Monday was a holiday here in the USA, but that didn't mean the rest of the week wasn't busy. On Tuesday of this week, we released the first part of our video series discussing the topic of "fin fillets." Why do we put fin fillets on a rocket? It isn't as simple a topic as you might imagine, because there are 5 different variables that you might want to consider. In our video this week, we went through those five variables, and showed how to apply a basic wood-glue fillet to the fins.

On Wednesday, we released our newsletter for our Rocksim users. In that newsletter we discussed how to open up RockSim twice at the same time on Windows - so you can be running two different rocket designs through the software at the exact same time. This is for people that want to multi-task!

Today, we released our new version of the Simple Timer for staging. This is your official announcement that it is now available, so if you want one, the web store is now taking orders for immediate shipment. This new version has a feature that will detect when the rocket noses over, and then it will fire off an ejection charge. This is a great back-up for the situation that the upper stage motor failed to ignite. You still want a parachute to come out of the rocket, whether or not the motor's own ejection charge works. That is what this new version of the Simple Timer does.

We flew several flights of rockets with the Simple Timer this past weekend at the National Sport Launch in Alamosa, Colorado, and each one was a huge success. This timer works great for those two stage rockets.

Rocketry Tool of the Month - Dental Scaler

We're calling this month's tool a "Dental Scaler." What it is great for is very precise scraping off tiny glue globs from your rocket so you can get that pristine rocket that is showroom ready.

No matter how intense your construction techniques are, there are always small blemishes on the rocket. The average modeler doesn't notice them, but the seasoned pro certainly does. You can always tell the quality of the model by the minute details. It is the finishing touches that tell you how much of a craftsman a builder is.

This little tool has been one of my favorites for over 20 years. It allows you to touch up those little tiny spots on a rocket by scraping them away without marring the rest of the rocket's finish. It saves you a lot of time and effort, because you don't have to refinish everything. You can simply scrape it away with a precision tool like this one. It has been one of my secret tools that I always have near by when I'm building rockets. You should have one too.

To get this dental scaler for free (a $11.95 value), just purchase $75 worth of Apogee's merchandise and add the coupon code at checkout on our website. This offer only lasts until June 30th.

What is Coming Up Next Week?

Peak-of-Flight Newsletter #601 will be out on Tuesday. I'm currently working on the article called: Different Methods of Protecting Your Parachute.

In this article, I'll go over the pros and cons of the 6 or 7 different ways that I know of that rocketeers use to keep their parachute from being singed by the heat of the rocket motor's ejection charge. We all want to protect it from becoming a plastic wad.

I'm also going to work on another "Tim's Messy Desk" article. I like to write these just to tell you about what is going on in my office, and the kind of projects I'm working on personally. And It has been a busy Spring, so I'll catch you up with my doings.

I'll see you in your email in-box next Tuesday.