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.