FSI Javelin Nose Cone Fit?

On the Facebook group - Rocketry Yard Sale, Buy, Sell & Trade,

Garth I. is selling an interesting OOP FSI Javelin kit.

Check out the shoulder lip overhang on the adapter and nose cone.

I wonder how many buyers left that lip on their finished models. Unless you have a lathe, it might be difficult to keep the nose cone round.

I've built a few FSI kits in the 1970s. The fit and finish of the kit parts were good, especially the centering rings. This might be a later kit release.

R.I.P. Dave Bucher

From Blake Goddard's NAR Facebook post:

"So last night was a very bittersweet night for me. I got together with a group of friends commiserating on the loss of my best friend, Dave Bucher. He passed away yesterday in his sleep. If there was a way to go, we could not ask for better. This man taught, encouraged, loved and lived with a strength few could muster. He lived, worked, and played hard. He was fiercely loyal, not only to his friends, but on his convictions as well. A master carpenter, an expert model maker, and a luthier extraordinaire, I will miss your class, learning from your techniques, and your sound opinions in rocketry. Have a good rest my friend and know that we who are left will miss you and will think about you. Your knowledge has been passed onto others.

We will be setting up a Go Fund Me page for his wife to help with expenses. We will also be holding a launch in his honor next June at his wife's request.

He was very active on here and loved showing his work and helping others move forward in this craft."

Dave Lucas and Dave Bucher both bought the rights and remaining inventory of Flight Systems Incorporated. They were in the process of bringing back kits under the FSI name. 

FSI Viking 3

I was on the FSI Facebook page - CLICK HERE
and came across a picture of the Viking 3 kit tubes.

I never owned one of these kits but was curious about them.
These tubes look like they were cut on a band saw! Pretty rough and could be cleaned up with a sanding block.
Still, if I received these parts in a kit, I would have been disappointed. I'd rather get a wrap, trace it and cut them myself.

To see an example of FSI instructions, CLICK HERE

FSI Select-A-Chute

F.S.I. or Flight Systems Incorporated was the first to come out with an adjustable sized parachute. They called it the "Select-A-Chute".
It was eight sided and could be sized from 10" to 16" just by cutting around the colored bands.

I always thought this was a great idea. It was the inspiration behind the Odd'l Rockets multi sized parachutes. The Odd'l chutes can be sized at the standard 12, 15" and 18" sizes.
It is a one size fits most all, you just have to supply shroud line long enough to make the larger 18" parachute.

Enlarge the picture at the right to read the directions or to see the catalog page, go to Ninfinger's - CLICK HERE

FSI Fin Alignment Fixture

I ran across this one on Ebay -
F.S.I. Fin Alignment Fixture

I remember seeing it in the FSI catalog but never saw one up close.
It looks a little rough, even the FSI stamp didn't fit on the base.

The white squares are pieces of cardstock glued to clothes pins.
The instructions (below) show clothespins clipped over the fins and the vertical alignment plates. The flat card stock pieces prevent the fin from getting dents from the clothespins.
Well, that's what I thought. The card stock would have to be slipped under the open jaws of the clothespins. Gluing the pieces to the outside of the clothespins does nothing!

This device worked pretty well with three finned models, most all the FSI kits had three fins.

There was a problem though.
Notice the two different diameter central spindles.
All FSI kits (at the time) were designed for their 21mm diameter black powder engines.
Most FSI kits had 23mm and 30mm body tubes.
This Fin Alignment Fixture only worked with FSI kits. 
Later, FSI started making 18mm engines.

The FSI instructions I've seen had hand written copy.



Here's how it looked in the 1977 FSI catalog.
To see it and the rest of the catalog -
CLICK HERE

New Shrox FSI Design?

In a recent TRF post CLICK HERE,
Blake Goddard introduced himself as IT and Marketing Director for Flight Systems Inc. 
"All your old favorites will be back: BBII, OSO, Megatron, Nova, Viking III, IV, etc."

FSI has a website under development: www.flywithfsi.com

Doug Shrox will be doing some new designs, 

Ooooooh!

Old AVI / FSI Engine Making Machines

On the NAR Facebook page Dave Bucher posted pictures of the "found" FSI inventory HERE somewhere near Raytown Missouri.

I found the pictures of the engine making machines interesting.
These machines were from AVI (MPC) and sold to FSI to make 18mm engines.
These might be the machines used to make many of the old MPC engines I still have and occasionally launch.

I understand that some other MPC / AVI engine making machines were sold to Quest and are now in storage.

There are rumors that some classic FSI kits will be made.
FSI engines? These machines are beyond repair.