| | [Not displaying correctly? View web version.] | Peak-of-Flight Newsletter #631: | |
Unlock the Secrets to High-Performance Helicopter Rockets: Mold Your Own Rotor Blades! In this newsletter article, you'll discover the revolutionary technique that will you to have mind-blowingly long duration descents with rockets that use helicopter recovery. I'll share my philosophy and techniques for molding rotor blades that offer unparalleled consistency and performance. You will learn how to create blades that spin up quickly, descend slowly, and resist warping due to humidity. My long-standing fascination with helicopter recovery models has put me on a quest to improve their performance. This article starts with a 10 year history of experiments and research that I did to try to make helicopter rockets defy gravity and seemingly hang in the sky. The conclusion of this experimentation is that I determined that I'll need to mold the balsa wood to form the helicopter blade in order to acheive the best performance. To that end, I'll describe in this article the process I went through to build the molds that will form the balsa. In the 2nd part of this article, we'll walk you through the forming process step-by-step so that you can duplicate the results for yourself. Also In This Newsletter: Tim's Messy Desk (summer edition) What has been going on at Apogee this summer? What did Tim do on his vacation to Florida, and what new rockets are we working on for release later this year? Get the inside scoop on all the behind-the-scenes activities in this blog called: "Tim's Messy Desk." | | 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! | Apogee 3" Ebay Kit | |
The Apogee 74mm (3-inch diameter) Ebay kit, provides a stable platform and isolated enclosure that you can use to mount your rocket’s electronics. Use it to hold such things like a dual-deployment altimeter or a GPS tracker. It fits inside standard Apogee 3-inch (74mm) diameter paper, Loc 3-inch paper and 3-inch Blue Tubes. What makes this Ebay special is how easy it is to get to the electronics mounted on the inside. There is just one wing nut that you remove, and the sled inside will slide right out. The sled also has pre-cut holes that you can use to route wiring from one side of the board to the other. Its heavy walled tube makes it very robust and durable. |
| Estes Nike Smoke | |
Experience the thrill of 1960's space exploration with the Skill Level 3, Estes Nike Smoke rocket. It is a 1:5.5 scale model of NASA's innovative atmospheric research rocket. At 41 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, this awesome replica features pre-molded plastic fins, a large conical nose cone, and launches on 29mm diameter motors. Easy to build and exciting to fly, it comes complete with water-slide decals, a nylon parachute, and an elastic shock cord for safe recovery. Perfect for space enthusiasts, rocket hobbyists, and dreamers of all ages. |
| Estes Rail Launch Pad | |
The Pro Series Launch Rail System is an affordable, mid-power model rocket launch pad designed for rocketeers looking to fly larger models beyond their beginner setups. Featuring a 6-foot extruded aluminum rail with a stainless steel blast deflector, this launch system can handle model rockets up to 2 pounds in weight and utilizing motors up to a "G" size. |
| ARC Bulk Pack of Parts | |
This success pack of parts is a great way to get your A.R.C. designs "off the ground". It contains the most commonly requested components to build rockets for the 2024-2025 ARC competition. There is enough material supplies in the package to assemble two rockets. Now you can test different configurations to create your winning rocket! Click here to see what's included in the bulk pack of parts. |
| Zipper Shield | |
Prevent model rocket body tube damage caused by Kevlar shock cord zippering. Our innovative, low-cost protection system safeguards your paper tubes during high-speed recovery deployment, ensuring your rockets stay intact for multiple launches. Easy to install, compatible with various rocket sizes. Comes in a 2-pack because you have multiple rockets you need to protect. Click Here for more information. |
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| | Need Supplies for NARAM? It isn't too late to get supplies for NARAM that starts this weekend in Pueblo, Colorado. Apogee will be delivering supplies to the field for you save money on shipping. Just place your order from our website, and select "Store Pick-up". Then in the comments section, say you want it delievered to the NARAM field. We're planning on having on-field deliveries every day, so you can relax and just enjoy the launch. | |
| Launch of the Week! This week's Launch Visualizer simulation is my entry in the B-engin egglofting altitude competition at next week's NARAM-65 contest in Pueblo, Colorado. I don't think it is going to win unless everyone else cracks their eggs. But we're doing this for fun, right? I run all my designs through RockSim and look at the trajectory in the Launch Visualizer to see if it looks OK. What do you think? | |
| Customer Testimonials: “Since March, I've probably averaged at least one order per month from Apogee. Their sales and service are second to none, and I always receive my orders promptly. Beyond being a great source of rocket stuff, Apogee's website is essentially an immense database of all things rocketry. I come to the site many times per week to look up a nose cone size, engine impulse rating, body tube diameter or some other piece of information. And it's all in one place!” --Ray Tonchen, Jr. | |
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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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