Estes Saturn 5   Bought this a while ago, and took my time building it.  Heavy, and susceptible to damage.  Still, very cool.  I've seen others fly great on E30's.   6/2/07 - Lockheed Young Astronauts - Flew on an ancient E15-4.  The launch director kept arcing the pad away, which I knew was wrong.  Flew it anyway.  Mistake.  Arc'ed into the ground before ejecting, really messing up the front end. 09/08/09 - Rebuild progressing.  Checked CG's of other Saturns, and removed some nose weight.
"Glowworm" - 24mm minimum diameter "Arrow".   Features: 1) BT-50 tubes 2) "Engine-Blocked" for 24mm "E" and "F" engines.  Spacer for "C" and "D" engines   Flights: 1) Flew 7/18/04 at Fresno on a C11-5.  Worked, but the Pico altimeter said I flew to 65000 ft!  (I don't think so).  Suspect the ejection charge shook the battery loose, and then it "underran" - started from "0" feet and decended 800 ft...   2) Flew at Snow Ranch, 5/7/05, again on a C11-5.  Disappointing altitude, incomplete 'chute deploy, and invalid Pico reading.   Darn!  Repaired body damage.   3) Flew at Fresno, 7/17/05, on a D12-7.  Spectacular flight to high altitude, but the rear body separated at eject, and came down fast.  Minor paint damage.  Pico gave me an invalid reading again!  Mailed mfg, and discovered 1) there's a lookup chart, for the 5-digit number, and 2) my 63,000 reading is off the chart, and indicates a chip s/w problem.  Mailed in to get it repaired.   4) 8/4/06 - Aeronaut.  Tried launching on an E9-8, and the motor blew the nozzle!  No damage to the rocket, but that's frustrating...   5) 9/23/06 - XPRS, 2006.  Launched on D9-7, and discovered that Zip Ties do not work to hold in red-hot engines (they melt).  But I got it back successfully.  The Pico Alt says I went 1315 feet!   6) 9/23/06 - XPRS, 2006.  Found the engine, and put in an (old) Aerotech E15-10.  The delay was much longer than that, though.  A late ejection tore the parachute up, but the rocket was unharmed.   7) 12/2/06 - Snow Ranch in December - what a beautiful day.  Flew to 650 feet on a D12-5, with a MAWD (and mini battery setup.)  Lost the nosecone, and the altimeter fell the whole way, but there was no damage.  Still beeping on the ground!   8) 4/21/07 - TCC Fresno - Flew on an E9-8.  Roared off the pad, and started to waggle, until the payload section pulled off at burnout.  Violently deployed the 'chute, which miraculously stayed together.  Suspect mis-alignment of the payload section, or loose coupler.   9) 08/03/07 - Aeronaut - Flew on an E18-10.  Roared off the pad, and got a little squirrely around burnout.  Continued arcing up and over, where it disappeared.  Saw pieces falling, and raced out to recover the rocket without a 'chute!  Or a motor!!!  Missing 24mm.  Dang!!  Couldn't find it.  But the rocket went 1800 ft.   10) 10/19/07 - October Skies - Flew on an E15-7.  Ejected right at apogee, and went about 1400 ft.  Separated, and the rear body core-sampled the soft earth.  Rats!       Got the earth out with a large drill, (and baking on top of the 'fridge.)  Will try this again...   11) 11/18/07 - TCC Fresno on a D12-7.  (Replaced all the shock cord with Kevlar) Ejected right at apogee, and recovered without error.  535 ft on the 15K.  7305 on the Pico.   12) 01/20/08 - TCC Fresno on an E9-8.  Didn't eject at all, and lawn-darted!  Destroyed the MAWD, heavily damaged the PICO (thrown out), and busted the antenna on the Walston.  Dang!!!   3/18/08 - Rebuild is proceeding.  Skipping the extended forward payload.  Primed.   06/2/08 - Rebuild is complete.  Prepped with a C6-5.   06/18/08 - Re-prepped with a D13-10.  Should shorten that a little...   13) 06/20/08 - MudRock - Flew the Glowworm on a D13-10.  Very late deployment - almost lawn-darted.  Chucked the motor.  Thank heavens I stopped, checked, and looked for it.  I found it.  No damage.  912 feet.   14) 02/21/09 - TCC Fresno - Flew the Glowworm on an E18-10.  Fish-tailed like crazy going up, and was hard to spot on the way down.  Thank heavens for the Walston - 1406 ft.   I shortened the Glow worm by about 2 inches, to see if that made the coning/fishtailing problem go away.   15) 08/01/09 - Aeronaut - Flew the (shortened) Glowworm on another E18-7, with just an altimeter (no Walston).  Went a long way up, straight up, no fishtailing.  Didn't see it come down, but others did.  Burned up parachute, but no damage.  Alt 15k says 2780 feet.	Glowworm, October '08.
Upscale Cobra - a 3 x 24mm cluster rocket built with the help of BMS. 11/20/05 - TCC Fresno - Great flight on 3 x D12-5s!  And, the rocket stuck the landing! 05/06/06 - Lunar Snow Ranch - Flew the Cobra on 3 x E9-6's.   Impressive and cool, but it weathercocked alot.  Okay, because it blew back to us! 09/24/06 - with Aeropac at XPRS - Flew on 3 x E9-6's.  Great flight! 11/19/06 - TCC Fresno Thanksgiving Launch - 3-E9-8's (Thanks Charlie!) - Stately liftoff with acceleration into the clouds, under power. Came back into view, bounce off a car, and onto the dirt road. No damage (probably due to fiberglassed fins.) All 3 engines lit - great flight!  The MAWD says I went to 900 feet. 03/03/07 - Lunar at Snow Ranch - Upscale Cobra on 3xE9-8s.  This rocket finally stayed (mostly) vertical, instead of weather-cocking horribly.  As a result, it went really high, and drifted a long way on a (Fortune) de-mil'ed 36" parachute.  Once again, all three motors lit!  Thanks to Kimmee for bringing it back. 08/02/07 - with Aeropac at Aeronaut - Flew the Cobra on 3-D12-5's.  Tilted the pad AWAY from the wind, 'cause this thing weathercocks so badly.  It went high!  I chased it down in my car again.  More fun! 10/20/07 - October Skies at TCC Fresno - Flew on 3xE9-8.  Great, vertical, flight.  Perfect eject, and slow decent in still air.  And it stuck the landing!!! 01/20/08 - TCC Fresno - I flew the Cobra on a 2 D12-0's (that I had plugged with epoxy), and 1 D12-5.  Great spinning flight, but ejection didn't throw the parachute out, just the nose section.  It tumbled for a moment, then settled on a nose-down attitude, and core-sampled.  Dang!  Minor damage, but it'll involve new paint.  Drat. 05/16/08 - Dairy Aire at TCC Fresno - Flew the Cobra on 3 D12s (2 plugged D12-0's), and a D12-5 with extra BP.  Nice flight, but too much BP as the nosecone separated.  Thanks to help, I found it! 05/31/08 - Newark with friends - Flew the Cobra (again) on 3 D12s (2 plugged D12-0's), and a D12-5 with extra BP.  Nice flight, but the nosecone separated again!  I recovered it with help (thanks Dave C), and improved the friction fit. 06/07/08 - Lockheed Young Astronauts - Flew the Cobra (again) on 3 D12s (2 plugged D12-0's), and a D12-5 with extra BP.  Nice flight, but it landed on top of a building!  Someone retrieved it for me. 06/19/08 - MudRock - Flew the Cobra on 3 x D12's - great flight. 09/19/08 - XPRS - Friday - Flew the Cobra on 3 x F24-10.  Awesome, roaring flight.  I was concerned about all the motors lighting, but they all did.  The long delay made me nervous - ejected well after apogee, but no damage. 12/20/08 - LUNAR at Ames - Flew on 1 D12-0 and 2 D12-5's.  Great launch and flight - Cliff caught the flight with his super-slo-mo camera - very, very cool! 081220 - Super Slo-mo of Cobra on 3 x D12's, by Cliff 02/21/09 - Flew on 2 D12-0's, and 1 D12-5.  Well, it finally happened - lit only one motor.  The rocket climbed off the rod, and fell to the ground.  Bent up the body tubes.  Rats!  And dang TCC for the little wires to the Estes pads.... 03/14/09 - Flew the Cobra on 3 D12s.  Lit two of them, and staggered into the air.  At ejection, the nose section tore out, and the rear body came in ballistic.  Core sampled, and buckled the rear body.  Nuts!! 4/16/09 - I've grafted on the new section, sanded, and filled, and primed.  I also found the paint that looks so cool. 4/24/09 - Completed painting.  Ready to fly! 5/17/09 - With TCC at Dairy Aire - I flew the Cobra on 3 x D12's.  They all lit instantly (thanks to the new launch system!!!), and the rocket ejected at apogee.  Very nice! 06/21/09 - Mudrock - Flew the Upscale Cobra on 3xD12's, for another great flight!  And this one stuck the landing on 2 fins!!  Two fins stuck in the mud, and the parachute and shock cord made the third leg.  Eerie and very cool!!!  That'll never happen again. 09/19/09 - Saturday at XPRS - Flew the Upscale Cobra on 3xD12's - very nice! 10/3/09 - Newark - Flew the Cobra on 3xD12's, to a perfect flight.	Upscale Astron Cobra Super slo-mo of Cobra on D12's at Moffet Cobra on only 1 D12, and yes, it crashed. TCC 090221   Lawn-Darted Cobra at Snow Ranch 3/14/09
The TCC Special is a 24mm-motor bird based on a BT-80, Fat Boy nosecone, and an image that used to be on the TCC web site.  It's got 8 fins!  And yes, I turned the nose spike on a drill.  It worked! 01/20/08 - Flew the TCC Special for the first time, wearing no color, at TCC.  Flew fine, and took no damage. 05/17/08 - Flew the TCC Special on a D12-5.  Looked great, and flew terrific.  Recovered without error. 05/31/08 - Newark - Flew the TCC Special on another D12-5.  Looked great, and flew terrific.  Recovered without an open parachute - no damage. 06/14/08 - Flew the Special on a D12-5 at Moffett with LUNAR.  No parachute, but no damage, as landed in the weeds. 10/18/08 - October Skies - I launched TCC Special on a D12-5.  Another great flight, and lots of admiration. 02/21/09 - TCC Fresno - Flew on another D12-5.  Great, high, flight, but the parachute did not open.  Kinda "stuck" the landing in the muddy earth, but nothing broke.	TCC Special Blastoff!   TCC Logo rocket TCC Special (primed) flying at TCC on a D12 - 080120 TCC Special at TCC, in flight, on a D12-5 - 080120
Der V3 Clone - BT-80 with 24mm motor.   Has flown great on C11's to F12's.    Thanks to Excelsior Rocketry for the sweet decals, and fast service!   10/19/07 - TCC October Skies - Flew Der V3 on an E28-7 - Great flight!!!  Straight up, and came straight down on the 'chute.   11/18/07 - TCC - Flew the Der V3 on an F12-5.  It hissed off the pad, and coasted a long way up.  Great ejection and recovery.   04/26/08 - Newark - Der V3 on a D12-5.  Great flight.   05/31/08 - Newark - V3 on an E9-6.  Very high, deployment at apogee, and gentle drift to touchdown - missing the asphalt.   06/07/08 - LM with Young Astronauts - Low, gentle flight on C11-3.   06/28/08 - Newark - Flew the Der V3 on a D12-5 - High and cool.   08/02/08 - Friday at Aeronaut - Flew Der V3 on a D12-5.  Great flight.   09/21/08 - XPRS - Der V3 on an E9-6.  Nice!   04/04/09 - With LUNAR at Snow Ranch - Flew on an F12-5.  Used Blue Thunder to boost the igniter, after I burned yet another igniter (it popped, but didn't light.)  The V3 soared off the pad and burned, and burned, and burned, coasting to a high flight, and ejected at apogee.  Great flight!!   05/16/09 - With TCC at Maddox Dairy - Dairy Aire -  Flew the V3 on an F24-7, which boosted that thing waaay up, and ejected right at apogee.  That made for a very long, hot, walk.   09/20/09 - XPRS - Flew Der V3 on an F24-10, for a very nice flight.   10/3/09 - Newark - Flew the DerV3 on a D12-5, and didn't have a clean 'chute - broke a fin on landing.  Nuts!   10/17/09 - October Skies - Flew the Der V3 on an E18-7, and it came in ballistic!  Smashed the body tube, and tore loose the engine mount.  The culprit - sticky, gooey BP, for one.	081022 - Der V3
Small-Time Gangsta - A small, BT60-based 24mm rocket, based on the (BSD?) Gangsta.  Simple, high-flying, and fun.   9/15/07 - Flew the Small-time Gangster on a C11-5 - worked great.   10/20/07 - Flew the Small-Time Gangster on a D12-7.  Went very high, and didn't open the 'chute right away.  Still drifted away!!!  I had a line on it, but couldn't find it in the alfalfa.  Phooey!!  Maybe it'll turn up lost and found... Thankfully, it did turn up, and someone brought it back to the Bay Area.  Despite the ransom notes, and photo-shopped pictures of the rocket getting cut up, I got it back ok:)   04/25/08 - Newark - Flew the Small-time Gangster on a D12-7.  High flight, and delayed chute opening (of course - it's Mylar).   05/31/08 - Newark - Flew the Small-time Gangsta on a D12-7 - disappeared in the cloud, reappeared with a parawad, and landed in a tree!  Karl climbed up and got it.  Thanks!  (Impressive how far this rocket drifted, with a parawad.)   08/03/08 - Aeronaut - Flew the Small-time Gangsta on an E9-8.  Went high - I saw it eject at apogee, and I lost it!  Luckily, Laura Raimondi saw it, and pointed it out to me.  Whew!   07/31/09 - Aeronaut - Flew Small-time Gangsta on an E9-8.  Went high - I managed to spot it on the way down - falling (too) fast.  It landed nearby, with no damage, other than a missing parachute!  Whew!	Gangsta - small-time. Look! It's as big as that tree!
Starhawk - An Estes "Maniac" fin can, a hollow plastic nose cone - very tough.   09/15/07 - XPRS - Flew the new Starhawk on a C11-5.  Of course the Mylar 'chute didn't open.  Barry D: "I fill mine with Baby Powder, and all they do is catch fire..." ROTFLOL...   04/25/08 - At Newark Fields - Flew the Starhawk on a D12-5 (I used a lot of these, today.)  Great flight.   09/19/08 - XPRS - Flew the Starhawk on a D12-5.  Parawad   10/18/08 - October Skies - I flew the Star Hawk on a D12-5 - very nice.   01/17/09 - LUNAR at Moffett Field - Flew Star Hawk on a D12-5 - very high.   04/06/09 - LUNAR at Snow Ranch - Flew the Star Hawk on a D9-7, for a high flight.  Of course, the Mylar parachute didn't open.  But, no damage.   04/18/09 - LUNAR at Moffett Field - Flew the Star Hawk on a D12-5.  Great, high, flight.  The silver streamers were very visible, and it landed right nearby.  Cool!   05/16/09 - Dairy Aire - I flew the Star Hawk on a D24-7, which tore off the pad, and ejected perfectly at apogee.  The streamer kept it from drifting far, and the mylar was sure visible.   08/01/09 - Aeronaut - Flew the Starhawk on an F39-12.  Thoroughly expected to loose this one forever - it's a small rocket on a huge motor.  Eventually got the motor lit, and it tore off the pad - disappearing.  Completely lost sight of it.  A few minutes later, someone reported that it was found to the east and behind the flight line.  Hurray!
Lightnin' - 2 stage D-powered BT-60 model rocket, from Custom.  (Somewhere along the line, I lost the entire sustainer at Black Rock, when it weathercocked off the rod.  I built one from scratch.  I just don't know when it happened.)   050507 - Snow Ranch - Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0/D12-7 combo, and it heavily weathercocked.  Thought I lost it.  Get new nosecone, with no weight.   051120 - TCC - Flew - Lightnin to a great flight on a D12-0 and D12-7 combo.  Re-balanced rocket (weight added to rear) flew great!!   060804 - With Aeropac at Aeronaut - Flew Lightnin on D12-0/D12-7.  Awesome, high flight.   060923 - With Aeropac at XPRS - Flew Lightnin on D12-0/D12-7.  Awesome, high flight.   060923 - With Aeropac at XPRS - Flew Lightnin again, on a F21-8.  Another awesome, high flight, and I didn't rip the fins off!   070421 - With TCC at Fresno - Launched the Lightnin' on a D12-0 to D12-7 combo.  Worked great!!   070802 - With Aeropac at Aeronaut - Lightnin' upper stage on an F39-12.  Great motor for this rocket, but the delay was about 5 seconds too long.  Separated the shock cord at ejection, and I could only find the body, heavily damaged.  And of course, Dave R found the nose cone.   071019 - With TCC at October Skies - Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0/D12-7 combo.  Arc'ed way over (downwind), and I had a heck of a time finding it.  Finally did, with help.   071118 - At TCC - While LCO, I asked Rose and a couple other teenagers to retrieve my Lightnin.  They agreed.  I smiled to myself, because this rocket always arcs over and goes a long way.  Not this time.  The D12-0 to D12-7 combo took it straight up.  A looooong way up...  It ejected at apogee, and came straight down, landing 50 yards from the LCO table.  Talk about easy retrievals!  Thanks to Rose and the boys for the help.   080621 - Mudrock with Aeropac - Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0 to D12-7, for another great flight.   080920 - XPRS with Aeropac - Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0 to C11-7, for another great flight.   090731 - Aeronaut - Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0 staging to an E9-8.  Roared off the pad, and arched into the wind.  Burned forever, and then coasted forever.  Very high eject, and a long walk to get it back.  Great flight!!	704000 - Lightnin on D12 to D12-0