Estes the dude?
http://cgi.ebay.com/7-ft-Tall-Model...%3A1%7C294%3A50
If i am reading it right, it is saying there is an inflatable 7 foot rocket, that recovers on a 12 inch parachute? |
That just about covers it. Not sure about the parachute size, but I'm sure it doesn't really even need one.
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Yep. it was available for a couple of years around 2001. http://www.soarrocketry.org/Multime...h/target15.html |
One of the all-time bad Estes jokes.
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My local hobby shop had the Dude set up in the window display for a few years, the sight of it probably discouraged model rocketry.
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Some B divisioners used them for the E SuperRoc competition at NARAM 49. Wait a second, was that only a threat? Bob, I can't remember seeing it fly. Did Rachel fly it?
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I recently got the new Hobby Surplus catalog, and they still have some Dudes,
selling for $14.99 + shipping, etc. http://www.hobbysurplus.com/ My son and I have a Dude and have flown it a few times at the SSS monthly launches at Rainbow Valley, AZ. Our main problem has been with the desert thorns, they have not been kind to the Dude. That is why I've been looking for places where I can buy another one ... and we may have to restrict it to a grassy park in town. :D It's an odd rocket, not everyone's cup of tea, but can be fun. It doesn't fly very high and it is fragile, but it seems to be a kid magnet and we have had fun with ours. We flew it for the first time at GHS in 2006 and it was my son's favorite flight. You were right about the parachute, the rocket doesn't weigh a lot, doesn't go very high, and the chute doesn't seem to do much. Jeff |
I kinda of like it, but i can see why a lot of people wouldn't like it though!
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I love it. It is a big metallized baloon, so obviously it can be punctured by thorns or sharp or even mildly pointy tree branches. It is best flown on grassy fields.
It flies slow and to a few hundred feet. Then the ejection charge pops a small parachute out a sideways pointing tube and this helps keep the rocket horizontal as it floats down. It works fine even without the chute, but the chute is extra fun for some. We use it on display at shows and it looks like it is a shiny metal rocket, like an Atlas missile. Let's see where the photos are: http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery/gal227.jpg http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery/gal228.jpg http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery/gal256.jpg http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery/gal257.jpg http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery/gal258.jpg |
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Nice pictures, Fred. Looks like you've had fun with the Dude.
I've attached a few of the pictures from our Dude below. Looking back, it probably should have been obvious that the desert thorns and brambles would be an issue for a rocket made from a balloon. Ah well, live and learn, we bought it for $6 on Ebay. In the video from the GHS 2006 flight, you can hear someone yelling, "It's gonna pop when it hits the ground out here! Catch it!!" I still get a chuckle out of that. We had fun with the Dude and will fly it yet again (from a grassy park) as soon as I buy another one. Happy holidays, Jeff |
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