[Not displaying correctly? View web version.] | Peak-of-Flight Newsletter #569: | If you need a fin with some specific properties like having a super-smooth surface finish, being exceptionally lightweight and also ultra strong, then you might want to consider the process of vacuum bagging them. It typically isn’t a process you’d use often, but knowing this skill can get you past some difficult situations in rocketry. First of all, this article will cover the situations when you might want to use it. It is not something that most rocketeers will use. If you do decide it is worth it for your project, then we’ll talk about getting your feet wet with the process, using the bare minimum equipment in order to keep the costs down. | 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. |
Check out the latest products to hit Apogee's shelves! Semroc Scissor Wing Transport | The Scissor Wing Transport is a novel design that looks much like an ordinary rocket on its upward ascent. But at ejection, the motor pop-pod slides out of the tube to descend on its own streamer. While that happens, the wing on the main part of the rocket pivots to a horizontal position, and allows the rocket to come down to the ground in a glide configuration. So it has an awesome boost, and a nice gentle glide as it returns from its mission. This is a reproduction of the old Estes kit from the 1970s. |
Launch Visualizer | The Launch Visualizer is a new rocket simulator that provides a full 6-degrees of freedom using your RockSim design files. That means you get to see the full range of motion of your rocket from lift-off to touchdown in a 3D environment. Best yet, it's web based, so you don't have to load any software. And you can run it on your smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, or laptop. It's what you've been waiting for. Click to see a simulation of a rocket with strap-on boosters |
Apogee Razzle Dazzle | Want a little excitement at your next launch? The Apogee Razzle Dazzle will help you achieve just that objective. It looks like a single stage rocket where in actuality, it is a two stage rocket. The decals on the fins provide dazzling camouflage to hide the separation line between the stages. So your spectators may not notice anything out of the ordinary while the rocket is sitting on the pad. But when it takes off, they will be astonished to see that the rocket is staged and it boosted higher than they expected. It catches everyone off guard, and makes for a very pleasing experience. |
Apogee Atomizer | The first thing you’ll notice on the Atomizer is the ring-tail at the base. This large annular wing provides extra stability because it increases the amount of fin area. The other thing it does is to protect the fins from a hard landing and makes them much stronger than traditional rockets. What’s not to love about a stronger rocket that flies straighter? The Skill-Level-2 Atomizer is easy to build, although it is recommended to those modelers that have previous rocketry experience in the past. |
Apogee Habu | You’ll enjoy hearing the applause from your friends when flying the Habu rocket kit, as well as the pleasant experience of building it. The Skill-Level-1 Habu is an easy to build rocket intended for the first time modeler that wants to build a model that has basla fins. It is one of the simpler rockets that will teach you the basic techniques that you’ll need to know in order to assemble more complex rockets. |
Make Carbon Fiber Tubes | Here is an extensive and detailed video course on how to make Ultra-Lightweight Carbon-Fiber Rocket Tubes. They're so light, they give you an unfair advantage in competition. These are the ones that my daughters, Allison and Ashley used in Romania last September at the 2021 World SpaceModeling Championships. Allison was part of the senior Silver Medal winning USA team, and Ashley took home the Bronze Medal in the Jr. Division. The girls were taught how to make their own tubes, so if they can do it, so can you. The training course consists of 5 hours and 42 minutes of video instruction, covering everything I know about how to make a successful tube with a glass-finish using a 2-piece mold. It even includes all the secret techniques and materials, and where to buy them, including where to get the 2-part mold. This course is on the Udemy website, not at Apogee Components. |
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| This week's 3D simulation comes from last week's RockSim Live presention. It is a dual-deployment flight of the Apogee Katana rocket on a K535 rocket motor. The interesting thing I discovered was that there are situations where you'll have to walk further on a dual-deployment flight, than if the main parachute opened up at Apogee. It is rocket dependant! Knowing these situations can allow you to make adjustments so you minimize your walk. | |
“I choose to buy rocketry components from apogee because of how much they care about their customers success. Tim and the team have always answered my emails extremely fast and their vast resources of how-to's and library of general rocketry knowledge has made me a better rocketeer. I don't know how, but apogee has managed to capture that feeling of having that knowledgeable friend at the launch that seems to always have an answer to your questions. They are a pleasure to do business with and I will be buying from them for a long time to come.” -- Michelangelo Greco | |
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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