#1
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NCR by Estes F62 Darkstar motor production
I started a new thread so not to go OT in Bob's history thread.
F62s were very fine single use motors, especially memorable because another single use smokey available was the AT F14, so the F62 was a wonderful alternative, plus I recall the delays being spot on. I only have four left Matt Steele mentioned that 17,000 were fired in development testing which staggers the imagination. Matt, can you divulge total number produced? F62 post |
#2
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Thanks for the compliments. Between Scott Dixon, Mike Dorffler, Dan Kafun and I, we worked very hard to make a great hobby composite motor. We paid a lot of attention to the delays to make sure they would work well.
I'd prefer not to disclose the total number of motors made, but is was "lots and lots more" than 17,000, as you might guess. Matt |
#3
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Just from simple math if they tested 1% of production it would be 1.7 million motors, or if 10% it would be 170,000 motors.
One could reasonably guess it would be somewhere between the two; that is a LOT of F62's !
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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!! Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't ! Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY. ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC ! |
#4
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I saved one each F62-4 and F62-6 and put them up with a few black powder Centuri and Estes Diamond packs. Sad it must have been more cost effective for Estes to contract Aerotech the next time they entered the composite market.
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#5
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The 17,000 F62 motors tested were all pre-production qualification motors, so you can't draw any conclusions between that number and production testing. We had to test 17,000 before we were satisfied to release the first production motor to the market.
Matt |
#6
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Quote:
Were all of those fired in test stand to generate a thrust curve? |
#7
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No, the motors had very reproducible time-thrust curves.
The testing was done to establish statistically significant reliability values. We had to be sure the motor worked as designed under a wide variety of conditions (0 degrees F to 120 degrees F, for example). We didn't want any problems to crop up after we released them (like what happened to Estes when they released the infamous D13s that had a propensity to fail catastrophically). Matt |
#8
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Quote:
I guess you guys had...(wait for it) Money to burn!
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Bob S.A.M. # 0014 |
#9
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I think I saw a figure that was related to a Tunik Q&A that was 6000 delivered motors. I remember feeling that was a relatively small number.
Much of what he did was tax loss destruction of manufacturing assets, tooling and stuff that really should have ended up in a museum. For example he dismantled Vern's house. Jerry |
#10
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Wasn't there fire at Estes that contributed significantly to the decision to exit the mid-power market?
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