| [Not displaying correctly? View web version.] | Peak-of-Flight Newsletter #561: | | 
When I saw the scissors-wing-flop-wingtip rocket glider that Catherine Lui and her coach Branden Ren had at the World Spacemodeling Championships in Romania, I knew it had some features that were cutting edge, particularly the torsion spring mechanism that pivots the wing without rubber bands. Rubber bands on gliders can be troublesome so if they can be eliminated, that makes the rocket more reliable. I asked Branden to share his design with you and other readers, because I like to present ideas that are exciting and unique. Branden immigrated to the USA from China in 2018, and is still learning English. I tried to leave the flavor of his writing style alone, with minor changes to the text so that it uses rocketry terms that we are more familiar with. I think you'll be impressed by his knowledge of rocketry. | | 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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| Check out the latest products to hit Apogee's shelves! | Apogee Airmail Rocket | | 
Theme based rockets, like the Apogee Airmail are what makes rocketry so fun for spectators as well as for modelers. You’ll have a lot of fun with this rocket at the flying field, as people will come up with many memes comparing your rocket to the postal service. It is based on a BT-55 body tube, and has slots cut in the tube where the envelope-shaped fins are inserted. Plus it comes loaded with decals that make decorating it easy and fun. |
| Estes Universal Astrocam | | 
The Estes Universal Astrocam allows you to capture audio and video from almost any rocket. This includes the mounting cradle that allows you to securely strap the video camera to the side of your rocket. It's high-definition video camera with an awesome audio recorder so you can hear the roar of the launch. |
| Estes Super Mars Snooper | | 
The Super Mars Snooper is a larger (1.36-to-1) upscale of the vintage Estes kit first released in 1965. It is impressive, bigger and can use the visually thrilling composite propellant rocket motors. It makes a cherished gift to the modeler that seems to have everything. |
| Estes Maxi Launch Rod | | 
What Estes calls the Maxi Launch Rod is actually a 3/16" diameter launch rod. It allows you to launch those slightly larger Estes kits safely because it doesn't sway as much on breezy days. It isn't used very often, but it is something you'll want in your launch equipment for that time when you do need it. For example, it is used on the Super Mars Snooper, and the Estes Bit Daddy models because they are bigger models. |
| Estes Big Daddy | | 
The Big Daddy rocket kit is a favorite among rocketeers because it is short and fat. Plus, the ample surface area of the big tube and fins just begs to be customized and decorated in a unique way. No two Big Daddy's ever seem to look similar. With through-the-wall fins, it is also a sturdy rocket, this rocket is ready for some higher thrust 24mm diameter motors. |
| Estes Boosted Bertha | | 
The Boosted Bertha is based on the Estes Big Bertha's shape and size - but it is a two stage version. It's a great first model for trying out a two stage rocketry because it is so stable and everything happens closer to the ground since it is a little heavier than most other rockets. The booster stage even features through-the-wall fins for rough-and-tumble recovery. |
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“I signed up to be a beta tester for the new Rocksim Launch Visualizer, online flight simulation application, and found it to be such a great visualization tool, I signed up for a Premium subscription. I love that I can see my designs fly in the 3-D environment where I will actually be launching. I get to select from over 200 preprogrammed sites across the country and also get to add and save my own sites. My Rocksim designs a seamlessly uploaded and stored in my profile. It is very easy to tweak launch conditions (humidity, temperature, pressure, and wind) to see the effects on the flight. I encourage you to check it out!” -- Scott Nelson | |
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We're looking for someone to write a definitive guide to selecting igniters, controllers and batteries for rockets. We'd love to have a newsletter article on that topic, because we get lots of inquiries about it. Is that you? Do you know how many e-matches can be set off in a cluster by a 3.7v 400 mAh battery? See our Newsletter Guidelines on how to submit an article on this topic and get paid up to $350 for your time.
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 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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