket. Launch an AA ray-vac battery. Lost it during recovery Last flight 8/7/69
Wac Corporal

6/7/70

Third flight flew with C6-5, the smallest diameter rocket I ever built went out of sight! Landed 2 blocks away Last flight 6/7/70, no record why
Aerobee 300

4/13/70

First and only flight, engine block came out during flight Had nice silver paint job Last flight 4/13/70, no record why
V2

6/13/70

Third flew with C6-5, landed in the woods and was lost for a while. Found it and flew it again Last flight 5/5/71, no record why
Arcas

6/1/70

Second flight, landed on house roof. Recovered OK Last flight 5/16/71, no record why
Orbital Transport

12/08

Fin broke off and rocket darted to the left, almost hit the tennis court. This rocket had a lot of wood and it took a long time to construct all the fins, wings, etc.

Sixth flight on 5/17/76, Dave, Black Sheep, Dave S and Yogi were there. (Black Sheep and Yogi were CB handles!)

Repainted again, put new decals, new shock cord on 6/00.

Seventh flight, first flight in 24 years!, used an A8-3. Not very high! But I didn't lose it! Have it here on video.

Eighth flight used a C6-5. Almost lost it in tall grass but found. Lose rudder on glider.

Glider's rudder repaired and ready to fly Surprise! I still have it! Last flew 7/8/00!
Mercury Redstone

12/08

One of my nicest rockets. On second flight nose cone weight came lose and rocket went out of control. Fortunately it sustain only a broken fin.

Fourth flight the engine block came lose and went through the rocket. The booster stage cart wheeled on the ground but no damage. The nose cone's escape tower got lost.

June 2000 replaced shock cord.

Flew three times today, first flights in 20 years! Went great on A8-3 and B6-4s. All together, this baby has flown 13 times.

Ready to fly Last flew 7/10/05
Honest John

5/16/74

Got kit as a present from a friend. Second flight it landed on a major highway. Got to it before a car did.

Fifth and last flight, rocket went way out of control which is strange because it was a very straight flying rocket. First rocket which ever did that. It landed in some women's drive, smashed up.

Body tube all smashed in. Last flight 5/20/75
Scrambler

9/23/01

First flight, had egg in payload section, only 1 of 3 engines lit, crashed and smashed egg but rocket was too hurt.

June 2000 replaced shock cords and chutes.

Well, almost 30 years later, I flew it for the second time and with an egg. SUCCESS! Great flight with 3 B6-4's. No scramble egg!

Third flight 9/23/01. Parachute cords came loose from payload section, nose cone hit ground, scrambled egg all over the place. Had 3 C6-5s, launched it out of sight.

Successful egg launch! Last flew 9/23/01
Stinger

5/29/71

Got free with order from Estes. Second flight came down 3 feet from launch pad.   Last flight 5/29/71, no record why
Tauras

7/26/80

First non-Estes rocket. This was a heavy rocket and I had to add another chute to slow down descent. On fifth flight, chute and nose cone separated from rocket, crashed. Smashed Last flight 7/26/80
Goblin

7/23/00

First D engine rocket. Has streamers so it comes down close. One flight came down between a house and trees. Had a couple mishaps but no major damage.

Eighth flight had a fin knocked off, slight nose cone damage. Replace shock cord and fin.

Ninth flight again had fin almost knocked off, shock cord damage marks on fins. I realized that I have been using D12-5, should be using D12-7 or D11-9. I have found a place that sells D12-7!!!

Tenth flight, after having bought $50 worth of D12-7, Goblin lands in woods and is lost! Later I find out land owner found and threw out!

Lost in woods 7/23/00
Sand Hawk

12/08

Third flight nose cone separated and went 1" into the ground but wasn't damaged.

Fourth flight landed in tree but wind blew it down later.

June 2000 put in new shock cord, chute. Repainted.

Sixth flight, flew for the first time is 15 years, nice flight, came down close to the pad.

Flights 7 and 8 were on the new C11-5. Nice engine. Now I can fly these old classics with less worry of losing them. Still goes pretty high.

Flights 9 and 10 on C11's were AOK.

On 11th flight nosecone gets lost in trees but found a few days later.

OK and ready to fly 07/24/05
Cherokee D

5/27/74

Went the highest of any other rocket, also drifted the furthest.

Before the second flight, I mention how beautiful this rocket was, my best work so far. Launched it and never saw it again, it drift blocks away and never found.

Was my best looking rocket Last flight 5/17/76
A20 Demon

5/20/75

First flight landed 5' from big tree.

Second flight had engine problem but no damage.

Third flight chute didn't work good but no damage.

Fifth flight landed in tree, but got down.

Tenth flight, sock cord broke, nose cone landed 2 blocks again. Some guy said he found it and threw it out. Never found the body tube.

I never did like the name Last flight 5/26/86
Sprint

12/08

Suppose to be a high flying rocket. Replaced streamer with one too short, came down too fast, cracked fin.

Flew third time with defective B6-4, went up 50'! Have on video here.

Flew fifth time and got loose fin. Need to make streamer bigger! But came down close!

Flights 6 on A8-3 was nice, still goes high on an A8-3, lands close.

Flight 7 with B6-4 goes loop de loop and chute ejects just in time. Must be because of heavier engine and streamers being too far aft. Of course people were watching when it happen. Good flights no one is around.

Flights 8 - 13 OK on A8-3s. Anything bigger and this light rocket is gone.

Ready to fly Last flew 7/16/06
Andromeda

8/12/01

Second flight, nice spin on take off, slow lift, landed 200' from pad. Chute didn't open and smashed tube a little.

Fourth flight, landed in tennis court. Two guys playing tennis didn't mind.

Fifth flight, landed near tennis courts in trees. We actually had to cut down a small tree to recover.

June 2000, got parts to patch up body tube, replaced missing fin, etc.

Fixed broken rod, missing fin, body tube, etc. Now I see someone laid something on it and broke a fin! Ugh!!! If I find out who did it.....

Sixth flight (first flight in 16 years!) on B6-4 went very nice and landed close.

Seventh flight on B6-4 lands close, no problems.

Flight 8 on C6-5 had problems. Some how the chute lines got tangled on the engine hook and the rocket became a lawn dart. Whole top section (which I just fixed) is destroyed! Hope I can fix it again.

Fixed and flew 2 times 12/01 on B6-4. Nice, low and straight flights. Beautiful, see video tape section.

Ready to fly Last flew 12/01
Nike X

12/08

5 flights so far and nothing special to report

Sixth flight, May 2000, shock cord broke at anchor, came down in 2 parts. Rocket stuck in ground 2", got on video. Must be shock cords dry out after 14 years!

Flown now 11 time, a new record!

Flights 13, 14 AOK.

Flight 15 on an A8-3. Just to say I flew it this year.

Flights 16 and 17 OK.

Ready to fly Last flew 5/7/06
Renegade

12/08

First flight landed in tree but got it down

Third flight 7/8/00, no problems, landed on other side of trees in baseball field.

Flights 4 and 5 with C11-5 were great and lands close. The C11 is good when a D12 might put the rocket up too high for the winds or field size.

The chute gets tangled on flight 6, lands on blacktop, cracks a fin.

Flights 7 and 8 not bad. Flight 9 had a melted chute and rocket does lawn dart but end of tube not too bad. Not sure what happen.

Ready to fly Last flew 7/1/07
Nike Ajax (Estes)

5/8/79

First rocket where everything screwed up during construction so bad I threw it out without completing. Murphy's law 5/8/79
Mach 2

6/15/85

Second launch landed on school roof, lost.   Last flew 6/15/85
Cobra 1500

5/25/86

First flight landed on school gym's roof, lost   Last flew 5/25/86
Maxi Honest John

12/08

A gift from a friend. I started it but didn't like the way fins were cut out nor their construction so I never finished it.

May 1, 2000, I am making identical size fins out of balsa wood and actively working on model again.

Flew first 3 times without problems. What's wrong?!

Fourth flight nice. D12-3's don't put it very high. Landed near the pad.

Fifth flight had nose cone land in short tree. But borrowed a long pole from the land's care taker and was able to get it down.

Sixth flight on D12-3 was great, landed near pad.

Seventh flight AOK.

Eighth flight on D12-3 lands on black top, but no damage.

Ninth flight on D12-3 AOK.

Flight 10 I had the rocket too close to the blast deflector and it melted the boat tail section a little. Minor damage.

Flight 11 nosecone chute got stuck inside nosecone, nosecone fell to the ground but no damage.

Flight 12 nosecone chute came out but cords got twisted but no problems.

Flight 13 the bottom section's shock cord broke, the body fluttered back and I caught it before it hit the ground and got damaged. The nosecone/chute was OK and I recovered the chute from the bottom section. Cord has been replaced now with an elastic cord.

Flights 14 and 15 went smooth on D12-3s.

On flight 16 the shock cord breaks from nosecone and nosecone falls to ground but no damage.

Flights 17-19 OK.

Flight 20 was at the Royal Ranger Powwow at Green, NY. All the kids loved the launch and it lands fine. HOWEVER, some kid got excited and stepped on it by accident, breaking a fin!

Flight 21 was with a C11-3. TOO SMALL AN ENGINE. Chute didn't come out in time and rocket lawn darted. BUT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE! SOFT DIRT!

Ready to fly Last flew 8/1/07
Saturn V

12/08

Started this rocket too but never finished. It has been stored in my garage for years and unfortunately has now been damaged.

I have been working again on this model. Boy, I sure can screw up things. Despite myself, I am up to painting it now. Will I actually fly it? Stay tune. You can see pictures here.

Well, I flew it finally on 6/17/01. First flight OK. Not high but chutes came out in time.

Second flight a disaster, Not enough power and rocket plowed into the ground. See video.

Third flight after repair is picture perfect!!

Flights 4, 5 and 6 are great too.

Ready to fly Last flew 7/24/05
Scrambler 2

9/1/85

Launched an egg and returned it with just a little crack.

Second flight had $2.50 in change, no problems.

Third and fourth flights engines exploded on take off. Have on video and will try to post here. Very funny.

Engine mount and body tube damaged beyond repair. Last flight 9/1/85
Alpha 3

4/30/00

First new rocket in 15 years. Built for kids (yea, right!) First flight in our back yard with A8-3 landed over trees in our neighbor's lawn.

Second flight, same place, wind took it and drifted over trees. Lost it in our neighborhood. This time my name and address was on it. Maybe someone will return it.

Lost Last flight 5/2/00
Initiator

9/23/00

First "E/F/G" series rocket ever.

Flew at CTRA launch day. Nice flight on E15-4W.

Second flight used an E30-4T. Don't like this engine as much because there is no flame.

Third flight used RMS for first time. Went great.

Fourth flight was with a F52-8T. Out of sight! But I don't like these "T" engines, no flames, not alot of noise. Landed on some rocks but missed some trees. No damage.

Fifth flight at METRA, NJ. No problem with an F40. Came down close.

Sixth and seventh flights with F50-6T. Great flights. Sixth flight landed in the middle of a small bush but retrieved with no damage. Both landed close considering wind and height it attended. Doesn't go that high with F50 but it gets there quick!

Eighth flight a disaster. Used F22-5J engine for the first time. Rocket veered way off course and made a big arc landing somewhere over there, in the forest. Rats. MY RMS was in it!

LOST in woods Last flew 9/30/00
Barracuda

8/6/00

Second "E/F/G" series rocket from Aerotech.

First time flew, it landed on highschool roof. But praise the Lord, I was able to get it back! Used an F20-7W, largest engine yet and what a roar! Very nice!

Second flight looks like it was going to land in woods like Goblin but landed on other side of trees and recovered with no problems.

Third flight in NJ, lost in field somewhere. I spent 1.5 hours in tall grass, some as high as me. Found parts of others rockets but not mine. Very sad. I had my RMS casing in it.

Lost Last flew 8/6/00
Mark V

6/19/00

Scratch built but just like the Mark IV in old Estes MRN

First flight the shock cord (elastic band, not the cheap Estes rubber band) came loose from the body tube. The upper section landed OK in parking lot. The bottom section is lost in tall grass near field.

Lost Last flight 6/19/00
Wac Corporal 2

12/08

Beautiful little rocket that I spent alot of time on sanding and sealing the fins and nose cone.

First flight with an A8-3 was nice, landed close to pad.

Third flight, shock cord came disconnected, nose cone and chute landed close and OK. Body tube tumbled to ground but NO damage! Praise God!

Flights 4, 5 and 6 on A8-3s were very nice and landed close.

Containing to be chicken, I flew it on another A8-3 and B6-4. One fin breaks on landing. Super glued and flew again same day.

Flight 8 on an A8-3 was nice. It takes off fast. (After flying big D engine rockets all day and then flying this, it seemed awful fast on takeoff!)

Flight 9 and 10 on an A8-3 were short and sweet.

Flight 11 chute gets tangle and rocket lands a little hard, break one fin but supe glues fixes it fast.

Flight 12 lands near tall grass. Flights 13-17 all with A8-3 as anything bigger will put this little rocket way out of sight. Flight 16 lands on soccer net.

Ready to fly Last flew 7/1/07
Flash

6/16/00

Father's day gift from the kids

First flew with A8-3 came down close

Second with C6-5, wind blew it into forest. Lost. 8-(

Lost Last flight 6/19/00
Astrobee D

12/08

Largest rocket ever, 3" diameter, 68" tall, as tall as me. Need to find a nice place to launch. List price makes this also the most expensive rocket ever.

Well, I did it! I flew this guy on an F50-4T. Not real high but nice flight! Total cost of this one flight, $71.34!

Second flight with G35-4W. Nice! Still not very high, maybe 1000'. No winds and both pieces came down within 3' for each other only 50' from pad.

Third flight upper section landed in corn field. Thanks to a very pretty girl, I was able to find it.

Fourth flight on G80-4 went very good and landed close at NARAM43.

Five flight on a F50-4T with wind was OK. Both shock cords got tangled but came down OK. This was my first November launch ever.

Sixth flight on a G40-4 was nice and high. Tie the two shock cords together and 2 chutes together so they would come down together.

Flight 7 on a G80-7. I used only one chute which is good because I lost it in the sky and had to go hunt for it and with the wind it came down on the edge of a large corn field. If it had 2 chutes it would have drifted into the corn never to be seen again. G80 motors are nice but they don't put out much smoke.

Flight 8 on a G35 had a nice slow takeoff.

Flight 9 again on a G35 was nice and slow and rocket lands upright near pads! Almost out of sight.

Flights 10 and 11 were on an F40-4. Minimum size engine for this rocket but great, slow takeoffs which the crowd at METRA loved.

Ready to fly Last flight 7/16/05

Cherokee D 2

9/10/00

I clone this rocket from parts I had laying around. The paint job and decals came out great. A beautiful rocket. Can't wait to fly it some where safe.

Flew with a D12-5 and lost it. Went out of sight fast. I have no luck with these Cherokees! It had a great finish on it (of course).

Lost

Last flight 9/10/00

Black Brant II

6/02

Bought on Ebay. As assembled and ready to fly.

First flight, with a D12-5,  was fast, approached 1200'. Came down near row of trees.

Second flight, with a D12-7, came down on other side of trees, we think. LOST! Can't find it. It just disappeared! Will look for it later.

Land owner found rocket in Sept and returned it. Not bad shape for being outside all summer. Needs some repairs and it will fly again.

Third flight after repairs with a C11-3. First C11 ever used. Nice medium flight and it lands almost back at the pad.

Fourth flight the shock cord detached from body, rocket crashes head first into road, chute and nosecone drift away. Rocket is destroyed.

Lost

Last flight 6/8/02

Forte

7/04

First LOC rocket, plan to use it to launch a camera.

First flight was with a F40. Nice flight, landed close to pad. Now its ready to take a camera up.

Second flight was with the camera payload section. Flew good on a G64-4. Needs to be fine-tuned but click here for pictures.

Third flight at CTRA , great pics. See camera section.

Fourth flight at METRA and got some good pictures. Flew on an H238 which is not a good engine for this rocket because it reaches apogee in a split second. Need a longer boost, lower average impulse engine. Land on the other side of the canal, missing trees and the water and landing on bare dirt, it was easy to find.

Flight 5 at LDRS on H128 produces blury photos.

Flight 6 at METRA on an H180 takes   pictures.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/04

AMRAAM AIM 120

12/08

First Launch Pad kit, first dual "D" engine kit.

Flew great first time on D12-5s. Wind cocked alot, I guess this is not your typical "unstable" TLP kit! First rocket whose engines are recessed alot into the bottom end of the tube. Inside edge of airframe got a little burnt along with minor burn marks on bottom of 2 fins. Almost afraid to see what E15's would do!

Flew second flight with D12-5's again. A little more burn damage but not bad. Landed on other side of trees, no problem. This thing really goes off in its own direction after it leaves the pad!

Third flight nice and predictable, landed on other side of trees. Went about 600'. Nice.

Fourth and fifth flights were OK. Both came down in the same area. Second flight nose cone string broke and it flew to the ground. Thankfully the rocket and nose cone were recovered undamaged. Will use Kevlar string next time.

Sixth flight landed on drive way, cracked a fin.

Seventh flight landed near base ball dugout. Lost fin. Will replace and fly again.

Flights 8 and 9 OK.

Flight 10 on father's day was AOK with it landing not too far away.

Flight 11 was at METRA field and rocket drifted over trees and landed near edge of canal and tall grass.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/16/05

AMRAAM AIM 120 2

6/02

Yes, I got a second one! First one was damaged so mail order company sent me a free replacement. I assembled the first one with the damage (crushed body tubes). But would you believe the second one also was damaged (but not as much). It is cool having 2 of the same rocket at the same time. A first for me.

First flight was on a farm of new friends. I was joined by their beautiful blond daughter. It was a great flight and it really impressed her. This rocket didn't sustain flame damage as the first one. I angled the blast deflector a little bit different.

Second flight with D12-7s was fine. Landed just on the other side of trees. Not too much damage from flames.

Third flight on D12-5s was nice, landed between two rows of tree. A little flame damage near engines.

Fourth flight was in windy conditions. Went straight up but wind took it hundreds of feet away once chute came out. Still not unexpected due to wind. Got back OK.

Fifth flight at METRA, nice, landed a few hundred feet away again but on grass. Even so, one fin got cracked.

Flight 6 OK, almost lands in trees.

Flight 7 on D12-5s lands near edge of field, OK.

Flight 8 on D12-5s lands on black top, breaking off piece of fin on landing. Found piece and super glued back together. You sure can tell the difference between a single engine and a dual engine rocket during takeoff!!

Flights 9 - 11 with X10cam video camera! Rocket easily lifted the 7 oz payload. All flights OK although X10 cam leaves something to be desired.

Flight 12 only one engine lit, rocket went sideways into the ground, nose first. Thank God the X10 cam didn't get damage. Stupid Estes engine refuses to light.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/02

Nike Ajax (TLP)

6/02

First 3 "D" engine cluster rocket. Took off great but only one chute open. Video shows second chute just "sitting there" on the way down. Not enough speed to open it. Rocket sustained  moderate damage. It hit hard on hard dirt (of course, all the other rockets with working chutes landed on the soft grass). Small fin on nose cone broken, small crease in booster body tube and whole top section of rocket loose from booster section. Will required some work to repair. Not sure how to get 2 chutes to open at the same time. There is a video of this on video page.

Second flight 5/6/01 was nice. A little windy but came down in field, both chutes opened.

Third flight in very windy conditions was OK, lands hundreds of feet away.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/1/02

Harpoon

10/01

Nice little rocket I got for half price at a store going out of business.

First flight was a little wild. Rocket severely weather cocked and almost went horizontal. Chute came out OK and landed safely near some trees. Of course I wasn't taking a video of it so I didn't get it on tape.

Second flight, I had the camcorder this time. Again rocket went a little out of control before resuming a stable course. Maybe launch lug needs to be re-position. Or maybe some nose cone weight is needed.

Third flight left the pad OK because I added a second launch lug at the bottom of the rocket. But rocket went horizontal due to wind, only went 100' up, landed in thick woods but a good friend of mine found it. No problems. This is a fair weather rocket for sure. We canceled all other flights that day because of wind.

Fourth flight a disaster. Don't know what happen but it made a big arch and landed nose first into the ground. Need to replace upper part of body tube.

Rocket fixed and flown again. However, flight 5 lands on black top and breaks off a fin. Back to sick bay!

Flight 6 OK.

Flight 7 OK, goes pretty straight.

Flight 8 bad. Goes off course a little and lands in tree. Tried but couldn't reach it. Went back a few weeks later and it was gone! Not in the tree, not on the ground. Must have been stolen.

Lost

Last flew 10/28/01

SA Archer

12/08

First flight on a G64 with a little wind went great, landed close to pad. What an engine. First G64 engine ever.

Second flight was at NARAM43 with a G64-4. Nice flight which pleased the crowd.

Third flight at METRA on a G64-4 was nice and slow and low. Perfect flight.

Fourth flight on a G64-4 again was nice and everyone loved it.

Flights 5 and 6 on G64-4 at METRA were great.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/4/06

AMRAAM (Estes)

12/08

Flew 2 times with C6-5s, first flight OK, landed a couple hundred feet from launcher. Second flight one fin split apart. Found piece near rocket. Fixed and ready to fly again.

Third flight on C6-5 OK but same fin split again. Super glued and is ready to fly again.

Sixth flight was on an A8-3. Not a good engine to use! Went about 75'. I thought it was a goner but about 5' above the ground the chute came out. No damage.

Flights 7, 8, 9 and 10 on C6-3 and C6-5s were OK even though one flight the chute got tangled up and didn't come out good.

Flights 11 - 17 flown with no problems.

Flight 18 lands in parking lot cracking fin and breaking off part of another. Two hot rod cars sped by, I thought they were going to run it over! This is the most number of flights of any rocket I have ever had.

Flights 19-22 uneventful. I can't believe I have actually flown this guy 22 times! A new worlds record for me!

Flights 23-25 went fine. B6-4 and C6-3 engines are good for this rocket. Shock cord broke; tied it back up and it has flown fine.

Flight 26 saw a broken shock cord but rocket tumbled recovered and only minor damage. After 25 flights it was not unexpected. Was on a B64-4.

Flight 27 - 31 OK except chute lines broke, no damage. All lines replaced for flights 30 and 31.

Flight 32 on a B64 was nice, rocket didn't go high and seemed to just drag there until it descended.

Flight 33 on a C6-3 was OK, landing within field.

Flights 34 and 35 were with a B6-4 since the launch pad was broken and I couldn't aim it so I didn't want to use C6-5s.

Flights 36 - 50(!) are fine, flown with A8-3 (mininum size), B6-4 and C6-5s. C6-5 puts it almost out of sight. Had a few crack fins which I super glued,

Ready to fly

Last flew 8/11/07

ALARM

12/08

First flight with D12-5 landed in tree near edge of field. Too high to retrieve.

FOUND ON GROUND IN FOREST 10/28/01!!! Now that the leaves are off the trees, I went to see if I could see the rocket in the tree. Didn't see it so I looked on the ground under the leaves and found it! Found body tube and nose cone. Only thing missing is chute. Body is in great condition but 5 out of the 8 fins are broken off. Motor mount hanging out. I think I can fix it and fly it again!!

Well, rocket fixed and I flew it two more times on D12-5. With the added nose cone weight and new launch lugs which bind a little on the rod, it doesn't go real high anymore! See video section.

Flight 5 was slow and low. No problem getting it back with the wind.

Flight 6 on a D12-3 again. Coming down it has to hit the only small metal bar on a soccer net in the whole field and breaks 2 fins. Super glued fixed.

Flight 7 uneventful.

Flight 8 was great. Not high and everyone thought the chute wasn't going to come out but it did, nice close landing.

Flight 9 was awful. Rocket made a big arc and headed toward fence. Chute ejected at fence destroying nose cone and upper part of body tube. If the fence wasn't there, may have had no damage. Don't know what happen. See SICKBAY for photos.

Flight 10 after repairs, lands in trees somewhere, lost.

Lost

Last flew 7/30/06

Lance Beta

11/03

First flight with F40 goes pretty high, chute got tangled but lands OK.

Second flight at CTRA nice, lands within feet of a tree.

Third flight on a G64-7 went off at an angle and landed far away, almost in a ditch.

Flight 4 on a G64-7 was almost out of sight, lands far away.

Flight 5 same day on a G64-4 comes down alot closer.

Ready to fly

Last flew 11/03

HARM

12/08

First flight with D12-5 landed on black top. One chute cord got caught on shock cord mount, chute didn't fully open. One fin broke off, another loose. Fixed and ready to fly.

Second flight on D12-5 OK.

Third flight landed near school on black top. What is this with this rocket that it always lands on blacktop? Second fin practically broken off. Super glued and ready again to  fly.

Seventh flight I use too long of a delay, D12-7. Was going almost ballistic speed when the chute opened. Minor zipper but landed on blacktop (again). Crack fin.

Flight 8 OK.

Flight 9 OK but nose cone weight got loose so no more flights for today.

Flight 10 OK but minor zipper in tube. Rocket went straight up and then weather cocked. Lands OK though.

Flight 11 same day OK, lands in base ball field.

Flight 12 results in a cracked fin. Superglued at site and flew again.

Flight 13 lands near trees but OK.

Flights 14 - 17 OK. A couple of times with wind it went almost horizontal but lands in field.  With no wind, rocket just seems to hang there in the sky until the chute comes out. Flown on D12-5s which is probably too long but puts it lower when chute comes out. Lands on black top one time but no damage.

Flight 18 was on a C11-3. Rocket went about 100' and then started to come down. Chute came out right above ground. No damage.

Flight 19 was a disaster. Going back to a D12-3, rocket makes a big arc and smashes nose first into..the black top again! This rocket has a dead wish for black top. Major damage, smashed body tube, broken fins, destroyed nose cone, a real mesh. But can it be fixed?

Flight 20, after fixing it, was alot better although still not perfectly straight, chute came out just in time. Suffered a broken fin which has been fixed. This rocket has more scares on it then a boxer.

Flights 21-29 were a mixed bag. Rocket goes horizontal on #25 and bounces of the ground. Flight 26 barely clears the pad and lands on ground with a C11-3, too small I guess. Flight 29 goes horizontal and crashed nose first into the ground. This rocket has a lot of creases and bends and should be retired.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/10/05

Tomahawk

4/22/01

First and last flight at CTRA launch day. Windy. I had sight of it half way down but then lost it. It landed somewhere in a forest.

Lost

Last flew 4/22/01

HV ARCAS

5/12/01

First flight went off great on F20-4 but wind carried into a tree. Five feet more and it would have cleared it. Stuck near top, 40' up. Tried to retrieve with 10' ladder and 20' pole but no go. Asked land owner to cut tree but they said no.

Lost

Last flew 5/12/01

Phobos

12/08

First flight at METRA on an F52-5T. Not very high but nice. I lost it in the sun. Still looking up I ask the guy next to me if he saw it. He said yea, it was already on the ground 50' behind me!

Second flight at NARAM43 with G64-7 was very nice and landed close.

Third flight on an F40-4W with wind was a little bit unstable but landed OK.

Fourth flight on an F52-5 was great, even with alot of wind, good height and close recovery. Good for small fields.

Flight 5 on a G64-7 was good even in windy conditions. The chute is great and brings it down fast so it doesn't drift too much.

Flight 6 on an H128 really took off. Out of sight and lands on other side of canal, landing in a clear area.

Flight 7 on a G64-7, perfect apogee deployment.

Flight 8 on a G64-7, no problems.

Flight 9 on a G64-7 again was a good flight.

Flight 10 on a G64-7 lands in field and another flyer's rocket lands on top of it. Is that weird or what?

Flight 11 drifts over trees and canal and lands right at edge of road making it easy to find. Praise the Lord!

Flight 12 on an H238 goes to about 1200' and lands far away.

Flight 15 was at Royal Ranger Powwow in Green, NY, on an F40-4. Kids loved it and it made alot of noise.

Last flight, 16, WAS TOTAL CATO. Forward engine closure failed and rocket CATO on takeoff. Melts lower part of rocket. See SICKBAY for photo.

Ready to fly

Last flew 9/8/07

Patriot

4/03

Second biggest rocket, first time flight, on a G64-7. Nice. Video taped at METRA. Came down 1/4 mile away but field at METRA is so big, it still landed on grass.

Second flight with a G64 at NARAM was very nice and lands close.

Fourth flight was a disaster. Ejection charge of G64-4 didn't fire, rocket became a core sample. (See Sick Bay)

1/02 - Got replacement parts and repaired. Ready to fly again.

Fifth flight (first one after major repair) on a G64-4 was very nice.

Sixth flight was on an H128! Nice flight, much higher than a G64 of course. Lands not too far away.

Flight 7 on a G64-4 lands far away but OK.

Flight 8 on a H128 almost lands back on the pads!

Flight 9 on a G64-4 lands down field but winds caught the chute and was dragging the rocket along the ground heading toward a water filled ditch! I had to run to catch it before it went in! Noticed that a 4 second delay was too short, will try 7 seconds next time.

Flight 10 on a G64-4 was OK.

Flight 11 on a G64-4 lands fine, video taped it. Next flight wasn't so good....Flight 12, same day, was a major disaster! Forward closure failure caused the rocket to crash and burn at takeoff. Rocket destroyed. I was video taping all day but decided not to video tape this one. My bad luck! I reported to Aerotech and upon sending them the torched rocket they sent me a new SUMO and forward closure.

Lost

Last flew 5/04

AMRAAM4

12/08

Its first flight was use to obtain my Level 1! See video page. This rocket almost lands on me!

Second flight at NARAM43 with an I211M didn't go so well. Chute got tangled and it landed fast. Pop off one carnad fin, damaged one bottom fin and cracked lower body tube. Will be fixed and flown again.

Fixed and flew on an I161. Nice. Lands hundreds of feet away but OK.

Fourth flight with an H242 lets it land real close to pad. No damage.

Fifth flight on another H242 with wind has no problems, lands close.

Sixth flight on an I357 was spectacular. It had a 4' flame. Reached about 1500 feet with wind. Launched at CTRA in Cobleskill. Wind came and took it way over on the other side of the train tracks but in a large field. No damage.

Seventh flight on an I211 was AOK, lands close to the pad. Matter of fact, nosecone lands in ditch, in mud.

Eight flight on an I357. Very quick off the pad. The I357 burns much faster than the I211. I think I like the I357 better. Lands not far from truck which was good because it the my last flight of the day.

Flight 9 on an I211 at METRA with no winds lands close.

Flight 10 again on an I211 with winds was no problem.

Flight 11 on an I161 was very nice and lands AOK.

Flight 12 on an I211S was good, no problems.

Flight 13 on an I357 had a great blue flame, good recovery.

Flight 14 big crash on an I211-S. Maybe the delay was too short or maybe the piston meshed up but got major damage. See sick bay photos. Big crack in lower body tube and a canrad fin broke off. Piston damaged. Will repair and hope to fly at LDRS23.

Flight 15 after replacing broken section of body tube and glueing on canard fin. Flys good at LDRS on an I357-M.

Flight 16 on an I211 lands in fresh plowed dirt field. Getting to it was like in quick sand.

Flight 17 was on my first Redline motor, I218. Lands right at the edge of a big water filled trench!

Flight 18 was on an I195J, lands very far away.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/4/06

SUMO

12/08

I won this rocket in a contest. First flight with a G64 was nice. Almost lands in a ditch. See video section.

Second flight was at NARAM43 with an H128S. See video.

Third flight on a G64-4 with wind is prefect. Lands within field.

Fourth flight on a G64-4 with wind again is AOK. Lands hundreds of yards away in bare field right next to tall grass!

Fifth flight on a G64-4 was good.

Flight 6 on a G64-4 lands a few hundred yards away.

Another flight on a G64-4 was great and lands half in a ditch, fortunately missing the water.

Flight 8 on a G64-7 for the first time. Seven seconds seems to work good for this rocket too.

Flight 9 on an H180 went way out of sight. Probably hit 2500'. Recovered AOK.

Flight 10 on a G64-4 was picture perfect with deployment right at apogee.

Flight 11 at LDRS, wind blows it into parking lot and on decent bumps into a truck breaking off a piece of a fin. Some nice guy glued it back on for me.

Flights 12-14 land very. very far away. Flew on G64 and H238.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/4/06

Barracuda II

12/08

I replaced the one I lost with a new Barracuda. First flight at CTRA in Cobleskill on an F20-7 lands very near train tracks. Rocket is recovered before train comes.

Second flight on E16-4 lands in woods but a good friend of mine found it and it was recovered undamaged.

Third flight on an F20-7 with wind was OK this time.

Fourth flight on a F20-7 puts it almost out of site and lands far away.

Flight 5 was on a F20-7, good boost but wind takes it and it lands on a school roof ro somewhere else. Never found.

Lost

Last flew 7/3/05

Dude

6/02

First flight good but lands on grass and gets some cuts and rocket deflates. Used scotch tape to fix.

Second flight not good. Engine blast burns through balloon and crashes. See video in video section.

Called Estes and they sent a free replacement balloon. Third flight was perfect and a video can be seen on the video page.

Fourth flight was again perfect but when it landed the balloon got a hole somewhere and it deflated. Seems like the balloon is good for only 2 flights.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/02

Eliminator
(NCR)

12/08

Fourth NCR kit. First flight on a F40-4W with wind was great. Almost lands on the RSO table!

Second flight on a G64 was very nice. Shot up so fast I couldn't take a picture of it.

Third flight on a F40-7 was good and lands not too far away.

Flight 4 on a G64-7 was OK but chute got tangled and came down faster than normal. The good news is it landed in a ditch into soft mud and didn't get damage. Bad news it got real dirty!

Flight 5 on a G64-10 was a great flight.

Flight 6 on a F40-4 wasn't bad.

Flight 8 on a G64-10, was along delay but worked out AOK.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/4/06

Executioner

6/02

First Estes "E" engine rocket. First time flown half the chute lines came loose, rocket lands fast and gets a little damaged.

Second flight on an E9-6 was OK and lands in parking lot but no damage.

Third flight with same engine puts it almost out of sight. LANDS ON SCHOOL ROOF. Trying to get it back.

Got it back from the janitor of the school and flight 4 was on a D12-3. Nice flight.

Fifth flight was on a D12-5. Again, very nice, lands close.

Sixth flight was bad. I used an old D12-5 engine which didn't look good (damage to the nozzle). Rocket made a big arc and the chute ejected as it was entering the woods. Probably lost for good.

Lost

Last flew 6/02

Nike Smoke

07/03

First Cosmodrome rocket, completed 1/30/02. Was a Christmas present from my wife.

First flight on an F40-7 puts this rocket almost out of sight. Wind took it and it landed hundreds of yards away in a tree in the middle of a huge bare field! Luckily the club had a 50' pole and we got it down. The rocket had minor damage with a loose fin and gouge in the nosecone. Looks like rocket hit nosecone during deployment.

Second flight on a F40-7 goes out of sight and even though it was windy, lands 3' from pads!

Third flight on a F52-8 is not quite as high as with the F40.

Flight 4 on an F40-4 was OK.

Flight 5 was memorable because it was my first ever G35-6 Ellis motor. The motor burned for 4 seconds and had a great smoke trail. Everyone was impressed with the flight.

Flight 6 was NOT good. Using a G35-6 again the wind takes it 1/2 mile away into tall grass. Lost.

Lost

Last flew 07/03

Black Brant X

7/04

This PML is over 8' tall. 

Level 2 attempt with a J350 FAILED. Main chute was deflated by rocket passing though it. Also, at apogee separation, both sections of the rocket collided and broke off a canard fin. Click here to see construction photos and video.

Well, the second flight redeemed itself. After removing the nosecone weight, fixing the canard fin and broken tube, and moving the drogue chute as far forward as possible, a I284 took it to 1443'. Main deployed at 600' with no problems or damage.

Flight 3 on a J420 at LDRS was a mircale flight. At apogee I couldn't see the rocket anymore because the smoke from the launch came right over to me. No one else saw it desend or land. I had no idea where it landed. After 1.5 hours I found it after much prayer. Rocket did sustain some damage, just like the failed level 2attempt. Maybe the same thing happen. Reached 1950', not bad for an 11 pound rocket.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/04

Magnum

7/04

New level 2 attempt rocket. This puppy is 7.5' tall and 5.5" in diameter. Will use dual deployment. Boy, are level 2 rockets expensive. This one cost well over $225 to build and get ready.

8/2/02 - SUCCESSFUL LEVEL 2 attempt at METRA launch with a J350. Nice boost and great recovery. Click here to see video.

Second flight was a repeat of the level 2 flight using the J350. Pictures here. Went 1650'.

Flight 3 at LDRS on a J350 puts it up to 1651'. One fins breaks a little during flight. Rocket Man Video interviewed me and the rocket, may be in the LDRA highlightes video. (I doubt t but who knows?)

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/04

Fat Boy

12/08

I bought the Fat Boy to be used at a school event but that didn't pan out so I built it and added it to my fleet.

First flight on a C6-3 went pretty high.

Flights 2 - 5 at school with C6-3 and C6-5 AOK. One landing was almost in stream!

Flight 6 on C6-3 goes off on an angle but is recovered OK on this father's day.

Flight 7 on a C6-5 was a demonstrator for the Royal Rangers club whose class I was teaching about rockets. They all built Alpha IIIs. They were impress with the Fat Boy. Almost all of them ran after it when it was coming down. Ten little boys yelling and running. Thank God the rocket survived it!

Flight 8 on a B6-4 barely puts up the rocket high enough for chute to come out before hitting the ground!

Flight 9 back on C6-5 is good and straight.

Flights 10-19 were OK. I even had the State Police stop and watch a luanch!

Flight 20 was bad, wind took it into the woods, lost.

Lost

Last flew 7/24/05

Nike Apache

12/08

A Christmas gift from my wife.

First flight on a G64-7 goes very nice but when it landed the tip of the nose cone broke. From reading the Internet I see it is a common problem.

Flight 2 on a F40-4 was OK.

Flight 3 was major crash. Becuase of a forward closure failure the rocket crashed and burned at takeoff. My first ever in over 400 flights! The booster is shot but the top section is OK. Maybe I can reuse it for something.

READY TO FLY! I was able to repair the bottom section and it is ready to fly again. See SICKBAY photos.

Ready to fly

Last flew 04/04

Cherokee D2

12/08

My third Cherokee D flys on a C11-5 and lands with the field of the school's bus parking lot. I had to go under the fence to get the rocket back. I was lucky to find it at all from the other side of the fence.

Second flight on a C11 puts it over the trees but we found OK.

Third flight on C11-5 puts it in baseball field, np.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/4/05

HV ARCAS 2

12/08

First flight on a F52-5 is fine.

Second flight on a G80-7 puts it out of sight.

Flight 3 on a F20-7, 7 seconds too long. Rocket lands OK but winds blow it into the ditch and it gets all muddy!

Ejection charge doesn't fire flight 4, lands on it side with a broken fin.

Flight 6 was at Royal Ranger Powwow in Green, NY.

Flight 7 flown on a G64-10, long delay lets it land safely and close to pad.

Ready to fly

Last flew 9/8/07

Performer

12/08

Flight 1 on a J350 was great. Rocket hit the highest I have ever flown, 3302'! Lands far, far, far away because just as I was launching it, it got very windy! Altimeter was set for main deployment at 400' too!

Flight 2 on an I284 puts it to 3350' at LDRS and lands in spectator area, missing cars, tents, etc. Looks like main came out at apogee again. Why?

Flight 3 on an I218 Redline, shock cord broke and booster tumbled back OK. Was launched with my new camcorder payload section but got no video, I guess I didn't have the camera set right.

Ready to fly

Last flew 8/5/06

Orbital Transport 2

12/08

Flights 1 and 2 with B6-4 were great. Glider and booster came down real good.

Flight 3 with B6-4, lands near edge of road.

Ready to fly

Last flew 7/31/05

GForce

12/08

Flight 1 on a H238-M puts this rocket out of sight but lands real close, almost on the pad!

Flight 2 on a G64-4 was OK.

Flight 3 on a G64-4 lands OK even though it was avery short delay.

Flight 4 OK, flight 5 on an H128, fine.

Flight 6 was at the Royal Ranger Powwow in Green, NY. Flew on a G64, boys loved it and it was LOUD!

Flight 7 on a G64 lands close to pad even though it was windy.

Ready to fly

Last flew 9/8/07

ASRAAM

12/08

Flights 1 and 2 on D12-3 and D12-5 was very straight and nice.

Flight 3 on D12-3 goes off course but chute deploys OK. The bad news is it lands on the 3th base line of a softball game in progress! Needless to say those players were not too happy. I was able to get the rocket back in one piece.

Flight 4 was on a pair of C11-3, nice flight.

Flight 5 was on a pair of D12-5 and it drift somewhere, never found.

Lost

Last flew 7/31/05

Warloc

12/08

First flight at LDRS on an I284 produces a broken fin and a long walk.

Second flight after super glueing fin on an I284-S again gives a good flight with no broken fin.

Flight 3 was on a I211, lands far away, near trees!

Flight 4 was on a I284, chute gets tangled in the nosecone, lands hard on dirt but no damage.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/18/05

Screamin-mini

12/08

Flights 1, 2 and 3 on D12-3s hardly make any nosie.

Flights 4 - 25 OK, lands in tall grass, flew fine on C11-3, lands close, etc, etc.

Ready to fly

Last flew 10/12/08

Eliminator

12/08

Flight 1 and 2 was with X10 video camera payload but the signal strength was too weak to get any picture from the ground. Need a better antenna.

Flight 3 on a D12-3 same problem. Nose cone broke from shock cord.

Ready to fly

Last flew 6/18/05

Mercury Redstone II

12/08

In 2005 Estes re-introduced this model. Flights 1-13 have been with B6-4 and C6-3. Chute has not been coming out reliabily for some reason, had some bad landings but no major damage so far.

Ready to fly

Last flew 8/11/07

Aerobee 300 II

12/08

My first Thrustine kit, a clone of the eariler Estes rocket.

Flights 1-6 are fine including flight 2, my first ever B6-6 engine. Flown on mostly A8-3 so I won't loose it.

Ready to fly

Last flew
10/12/08

Honest John II

12/08

Flights 1-4 on A8-3 OK. Flight 4 lands in tall grass but found OK.

Ready to fly

Last flew
10/12/08

Big Daddy

12/08

Flown 14 times on C11-3, E9-6, D12-3, D12-5, D12-7.

Flight 9 lawn darts into dirt at edge of road. Had to pull it out of the ground but because the dirt was soft, NO DAMAGE! More than once lands near or in tall grass by swamp but been able to recover with no problems.

Ready to fly

Last flew
10/12/08

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