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  #1  
Old 10-20-2009, 08:02 AM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Default The Centuri Years

Lee and Betty Piester developed a great model rocket company and came out with significant "firsts" in the hobby.

What would you say these would be, and, what kits would you include on the list.
Thanks
RD
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  #2  
Old 10-20-2009, 08:48 AM
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Tau Zero Tau Zero is offline
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Thumbs up Lee Piester: An Unassuming Legend

Dear Ken,

(mock seriousness) You dared to make this post. Here. Where there was a chance I might actually see it. (chuckling)

I may have already said plenty on the subject about 7 years ago.


CORRECTION: Lee and Betty Piester have told me they sold Centuri in 1970, as opposed to the date mentioned in the article. My mistake.

.
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"I think about organizing things all the time. Never seems to happen. I find something that piques my interest and I'm off on a quest. Or a Centuri. "

--Bill Eichelberger, 02/22/2022


“Centuri fret buzz in an updated form.”
Bill “Wallyum” Eichelberger re: Estes Flutter-By
03 Sept 2014
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  #3  
Old 10-20-2009, 08:55 AM
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Tau Zero Tau Zero is offline
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Thumbs up Lee Piester: An Unassuming Legend -- Part II

Quote:
Originally Posted by CenturiGuy
I may have already said plenty on the subject about 7 years ago.
Here you go with the rest of the article.

You may need to use the "Zoom" function in a photo editing program to read these.

.
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Jay Goemmer
"Centuri Guy"/"Tau Zero"
YORF Member 28
Semroc SAM #0029
NAR 86131


"I think about organizing things all the time. Never seems to happen. I find something that piques my interest and I'm off on a quest. Or a Centuri. "

--Bill Eichelberger, 02/22/2022


“Centuri fret buzz in an updated form.”
Bill “Wallyum” Eichelberger re: Estes Flutter-By
03 Sept 2014
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  #4  
Old 10-20-2009, 10:08 AM
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GregGleason GregGleason is offline
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Default

My votes:
  • Enerjet
  • Baffle Ejection System
  • Catalogs
Centuri holds a special place for me since, IIRC, the hobby shop only carried them in the small town that I lived in.

Thanks for an interesting article, Jay.

Greg
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  #5  
Old 10-20-2009, 02:21 PM
Rocketcrab Rocketcrab is offline
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The 1/100-scale Saturns and the 1/45-scale Little Joe II and later the 2.0" diameter Mercury-Redstone took "scale" model rocket kits to a new level.
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  #6  
Old 10-20-2009, 10:05 PM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CenturiGuy
Dear Ken,

(mock seriousness) You dared to make this post. Here. Where there was a chance I might actually see it. (chuckling)

I may have already said plenty on the subject about 7 years ago.


CORRECTION: Lee and Betty Piester have told me they sold Centuri in 1970, as opposed to the date mentioned in the article. My mistake.

.



Unfortunatley, not everyone is a NAR member and don't get the magazine.

Has Lee and Betty every said that they regretted selling the company to Damon?
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Old 10-20-2009, 10:36 PM
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Mark II Mark II is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
Unfortunatley, not everyone is a NAR member and don't get the magazine.

Has Lee and Betty every said that they regretted selling the company to Damon?
And some NAR members weren't members back in 2003. I can't contribute anything about Centuri since I never had any of their kits and I'm still learning about them even now.

MarkII
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  #8  
Old 10-21-2009, 10:02 AM
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ghrocketman ghrocketman is offline
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Here are my votes:

1) Enerjet AP composite engines and Kits (Especially the Athena and 'working' Nike Smoke)
2) Mini-Max engines and Large Scale Kits
3) 1/45 Scale Little Joe II
4) 1/100 Scale Saturn 1B
5) Passport staging
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  #9  
Old 10-21-2009, 11:25 AM
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DaveR DaveR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CenturiGuy
Dear Ken,

I may have already said plenty on the subject about 7 years ago.



I have a copy of this edition of Sport Rocketry and must say, your article is top notch. Very informative and well written.

Centuri didn't have much of a presence around here "back in the day" and I'm sorry I missed it.
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  #10  
Old 10-22-2009, 10:45 PM
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Tau Zero Tau Zero is offline
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Question Getting out while the getting's good...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
Has Lee and Betty every said that they regretted selling the company to Damon?
Ken,

This is just a rough paraphrase, but I seem to recall Betty saying they needed to sell Centuri because their stock prices were continuing to drop. In *my* opinion (*not* theirs!), they were probably trying to make the best of a bad situation.

I'm just glad they managed to survive that particular downturn, and make the transition to their Hobby Bench stores.


Cheers,
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Jay Goemmer
"Centuri Guy"/"Tau Zero"
YORF Member 28
Semroc SAM #0029
NAR 86131


"I think about organizing things all the time. Never seems to happen. I find something that piques my interest and I'm off on a quest. Or a Centuri. "

--Bill Eichelberger, 02/22/2022


“Centuri fret buzz in an updated form.”
Bill “Wallyum” Eichelberger re: Estes Flutter-By
03 Sept 2014
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