Launched the Big Bertha today...

[Chocaholic]

Anyone remember Estes rockets from their childhood (the Bertha is a classic from the mid-60's). My son is a model-rocketeer estraordinare. Brought back many memories, to say the least. He probably has a dozen rockets and is much more responsible with his than I was when I was his age. Biggest motors in the smallest rockets was my plan of action. Never kept one for more than one flight. Anyone else? Here's a recent launch pic of the Bullpup (although the Big Bertha is his favorite)...

[matthew-s]

If the Big Bertha is the one I'm thinking of, I built one several years ago. The launch was fun, but the descent was not. The nose cone would not pop off. I think the volume of the rocket is too big for the charge that blows the nose cone off to do it reliably.

I rebuilt it and tried it one more time with the same result. I would have liked to known the secret.

[Embraer]

i used to cut the engines apart, and dissect C6-7's....and then tape the propellent stages together to take it from 1.6 seconds up to 4.8 seconds of thrust. i think i built every rocket they made. the astrocam 110 was cool....the camera was such a novelty

[Embraer]

also, i remember in the library back home, the science and technology section had a book called "how to turn model rockets into ballistic missiles." ...no joke. basically it involved putting a 12 gauge shell into the nose, and then using a nail as a firing pin. i can't believe they had that book.

[vonsmog]

we would glue the "C" motor in the bottom after putting a small hole in the top to light the fuse of the M80 glued in the top with the nose cone glued in. No paint, as it was not coming home! Would launch them at night, sideways, anyway we could think of. Sure made a lot of noise, and the flash at night was something to see too! Sure wish the still sold M80's like the old days! Ah, the pleasures of a misspent youth!

[Talewinds]

Lol! I know all about biggest engines/smallest rockets. A few of those we never even saw again, not a parachute, not even the puff of smoke.
Probably still in a low orbit

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by vonsmog

we would glue the "C" motor in the bottom after putting a small hole in the top to light the fuse of the M80 glued in the top with the nose cone glued in. No paint, as it was not coming home! Would launch them at night, sideways, anyway we could think of. Sure made a lot of noise, and the flash at night was something to see too! Sure wish the still sold M80's like the old days! Ah, the pleasures of a misspent youth!

Oh yeah! During the day - testing to see how many cherry bombs or M-80s we could get a rocket to lift. When it got dark we would hook up the fuses so they would explode at altitude.

[Embraer]

and launching mice in the payload. they didn't fare as well as real astronauts.

[A930Rocket]

Did you know when you fired off one if those engines in the floor of your basement, it will just about smoke you out? We lucky to find out after using a trail of match heads for a fuse...

[m21sniper]

I had a model rocket once and the chute failed to deploy on the first launch. That was the end of that hobby for me. lol....

[TechnoViking]

My sons (3 and 5) and I shot off about 10 this weekend. Went through the new "B" engines I bought and had to dig out some old C engines. Like 25 years old. Still worked, but the parachute did not deploy. Lost a couple rockets but it was good fun.

[Hugh R]

What? No safety glasses!!!!

Good going, looks like fun.

[MT930]

I had a hamster that made and survived 4 flights in a Estes Omega (Payload version) circa 1975-76 the hamster Charlie was pretty neurotic after that. That was quality entertainment, My kids love rocketry. Al tho we don't launch pets any more, not really sure why. We need an engine that will fly a 10 lbs critter.

[crustychief]

I had the Omega, tried a mouse in the "egg" he did not fare as well as the alligator lizard. Must be a mammal VS reptile composition thing.

[porsche4life]

We've launched more than few things around my house... My uncle is a firefighter and experiments with pressurizing 2 liter bottles from time to time... Can get several hundred feet usually...

In my HS physics class we did rockets... a few got the nose cones "fixed"... They went ICBM pretty nicely.... One drifted ought of sight on the chute.... Mine burnt the rip cord... it didn't survive lol

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My fave was the Mean Machine. 6' tall! I painted mine red, though, so we could see the damned thing.



(Just a random pic from the web--not me.)

[Dcam49]

Had a three stage one I stuffed 2 C-6-0's and a C-6-7 into. Never saw it after the second stage.
Used wooden match-heads and stripped bread ties as igniters- until I packed it too tight and it went off in the bosses dining room. Note, don't use the white part of the match head. What a hoot, bosses wife and kids all running for the door, tons of smoke, thankfully it didn't burn up the house. Good times.

[gchappel]

Thanks for bringing back memories! Big Bertha- had not thought about her ( the rocket) for years!
Did you know if you take the spent engine casings and pack them with ***** and aluminum dust-, you could blow a crater in your neighbors front- , oops forgot- don't know anything about that.

Gary

[cashflyer]

I built a couple of Estes rockets.
I had the launch tower, motors, etc.
Never launched any though because dad did not have time.
Probably would have been fun.

[74-911]

Originally Posted by gchappel

Thanks for bringing back memories! Big Bertha- had not thought about her ( the rocket) for years!
Did you know if you take the spent engine casings and pack them with potassium perchlorate and aluminum dust-, you could blow a crater in your neighbors front- , oops forgot- don't know anything about that.

Gary

Back in the late 50's / early 60's some amatuers were making "rockets" using mainly electrical conduit as the casing. Using either powdered zinc and sulfur or potassiium nitrate and sugar as the fuel - some powerful and dangerous stuff. When launched, were as far away as you could get and down in foxholes as some of the "rockets" were more accuarately classified as pipe bombs rather than rockets. Most were never very successful but there were some groups around the country getting some multi-staged amatuer rockets into some fairly high altitudes...
Homeland Security would probably seriously frown on anyone trying to buy those ingredients in any quantity these days.... and I also know nothing about anyone who actually did this dangerous stuff....