Brad Morse

I will totally dispute what John Wilke (IFlyRockets) says about RATT versus Hypertek motors. WarrenI have seen exactly zero RATTs or SkyRippers fail to fly over the last 2-3 years. I can immediately think of *four* HyperTEKS that did not…   Read more»

Edward, there have been a lot of RATT boosts at NCR. Much better batting average w/ RATT vs. HyperTEK, too…JW

John, not sure what Jim Amos may have in AMW inventory… he also rents hardware, or at least used to. AMW has some wonderful 75mm loads. Might be worth a look?

John,Interesting tip–is that the fabric you’re talking about or just strap/tube? JBoth strap and tube cut well. I pull the Kevlar up to the blade so it is barely snug against the Exacto blade, and then bear down on it…   Read more»

I typically cut Kevlar with an Exacto knife. Pull it tight across the blade, and it is fine. I have one blade that I’ve used to cut Kevlar many times. I change the blade when necessary, but it is amazing…   Read more»

I just use my wife’s scissors. Don’t tell her. Please.

It is really easy to get a perfect, enviable finish every time! I’m going to hire Scott Harless to paint mine

I consider Pratt Hobbies to be as good a supplier as there is out there. I’ve ordered from Doug Pratt many times. He is prompt, courteous, and will bend over backwards to accommodate you. Order with confidence!John Wilke

I have two GPS units… “Old reliable” and a new one that I was given for Christmas. They often read different elevations for the same waypoint. Further to that, the elevations on both will “float” quite a bit.I had once…   Read more»

Atmospheric pressure will vary greatly day to day and over time. I don’t know that anywhere on earth that has any particular “average” atmospheric pressure.I’m assuming this info was for simulation purposes? I use Rocksim V4.0, which has no way…   Read more»

I used topo maps… actually a lot more accurate (typically) than the altitude component of GPS.I was truly surprised to see the N site at 5,500′. It is definitely higher than Atlas. I can dig out the topos sometime again,…   Read more»

I figure about 5,500′ MSL for the North Site and 4,800′ MSL for the Atlas site. Can’t help you on the average barometric pressure…

*IF* I get out there and *IF* we find someone to pull the trailer (last I heard that was still an issue) and *IF* I have room, I’ll bring my 8″ Dobsonian telescope so everyone can use it for tracking…   Read more»

JW, let me clarify. I haven’t had a motor CATO yet. At Oktoberfest, I put a “Wilke” charge in my Vertical Assault booster and blew the top of it off. Hmmmm…. I seem to have an unearned reputation for charges…   Read more»

7600′ would be an awesome blast by any measure. FWIW, I’ve found the G80 .eng files to be outrageously inaccurate, but you never know. The highest I was ever able to get the older, higher-NS G80’s was something like 5100’….   Read more»

…. Since 1965, I’ve never CATO’d. ‘Bout time, I guess. Never CATO’d????? goodness, what a charmed life you live!I had the mother of all CATOS many years ago on a PML Ariel at the Atlas site. It is not uncommon…   Read more»

I have a 2″ 36mm eyepiece that would be perfect (1200mm focal length of the optical tube converts that to 33.33X magnification).Regarding misfires — we have always treated a bad igniter as just that — a bad igniter. Now, a…   Read more»

We have two scopes – an 8″ Dob, and a 16″ Dob. The 16″ is a monster that we haul all over the country. It is too bulky to track rockets, you have to stand on a ladder to reach…   Read more»

I have an offer that I’d like to float by all you SSS geeks. Let me know what you think.Rules stipulate that electronic tracking is NOT allowed, either via beepers or xsmitters. Optical tracking is obviously OK. Along those lines,…   Read more»

The bigger bicycle tower doesn’t go down to 24mm-sized airframes. In fact, it may not even go down to 38mm. It is pretty much a 54mm and up tower. So everyone knows, it is only about 5’9″ tall. That one…   Read more»