NRAM 65 Manufacturer Forum

The NARAM 65 Manufacturers Forum has been posted on YouTube.

To watch it: CLICK HERE

NARAM 2020 Manufacturer forum

The recent NARAM Virtual Manufacturer's Forum has been posted on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIt9u6sPh9E&feature=youtu.be

NARAM Manufacturer Forum - New Products

I tried to get in on the virtual NARAM Manufacturer's Forum last night,
but the NARAM website wouldn't load!
Here's some of the comments from TRF this morning from some who did see it:


Scott650 started:

Couple or four interesting tidbits out of the Manufacturer’s Forum webinar popped up on TRF from forum members CWBullet and Afadeev - MDRM is returning! Along with the much rumored and discussed Saturn 1b and Falcon Heavy. 29mm motors will be back on the shelves soon along with, finally, improved initiators/starters!!

Blushing Mule (Bob) wrote:
That was a great session...
ASP is looking good.
Never heard of Eggtimer Rocketry, may have to plug in the soldering iron.
Estes is still kickin' butt.
E-Rockets-Semroc is planning new up-scales of a few classics.
New Way's Saturn IV... and the Steamliner. I hope they do that triangular tubed model.
Frank Burke's Red Max glider was neat, but his X-15 is just wonderful!
Many thanks to Ed LaCroix for running the show!
Bob
p.s. Gary Rosefield mentioned a new I-65 with ejection as opposed to plugged...

tbzep wrote:

Some of you are going to go nuts...
eRockets just announced a "pro" upscale of the Blue Bird Zero and the Orbital Transport!

Snaquin followed:
I asked Randy During the Q&A “Any plans for any future SEMROC SLS kit releases? And he replied with a flat out NO, but we will have more of the PRO kit releases and brought out the Blue Bird Zero and the Orbital Transport! Those kits are HUGE.

My take:
ESTES:
I've heard the Estes 1/100 scale Saturn 1B will be released around Black Friday (late November) The Estes Maxi Der Red Max will be a smaller 3" tube model, not a 4" diameter like before. The upgraded "Starters" won't have a sparking black pyrogen tip, but will be more "energetic".
NEW WAY:
The Saturn IV is a square body version of the Saturn V. I haven't seen the Steamliner yet.
SEMROC:
Semroc will now have three different sizes of the Blue Bird Zero and Orbital Transport. Micro Maxx, standard and the big upscale.

NARAM - 61 Manufacturer's Forum Video

To find out what's coming in Model Rocketry - 
Watch the NARAM 61 Manufacturer's Forum
To see the video: CLICK HERE

Garth Illibrun let us know of the Apogee video on the Estes Model Rocket Facebook page.
On the left is John Langford of Estes Industries.

Streamer D Rocket Build, Part 4, Kevlar Notch and Paint

The fins are glued on a bit forward of the end to allow a wrap of tape for engine retention.

The root edge of one fin is marked for a notch. The Kevlar line is knotted and glued on the root edge so the model will hang parallel to the ground under the streamer. This adds even more drag during recovery.

I made a small notch where the Kevlar will be attached after the rocket is painted.






Here's the finished build ready for fluorescent green paint.
I know, green paint? Not the best color for finding a model on the ground. This model will have a long, wide chrome Mylar streamer. It shouldn't be hard to find.

As shown before, fluorescent paint is flat and a rough finish. You can polish and smooth the flat finish by rubbing it with a soft cloth. That will bring it to a satin finish with less drag. The smoother finish will also help with decal adhesion.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Finished

I can hear the readers now: "Paint adds weight! Why are you painting a competition model?"
It's just me, I like a smooth, colorful model.

The glue fillets on the natural wood fins showed up on the finished model. Not a big deal, just something to could watch for the next time around.



My competition builds are old school, it's all I know. I just don't have the recent competition experience to know the latest trends. I'll be happy to participate at NARAM and get some qualified flights.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 9, Smaller Shroud & Pop Lug

I realized there would be a problem with the long shroud. How can I make vent holes for the altimeter with the shroud in the way?
While I would have liked the long shroud for less drag, I needed more body tube exposed below the shroud for the vent holes.

I went back to PayloadBay.com and printed up another.
TIP: Note the glue tab is narrower at the bottom and the corner angles are steeper at the bottom (see arrows) This helps with a flatter fit at the tube joint.

I formed a clean, narrow glue line for the bottom of the shroud at tube joint. I takes very little glue to hold paper to paper joints.

No centering ring is needed for inside support. The open top of the shroud is supported by the fit against the egg capsule.

I had some Apogee Fly-Away guides for 13mm and 18mm body tubes. These weren't high enough to clear the egg capsule. Apogee sells a guide for use with the egg capsule, I just didn't see it.

I'm glad I saved all my old instruction sheets! Here's the old CMR pop-lug with standoff for egg lofting. This might be a second version of the pop-lug with the smaller lower wire hook.
There is also small segments of body tube that better hold the wire on the standoff.

The fit of the pop lug is very good with clearance for the launch rod.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 8, Fin Airfoil Shaping

The fins were made using 1/32" thick plywood. I was able to cut them out with scissors, something you couldn't do with balsa.

Mentioned in an earlier build, you can easily gauge the thickness by seeing the ply layers as you sand the airfoil.

The fins got a wipe of CA and smooth sanding with 400 grit.

Notice there isn't any CA glue near the root edge. I wanted the fillets to better adhere to the body tube.

Here's how the first attempt looked before I realized the altimeter and pop lug problems. Too bad, the long shroud would really smooth out the air stream.

The fins were cut off to be reused. The body tube and shroud were thrown away.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 7, First Shroud Attempt

I went to the Payload Bay website to use the Transition Tool.
http://www.payloadbay.com/page-Tools.html

I figured a long shroud would reduce drag.
The problem is, with this long a shroud, how do punch hole for the altimeter or use a pop launch lug?
I didn't think about this until after the shroud was on the model. More on this later.

At the narrow base of the shroud, I rolled the Sharpie over the glued edge while the glue was still wet to smooth it out.








The shroud was printed on 64 lb. card stock. Normally I use 110 lb. card stock for shrouds but I wanted it lighter.
The whole shroud got a wipe of CA glue to stiffen it up.

Here's how the first shroud fit against the egg capsule and body tube.

Like I mentioned, how would you punch vent holes or use a pop lug?

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 6, ASP 18" Parachute Kit

The parachute is "spike folded" to find its center. Mark the center point with a Sharpie.

The shroud lines are pre-cut. Even up the ends and fold at the center. Mark the center with a Sharpie.





Set the center mark on the shroud line at the center mark on the parachute.

Tape the shroud line at the corner side of the parachute.

Here you can see the marked center dot on the chute material.
Set the center mark of the shroud line directly on top of the center mark of the Mylar.

1" away from the center dot, place another tape strip over the shroud line. Place another tape strip 1" to the right of the center dot.




On the right side another tape strip is set over the shroud line at chute the "corner".

TIP: Notice the tape holding the line steady for the tape strip placement.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 5, ASP 18" Parachute Kit

I purchased some Hang Time "Over Easy" parachutes from ASP Rocketry.

This parachute is designed for NAR Eggloft Competition so it is reinforced. The shroud lines run over and are taped to the top of the canopy. 1/4 mil Mylar and 18" diameter.
I also have some 12" Mylar parachutes. I'll pick the best chute on the day of the launch.


A strip of self-adhesive Mylar is supplied for shroud line adhesion. The builder cuts the strip into 1/4" wide pieces.

The Mylar strip was taped down for the 1/4" marks.
The wax paper backing was marked with a fine point Sharpie.

The strips were cut with a knife and straightedge. I only cut the Mylar and not to the outside of the waxed paper backing. This kept all the pieces together.

After the shroud lines were removed from the flat spool there was angles creases in the lines. Chances are these lines are some sort of poly blend. The line bends could be trouble when packing the chute.




TIP: Straighten out the lines by pulling them under a hot iron. Don't set the iron too hot, you don't want to melt the shroud lines. Try first at a low setting. If the lines still have folds, increase the heat setting.
Set a towel over the lines to dissipate the heat.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 4, Joining the Capsule

I also bought the foam egg protector from Apogee.
I was surprised by how well it fit into the capsule halves.

To be honest, I don't know much about NAR competitions. I figured I'll need every advantage to have a shot!

Here's the finished capsule.
The halves are held together with a wrap of tape.

Notice the Kevlar attachment out the back. The line loop was too long. An overhand loop knot was tied and the ends cut off.

NARAM Egg Lofter Build, Part 3, Egg Capsule Prep

The supplied Kevlar line is laced through the drilled holes and securely tied. I used a square knot. The knot is inside the lower capsule half.
The knot was "set" with a small drop of white glue.




A larger single hole is cut into the flat bottom of the 18mm shoulder.
Again draw a circle with a pencil. Cutting through the shoulder base took more time than I would have expected.

After cutting out the center, the edges were rough.
Sandpaper was wrapped around a tapered dowel and the edges cleaned up.

The shoulder was set on the capsule over the pencil circle. The Kevlar is fed through the hole in the shoulder.

Once I was sure the shoulder was centered, liquid plastic cement was brushed around the shoulder/base joint.

The Kevlar line seemed long so another knot was tied, closer to the shoulder hole. The excess Kevlar was cut off.

NARAM 60 Thursday, August 9, 1/2A Parachute Duration and C SuperRoc Altitude

This picture probably should have been posted earlier.
Here's the entrance to the Hudson Ranch SCORE field off highway 78. That's a great launch field landmark.

I was checking in my 1/2A Parachute duration model. Somebody asked: "Is this yours?" My lost Helicopter Duration model was returned! I gave up looking for it yesterday after a half hour search. This is one reason why your NAR number is on every entered model, including Scale.

Here's a boost glider legend, Larry Renger. Larry designed the Sky Slash in the 1960s. The Estes Falcon was based on that design. His other models included the Citation Bomarc pop-pod glider and the Sky Dart.

Larry said all he does is boost gliders. I thought this glider prepping picture was appropriate.

My first Parachute Duration flight got 2 1/2 minutes duration.

On the left is the way the current winning FAI style P/D models look. That model is built by Daniel Winings. Large upper body with 36" parachutes. My model (on the right) is BT-20 based, boat tail and 18" Mylar parachute.

You can easily find my crepe paper wadding on the field.

On the right is my P/D parachute second flight. I thought the Mylar chute might be melted, but it just didn't open all the way up - it was a "Hillbilly Hat".
I returned the model anyway to the return desk and noticed the engine ejected, a disqualification.

I didn't enter the C SuperRoc competition. I know very little about that event.
Much of the day was watching the Parachute Duration models hang in the air. The winning entry got over 33 minutes on a 1/2A engine!

NARAM 60 Sunday, August 5, Manufacturer's Forum

Sunday was another full day of Sport Flying at the field. Lots of Mid Power launches. The Estes tour and the first competition launches start tomorrow.

There were nine vendors presentations.
ESTES: Ellis Langford showed the upcoming Mercury Little Joe I along with the new offerings already on sale. The Saturn V is returning with some new scale mold corrections and other revisions. Canadian rocketeers asked why Estes won't sell engines over the border. Mr. Langford said he would look into the matter.
QUEST: The C and D Q-Jets will be pre-sold from the website shortly. Dane Boles is now working for Aerotech and will probably focus on the Quest product line.
ASP: Showed the newest scale kits.
BMS: Bill showed the newest 3' School Rockets upgraded for larger engines.
SEMROC: Randy brought a rack of the new Micro Maxx models. I might pick up the little Orbital Transport.
There other new product demos, some were directed toward mid and higher power.

I participated in the Manufacturer's forum on Sunday night with new products from Odd'l Rockets.
On the right is the new BT-20H, heavy walled BT-20 tubing. It has the same wall thickness as a BT-55 or BT-60.
Imagine the applications - Stronger stuffer tubes, strap on boosters, Super-roc competitions and general sport flying with longer life models!

I have never been a fan of the BT-20 style tubing ever since I crimped the BT-20 on my Estes Beta trying to remove a friction fit engine.
This stronger tubing will better insulate a hot engine and won't shrink up when the white glue dries! A perfect fit with the Apogee plastic (Starlight) nose cones.

Here's the new engine mount incorporating the BT-20H HEAVY WALL TUBE. Stronger for general use and great for the new, more powerful Q-Jet composites.

These Odd'l Rockets engine mounts have a 3" long SPRING STEEL engine hook. That extra 1/4" length hook allows you to glue the engine block in under the upper bend of the engine hook.

The REPLACEABLE KEVLAR mount ties the cord underneath the lower centering ring. Pull it out, check the condition of the line and replace if needed.

I was given a new Quest C12-6 Q-Jet engine for testing (Shown above). I went back to the hotel to get the products together and test the fit of the engine. The newer, slightly smaller diameter Q-Jets are a perfect fit with the labels on!
During the presentation I said: "Look how well the new Q-Jets fit in the BT-20H tubing! A perfect slip fit!" I wish I had a picture of the smiles on Gary Rosenfield and Dane Boles faces. They appreciated a positive mention of the new engines.

My third product unveil was a long time coming.
The Odd'l Rockets FIN TOOL will finally be sold after I return from NARAM. Many were interested in a demonstration after I was meeting participants at the front of the hall. These should show up on the Odd'l vendors websites in September.

Arrived (Early) in Pueblo!

I haven't done a long drive since the early 1980s. I would drive alone from California to Florida in three days, averaging 1,000 miles a day!
I'm older now, I gave myself a four day travel window.
I left Orlando on Tuesday about 8 a.m. I arrived in Pueblo, Colorado Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
1,800 miles in 36 hours - not bad! It is a long haul though.

I'll be sharing a room at the Comfort Inn with Doug Frost, he's not going to be here until Friday. I got a room at the Motel 6 for the next two nights.

Last Minute NARAM Prepping!

Good thing I looked over the NARAM Classic Competition Rules.
I needed to put together some documentation about my entry, the Dragon Ship 7.
I needed references to where I got my clone information, a picture or two and the instructions from JimZ's.






Then I found out the fly-away guides I bought won't work with the egg capsule! The long lug needed a long standoff.
I found some on CMR egg lofter pop-lug instructions and made one.

Here's all the rocket boxes, ready for the long drive starting Tuesday morning.
Each box is for a different purpose -
One box is for the Manufacturer's Forum, another is full of Sport Models, a box for Competition Models and the final box contains  my Classic Model entry.
On the right side is a good sized ERockets order I'll deliver to Randy at the meet. Whew!

I'll be on the road for four days, arriving in Pueblo on Friday. I'll try to post when I can. There should be some NARAM news to report on.

NARAM Memories, Transporting Rockets - Old School!

In 1975 I was on the way to NARAM 17, getting on a connecting flight from Atlanta to Orlando. Across from me was a guy sitting with a cardboard box with body tubes sticking out of it.
I asked: "Are you going to NARAM?" His response: "How'd you guess?"
That was the infamous Bob Bruce.



Under the seat in front of me was the same range box I use today. Smaller rockets were in there along with plenty of black powder engines. Getting on the plane I wasn't even questioned about it. Airport security was more lax back then!

One NARAM participant would fly his rockets in a chip board guitar case. I commented on the interesting rocket box. He said: "The airlines think it's a guitar and they treat it more carefully."

My First NARAM, 1975!

George Gassaway posted a link to the CAPCOM Newsletter from September of 1975. George is looking for a different issue of the newsletter with the plans for the Rotoroc 3.
The linked issue had extensive coverage of NARAM 17, held in Orlando, Florida. Who would have ever thought I would end up living here.
To see the issue: CLICK HERE

At NARAM 17, I did enter in the Boost Glider, Rocket Glider, Robin Egg Loft, Pee Wee Payload and Streamer Duration. I did place, tying for second place in Streamer Duration. Check out the names - I was in some pretty good company!

One great thing about the NARAM was meeting all the rocketry celebrities. G. Harry Stine, Vern and Gleda Estes, Dane Boles (Estes), Howard Kuhn (CMR), Lonnie Reese and Doug Pratt (FSI), Bob Del Principe (Centuri) and all the competitors I had read about in magazines and newsletters.

NARAM LIVE Is Up And Running!

Thanks to Chris Taylor, NARAM Live is back!
CLICK HERE

The Manufacturer's Forum has been posted on YouTube
CLICK HERE

More is being added everyday as NARAM goes on!