Earliest Akela-1 reference
 

Hello All,

Awhile back there was a discussion about the Centuri Akela-1 Cub Scout rocket (see: http://www.oldrocketplans.com/centu...654/cen1654.htm ).

I just found what is apparently the earliest reference to the Akela-1, in the September 1973 issue of "Boy's Life" magazine (the article link is below). The article also mentions Ricky Piester, who launched the first Akela-1 flown by a Cub Scout pack; I presume he is a son of Centuri founder Lee Piester (see: http://books.google.com/books?id=SR...0rocket&f=false ).

I hope this information will be helpful.

Rick Piester is indeed Lee Piesters son. Although I haven't seen him in a few years, Rick occasionally attends a club event here in Champaign, IL. Interestingly enough, He works for Hobbico, or at least did when I last saw him.
Luckily, his dad was in town visiting, and they took the time to come to one of our club meetings and visit. It was great to have a chance to talk to Lee, he's a great guy. In fact, they both are!

Hey Black****e,

You realize that the Akela is a Viking is an ~Estes Black Diamond is an ~Estes Viking ...

Ricky is a part owner of Great Planes and sits on the board of directors, IIRC.

This is why Lee's remaining 2 Hobby Shops sell mostly Hobbico Planes/Cars/Boats and products. They do sell a small amount of Horizon Hobbies. They really should enter into deals with direct manufacturers from China (as 90% of all hobby products on the planet are made there) but because of image and loyalties, they sell the cookie-cutter products distributed by the big 2 American importers. Too bad because there are many products that are better in price and value to the consumer.

If I ever open another Hobby Shop, I will not deal with Great Planes or Horizion ... they are middle-men that jack the price up several hundred percent.

Instead I would just order 'containers' of goods direct from China and sell them mail-order and walk up brick and mortar shop. There are dealers who do just that and are making $$$ in the process.

Jonathan

The first time I saw a reference to Ricky Piester was in the opening pages of the Centuri catalogs in the early 1970s.

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/no...a/72cen004.html

All the way down on the lower right is a small head shot.
That type is too small to read in the Ninfinger page, but it says:

A Phoenix boy writes: I like rockets. "I eat, sleep and drink rockets", my Mom says.
But then she says the same thing about my dad.

Ricky Piester

I thought that was a little hokey back then. But it got their son into print!

*That* was what was making my head tingle with near-recognition last night! The boy in the larger color photo on the left also looks like Rick Piester. Thank you all for your replies. Yes, I know the "family history" of all members of the Centuri and Estes "branches" of the Akela-1/Viking/Black Diamond "family"; I wish Estes would offer a Viking kit version with Akela-1 decals especially for Scouts (although Sandman has perfect duplicate Akela-1 decals with both "Akela-1" and "Viking" kit name decals on the decal sheets that are available now!). I'm glad to hear that Rick Piester is still involved in model rocketry (and in "flying" hobbies in general).

Jonathan, with all due respect, how familiar are you with these companies that are based in my hometown?

Here are some links you might find useful:

http://www.hobbico.com/career.html

http://www.manta.com/c/mmqhg0y/grea...s-model-mfg-inc Yes they really do manufacture stuff here.

http://www.horizonhobbycorp.com/WhoWeAre/

These companies employ over 900 Americans, I'd hate to see them lose thier jobs because everyone started buying direct from China.

Nor the peaple that work here:

http://www.estesrockets.com/

I apologize for derailing the thread, but, I had to say that.

Now back to the topic, I do not believe the other picture is Rick. although I think he is in another catalog.

Jeffrey,

I have to go where my dollar goes the furthest ... just like Hobbico and Estes do and did... they caused 100,000's of Americans to lose their jobs over the last 30 - 40 years.

Jonathan

Almost, but not quite. The original Akela-1/Centuri Viking had a different nosecone and the fins had ever so slightly different dimensions, showing that they weren't cut with the same die. It goes without saying that the BT-20 is thinner than the series 7 Centuri tube also. However, the spirit of the design is the same throughout.

The nosecone difference is easy to see. The fin difference isn't quite so easy unless you stack them. I can't seem to find the pic of the fins, but here are the nosecones.

The original was more stable than current design - mostly because the original nose cone was heavier.

Yes, it's quite a bit heavier. I don't have an unpainted Estes nose cone or I could give a comparison. Also, the Centuri kits have just a tad more fin area.

Man, looking at that issue of Boy's Life sure brought back memories! I used to read it every month cover to cover. I always liked the fiction they printed there (Tailbone Patrol stories were always a favorite!). Believe me - ours was a scouting family all the way - I got to Eagle, God & Country, was a Junior Assistant Scout Master, Den Chief and Order of the Arrow. I even made it to the National Jamboree in (I think) '73, and got to see the display that Estes had set up there to promote getting rocketry into scouting - they were trying to get model rocketry into the Space Exploration merit badge as I recall.

Ya know - I think I still have an Akela-1 nose cone and fin set somewhere around here, but no body tube or launch lug. I might just have to get some ST-7 from Semroc and make an almost authentic Akela-1 (already got the decals from Gordon).

Greg

My sixth grade class used a couple of Akela-1 12-packs for a launch project.

I still have one of the decal sheets!

I first saw model rocketry at the 1977 National Scout Jamboree at "More Rain" State Park. Unfortunately I didn't know about the Space Exploration merit badge then. After the Jamboree I picked up a rocket set and was really into it for a very long time. Dropped it for a while some years after I got married but picked it up again a year or so ago.

A lot of memories Scouting has provided to me!

lucky b****rd :p :)

It may very well be the earliest reference. The Dec 1974 Centuri Rocket Times notes that the Boy Scout rocketry line was introduced "a year ago". Most likely, the launch took place very soon after they became available.

I think so. The article strongly suggests that that particular 1973 Cub Scout launch in Arizona that was conducted by Ricky Piester was the very first time the Akela-1 was flown (outside of test & proving flights that Centuri undoubtedly conducted before releasing the kit to the Scouting supplies stores). Wouldn't it be something if Rick Piester still has that first bird in a box in a closet somewhere?

It could be hanging in one of the Hobby Bench stores, I read somwhere that Rick built most of the old rockets that are there.

I wouldn't feel comfortable "cold-calling" him regarding this because he doesn't know me, but if you or any of the other posters on this thread who know him could contact him to find out, that would be very interesting. If he still has that first publicly-flown Akela-1 (either in his possession or on display in one of the Hobby Bench stores), it would be an historically significant rocket to "nearly-clone" using Sandman's Akela-1 decals and an Estes Viking kit. An *exact* clone would even be possible, using Sirius Rocketry's "Moldin' Oldies" resin replica of that #7 plastic nose cone along with the body tube, thrust ring, and laser-cut fiber fins (for the Vector-V) that are available from Semroc.

I don't know if you do FaceBook or not but Rick is on FB. You could reach him that way.

http://techland.com/2010/05/10/bett...-waste-of-time/

Funny commentary on Facebook.

Scott, I don't do FaceBook (I am as bemused by it and Twitter as Betty White is, as Fred posted above), but I do have a FaceBook account because the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre posts many of their photographs on their FaceBook page. I'll look up Rick Piester on there--thank you for the suggestion! Another funny thing I found was that in the next issue of "Boys' Life" (October 1973), Pedro the Mail Burro referred to the N.R.A. ("National Rocketry Association") in responses to letters from Scouts about the Akela-1 article in the previous issue--are there any N.R.A. members here? :-)

I was just at a rocket launch with Bill Stine and spent a wonderful hour reminiscing about a number of things including the hobby stores we used to ride our bikes to while we were each growing up in Phoenix.

Bill told me he was employed at the first Hobby Bench store (at 17th Ave.) even before it opened and one of his duties was to build many of the rockets that still hang from the ceiling there. He said he couldn't absolutely recall but he was pretty sure he built the Skylab.

Purty! I wonder if he built the Starship Vega as well?

Now that you mention that, I believe I may have been confused. I believe it was Bill Stine and not Rick Piester who built most of the hobby bench models. I may have confused the two famous sons of two legends.

That's perfectly all right, Jeffrey--your error prompted me to contact Rick Piester, who kindly e-mailed me several old Akela-1 photographs and allowed me to share them here on YORF (see the thread "Early Akela-1 photos" here: http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showt...95299#post95299 ). Corresponding with both of them--which I now have--is, for me (to put it in human terms), like having two sons of Zeus and Poseidon drop by to chat over baklava and ambrosia--WOW!

Trivia question (you don't have to be a Cub Scout):

Where does the name Akela come from?

Greg

The Akela camp (the graduation from Cub Scout to Boy Scout). I'm not sure, but I think the name is from a character in Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book."

We have a winner!

Snip from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle_Book



As mentioned above, Akela is a wolf and leader of the wolf pack in Kipling's story.

In my son's Cub Scout book (WEBELO), they just say that Akela means "leader".

Greg

They dropped the wolf connection after dens of cub scouts went running about on all fours and taking down deer.

But seriously:

If anyone wants my original Akela 8-pack decal sheet, I'll be happy to send it to you if you make a $10 donation to the NAR.

That's a very nice deal.

Any takers?

Greg

Tranliteration results in spelling variations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_(constellation)

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