Names for kits can originate in many ways. More than once I have seen a word, such as Optima for example, used somehow in a magazine article and it sticks with me that it would make a cool kit name. That's true. It was the same for Bill or Gene or Wayne who had their own favorite ways to name their designs. There have been times I have stared at a model for days until an approproate name comes to mind that seems to fit. Then there have been others who will be standing next to the boss when we are reviewing new products and mentions a name they think fits, and then there have been name-the-rocket contests in the plant. So who knows, maybe next week someone will yet think up another way to name an Estes model rocket .

How much money ya got?

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

Mike, I think that is great Estes goes through that much trouble to test fly new rockets. I have always built Estes rockets per the plans with no modifications what so ever and all my flights have been perfect except for the old R2-D2. He almost nosed dived into the ground, but the chute deployed in time The 2 builds I have that I have not flown yet is the Tomcat and the Maxi X-Wing, I still have my doubts if they will be successful flights. How did your test flights go with those two birds? Also what sealer does Estes use on the wood? Thanks David

Regarding test flights and stability issues: Some folks who dabbled in the hobby a bit during the Episode 1 era may not know that the motors produced during that era had a problem that has since been solved. They had a very white powdery nozzle material that could erode away during the motor firing (reducing the thrust) and/or erode assymetriclly (reducing thrust AND producing vectored thrust). They did not always do this, but they did it a large percentage of the time. The loss of thrust could be fatal for heavier models that needed every bit of thrust. The vectored thrust could send a normally stable model off on a strange trajectory - turning horizontal like a cruise missile or even doing loops.


The current modern clay material used is absolutely superior and I think it is even better than what they used for many decades prior to the infamous "Poopy Clay". The current production motors seem to me to be of higher quality than I remember over the years in the 1970's and 1980's and into the 1990's.

So, thanks for the high quality and for correcting a problem when it was reported.

When you get a chance, take a production Hi-Flyer and build it and fly it with a C6-7 motor and tell me if it flies stable for you. From what I've seen, they sometimes do and sometimes do not....

Thanks.

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-Fred Shecter NAR 20117 (L2)
Southern California Rocket Association, NAR Section 430

I will indeed investigate the H-Flyer. I was not aware of any problem with it.

Some of you know I created the LTV Scout several years ago. I probably flew both the original design test model as well as the models built with the fist plastics dozens of times. I loved that model and showed it off to anybody I could grab on the way to the pad. It flew absolutely perfectly. A couple of months after it's release I got word that modelers were having LTVs flying end over end. I felt certain that the guys were doing something wrong during their build. While I was waiting to get those models returned to me, I took the model I had flown so many times, lit it up, and it proceeded to fly end over end. I could not accept what had happened, lit it up again, and it did the same thing. I added about a half ounce of clay (I think that's what the amount was) inside the nose and flew it until it fell apart. It never flew anything but stable after that. We added the clay to the kit and I don't recall ever hearing another complaint. It was one lesson I have never fogotten.

Dave - the Maxi X-Wing flies fine. But understand that it weighs just about the max a 'D' can handle. It's sluggish going up. Launch it absolutely straight up on a calm day. I wasn't there for your R2D2 flight so can't offer any observations. My first thought would be you used a delay that was too long. You are welcome to send the model to me to look at if you like. How about the reat of you guys - have you had any flight problems with your R2D2s?

Only when there were "Poopy Clay" motors. Mine all flew fine on good motors and I built and flew one or more of each generation R2D2.

The Death Star is/was insanely cool. Those streamers really look like the DS was turned into flaming debris.

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-Fred Shecter NAR 20117 (L2)
Southern California Rocket Association, NAR Section 430

You did?! And all along I thought God created me.

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Scott D. Hansen
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WOOSH NAR Section #558

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app3/lv-1.html

I believe LTV stands for Ling-Temco-Vought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTV_Aerospace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ling-Temco-Vought

Jerry