| [Not displaying correctly? View web version.] | Peak of Flight Newsletter #468: | |  In the early days of rocketry, an idea was formulated to mount a rocket on rails and send it down a roller coaster track built on two mountains. The gist of the idea was to give the rocket some initial speed and momentum before firing the rocket engine so that the rocket could travel higher or carry a larger payload into the sky. Similarly, the idea of catapulting the rocket skyward was also floated as a way of improving its performance.
Eagle Sarmont and his protege Frida Durazo set out to do just that: to fly a model rocket by catapulting it skyward in what they called a "homemade ground accelerator". The amount of work they put into building the tower to fling the rocket skyward caught my attention, and I thought it would make a good newsletter article. This issue describes the theory behind their drop-weight launched model rocket and the journey they took to get there. | | Read the rest of this week's article, either on a downloadable PDF for printing out, or on our website (great for viewing on your phone)! Previous issues of our newsletter are found at our archive page. |
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What is new in rocketry? Here are the latest items to land on Apogee's shelves! | | |  The Aerobee 300, or "Spaerobee", was first flown in 1958. Eleven were flown by the Air Force and Navy with the last taking flight in 1965. The Aerobee series of rockets were designed by Aerojet General and is considered a descendant of the WAC Corporal. Produced by Aerospace Specialty Products, this kit is 1.89" in diameter and about 2 1/2 feet tall and features thru-the-wall laser-cut plywood fins, big balsa nose cone, and pre-rounded basswood conduits.
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| | |  The Aerobee 100 Junior, was first flown early in 1958. This vehicle was designed by Aerojet General to be an inexpensive rocket to fly payloads of 50 - 100 pounds up to 90 miles. Most of the 20 produced used a solid-fuel booster, but two were actually sea-launched as a single-stage rocket (which makes this model eligible for NAR Scale competition). This kit is 1.89" in diameter and about 2 1/2 feet tall and features thru-the-wall laser-cut plywood fins, big balsa nose cone, and pre-rounded basswood conduits.
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| | |  The Black Brant IV is a Canadian sounding rocket designed to launch payloads to over 500 miles high. First flown in 1964, the two-stage rocket was used into the 1980's. Over fifty flew from launch sites all over the world, including Peru, Spain, Norway, Greenland, and the U.S. among others. This single-stage scale kit from Aerospace Specialty Products is nearly three feet tall and features a balsa transition and hard balsa nose cone, laser-cut basswood fins, water-slide and self-adhesive decals and quick-change engine hook.
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| | |  Are you in NAR competition? You'll love these ultra-light parachutes made from highly reflective polyester plastic. They are only .00025-inches thick, so they are low weight and fold into a compact tube quite easily. They are prized by competitors because you can put a huge chute into a small tube, which gives you the longest times in the air. There are 11 different chutes to choose from for all your competition needs.
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| | |  The original UFO Invader rocket kit was released in 1976 and saw production by Centuri through 1981. It was one of the four Centuri "Super Kits," which included many more components that had to be assembled, and were much larger than most of the other models in the Centuri product line. Now you can relive your youth and get a great replica of the kit from Semroc. For details, visit the UFO Invader web page.
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| | |  These new retainers are designed for rockets that have a flat bottom, and which need to be retrofitted to have a motor retainer. They are designed to be twisted onto the rocket, just like the screw-on retainers, so they allow fast installation and removal of the rocket motor. And they look much more professional and is more secure than friction fitting with tape. Two motor sizes available: 29mm and 38mm.
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| | |  This kit from Semroc is a reproduction of the 1974 kit from Estes. The Starship Vega is a futuristic planetary exploration vehicle that has the landing legs necessary for a safe touchdown on some other planet. This rocket looks great sitting on your display shelf, or when in flight. Flies on standard 18mm diameter motors.
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| | |  The Mars Snooper was first offered by Estes in 1965. The Mars Snooper was one of the first exotic model rocket kits and was billed as being a great demo rocket. This release from Semroc features fiber fin alignment guides and other jigs to assist in the building process.
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|  "Apogee's website is so simple to navigate and find exactly what I am looking for in just a matter of a few clicks! I can store items on my wishlist until I am ready to purchase which is an excellent feature. Orders are easy to place and customer service is there for you every step of the way. Just recently I ordered a G motor and I forgot to send a copy of my license for verification. No worries! Apogee contacted me and reminded me that that would be needed. I sent it in and within a matter of minutes they had a tracking number for me! I always enjoy supporting a company that I feel confident will support me, that's why I always go to apogee rockets for my hobby rocket needs!" -- Tyler Michel | |
 Have you seen "Barks At Rockets" yet? - The new hilariously funny comic strip by our graphic artist Chris Duran is released every Thursday on our Facebook page. Be sure to check it out and share it with your rocketry friends. |
 Students: Are You Going To Attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University? I'm sure you could you use a small grant to attend ERAU. And I can help. Since I'm an alumnus, I am authorized to sponsor students with an "Alumni Endorsement Grant" of $1,000 per year for 4 years if you'll be attending either the Daytona Beach or Prescott campuses. Just email me, and I'd be happy to put your name into the system. And if you'd like to reciprocate and give my college-bound daughter a grant, call me! | |
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 I need help with generating the biweekly newsletter articles since it takes a lot of effort to put them together. And I'm willing to pay big bucks for your help. So ask yourself, are you looking to earn some extra money? I'm now actively seeking writers for articles to appear in this newsletter. And I want unique and cutting-edge articles because that is what you want to read, right? I realize this, so to get articles from outside writers that have the same level of quality, I'm going to have to pay a lot of cash to make it worth it for them. So I've come up with a compensation package where I'll pay up to $350 for good how-to articles. Are you a writer, and does that interest you? That is a lot of cash! Far more than you'll get by writing for other magazines. And with over 23,000 worldwide subscribers, if you write for the Peak-of-Flight Newsletter, you'll gain a lot of notoriety. Writing for the Peak-of-Flight Newsletter is a great way to show off your rocketry projects and your technical expertise, at the same time as helping out other rocketeers. Imagine how great you'll feel knowing that you made a difference to the hobby. If you're interested in writing, see the guidelines on our site. | |
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