| [ Not displaying correctly? View web version. ] | Apogee Rocketry Workshop #313: | | 
A common problem with minimum diameter rockets has to do with holding the engine in during flight. You often don't want to add a screw-on engine retainer because they are fatter than the diameter of the rocket, which would add a lot of extra drag. That defeats the purpose of minimum diameter rockets, which is to be low drag so they go extremely high. In this video, we'll show you an older technique that still works great on holding in the motor using a twisted steel wire rope that is buried under the fin fillet of the rocket. This was shown in the Peak-of-Flight Newsletter issue #95. It is easiest to put the wire rope on the rocket before adding fillets. But in this video, the rocket is already built, so we will have to retro-fit the rocket by cutting some channels into the existing fin fillets. This involves using a rotary tool using a cut-off wheel. After the channel for the wire rope is cut, it will be bonded in place using thick epoxy. When the epoxy has hardened, the fillets are sanded again and then re-painted. View this week's Rocketry Workshop Video (Duration: 16:25) | | Previous videos are found on our archive page. |
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| Check out the latest products to hit Apogee's shelves! | The Laser LOC | | 
The Laser LOC from LOC Precision Rocketry is a new, minimum diameter 38mm rocket designed for pure altitude. It has high durability components, a fiberglassed fin can, thick wall tubes and through-the-wall fin installation. Combined, they make up a rocket capable of handling even the highest power 38mm engines. And with the minimum-drag airframe, you will get some serious altitude. It's like a laser beam across the sky! |
| NCR Vektra | | 
The Vektra from North Coast Rocketry is a concept of the future of air-to-air missiles. It stands 3ft tall, has 2 sets of 4 fins, laser-cut plywood components and is designed with high-power in mind. This kit is perfect for those individuals looking to fly on the high end of the 29mm rockets motors. The Vectra is designed for altitude, and it has the motor options to match. |
| NCR F-117 Nighthawk BG | | 
The North Coast Rocketry F-117 Boost Glider kit is for the daring modeler looking for a challenge. It is a Skill Level 5 kit because it is both a rocket and a glider. At motor ejection, the pop-pod is kicked rearward out of the glider, and the elevon snaps upward to get the model into a fast glide. The kit utilizes a combination of balsawood, plywood, vacuum formed plastic and 3D-Printed parts for construction. It flies on 24mm diameter composite propellant motors. You won't be stealthy on the rocket range for long when you show up with this glider. It attracts attention, like blowing a fog horn in a library. |
| Estes Mars-Mars Rocket | | 
The Estes' Destination Mars - Mars Longship flying model rocket kit, we call it the "Mars Mars" kit because they use the word twice in succession in the product name. The shape will remind you of the vessle from the movie 2001: A Space Odyessy with its spherical nose and long body with lots of cargo pods attached to it. It's a nice Skill Level 3 build, and flies on a wide variety of 24mm diameter motors. |
| Design Your Own Rocket | | 
Attention School Teachers: You wanted a collection of parts so that your students could make their own models. The Design Your Own Rocket kit includes everything needed to make a basic 24mm diameter rocket with an 18mm motor mount for common A, B, and C size motors. Your students get to design their own fins from balsa, choose between a parachute and a streamer (both included), and stylize the rocket however they want. Cheap and affordable - and NO INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED, so they are truly on their own (but video tutorials are referenced where they can get some guidelines to make safe rockets). |
| DynaStar FlameThrower | | 
The DynaStar FlameThrower rocket is inspired by a rifle bullet - and it's about that fast too; it uses a two-engine cluster to accelerate it skyward. With two motors, it produces twice the amount of flame, twice the amount of smoke and twice the thunderous noise compared to a regular single-engine rocket. The kit features a blow-molded plastic transition, nose cone, and laser-cut basswood fins. Catch a glimpse of this speedy rocket now. (More coming soon!) |
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After watching Tim's video on Advanced Methods of attaching shock cords. I sent Tim a short email asking for a simpler method. He replied in less than a minute! He gave me a link to a video that explained step-by-step on a fool-proof method specific for a beginner like me. He also gave me a link to all of his videos and further explained how I could search for a particular topic. Thanks Tim! - Steve | |
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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 need help with generating the bi-weekly 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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