Warren B. Musselman

All commercial and government liquid fueled rockets use active guidance systems, usually using gimbaled exhaust nozzles and in some case entire combustion chambers. Gyros were used as the reference for birds like the Atlas, Saturn and other large boosters. There…   Read more»

Tim, sorry if I’m not seeing the problem… Paul is selling old style AMW cases and re-labeling or making CTI-compatible cases. Last I heard all Paul’s propellant is made by CTI so whether it’s for an old-style AMW case or…   Read more»

I just got off the phone with Bill and it would appear that Ken has scored the deal of the year. Good for you Ken and thanks to everyone who called Bill.Warren

MY deep sympathies Mike – just be glad it wasn’t the sewage pipe that blew out and backed up into your basement. The 8″ airframes will probably be fine if they haven’t gotten out of round and you glass them…   Read more»

Doug,As always, utterly superb pictures.Warren

I think a central list of the specific Estes and Centauri models should be put together – it would also be nice is someone were able to post plans for the originals in a central place. We can certainly do…   Read more»

As a contest, I think with the right “marketing”, we could get quite a few singles and teams to participate. I’m going to contact Brent McNeely sometime in the next week or so and see what kind of exposure he…   Read more»

For the most part, the rules set down by Doug look to be extremely solid and will promote a great competition. Team projects were not addressed in those rules and the entry fee is one of the few aspects still…   Read more»

Thanks Doug for the post. Yes, there is an Upscale Contest in the works and it looks to be a very fine contest. Rules are pretty well fleshed out – again, thanks to Doug for coming up with this idea…   Read more»

As I read the proposed rules, it doesn’t matter whether a particular upscaled project has been done before so long as YOU haven’t built the particular rocket before the contest begins.W

Let me announce here that NCR is working out the details of holding an Upscale contest with significant prizes. Rules and details to be posted before the end of August. Eligible rockets will be Estes and Centauri models from the…   Read more»

I’m not saying what the largest possible is – it depends on diameter and the way it’s constructed (thru wall fins will survive a lot more than surface mount). I’m personally flown J350’s and J420’s with no problem and have…   Read more»

Very nice Ken. Well done.W

You’re quite right Adrian – the key is the epoxy. Kevlar can take 1200 F before significant deterioration of the fabric. Carbon can take more and again the issue is the epoxy rather than the fabric. Some folks use a…   Read more»

I have used Kevlar in most of my composite projects – primarily for impact resistance, but on my latest – my L3 bird – also for heat resistance. The issue will be whether your epoxy can stand up to the…   Read more»

I’ve heard on the Composite Rocketry group that Cotronics is $80 for less than a 1/2 pint and that it has a maximum shelf life of 6 months – use it or lose it. I’ve been planning on buying some…   Read more»

I think I’d use barbecue paint on that bird….W

I remember seeing a documentary about 20 years ago about the end of WWII and they had a whole bunch of film of bulldozers pushing dozens and hundreds of P51’s, B24’s, B17’s, P47’s, etc. into huge piles in England and…   Read more»

My apologies Scott, didn’t mean to offend. Just that after a couple years on the Composites Group, I’m a huge fan – least amount of off-topic bullshit and highest amount of info of any group I belong to including many…   Read more»

Scott, you are completely wrong about the Composite Rockets group and it’s moderator, Mick Kelly. After a recent spate of spammers joining the group, he has gotten a tad knee jerk about rejecting new membership requests that don’t include a…   Read more»