Throwback Thursday Pic 7

Another picture from NARAM 17.
NARAMs are a great place to meet to meet vendors. On the right is Col. Howard Kuhn of Competition Model Rockets. When CMR was up and running, you'd see many of his kits in NAR competitions.

That square blue building in the background is still there! It's right down the street from the Universal Studios entrance.

Throwback Thursday Pic 6

Here's a meeting of the Watsonville Area Rocketeers, probably in 1976. I'm the tall guy in the middle.
We launched two miles from the city airport. I'd call the airport in the morning of a launch and let them know.
Back then I produced a two sided, one page newsletter called the "Flypaper". I distributed them at two local hobby shops to publicize the monthly launches.
We set up individual launchers in a line, what Harry Stine called the "Misfire Alley" system.

Throwback Thursday Pic 5

Here's another shot from NARAM 17 in 1975.
That's Vern Estes test firing an engine in a thrust measuring device. He designed it, the company was under Gleda's name. Putting it under his wife's name might have had something to do with a "No Compete" clause with Damon. Just a guess on my part.
The engine test company never went anywhere, as far as I know.

Throwback Thursday Pic 4

That's me, getting a Mars Snooper ready for flight in the early 1970s. You'd think I would comb my hair for a picture. I did have hair back then.
I don't know why I picked those colors for the Snooper, blues and purples. Not my best choice.

My mother took this picture. We would drive onto our family ranch property and find an area that didn't have much growing on it. Those are brussel sprouts in the background. These days strawberries take up the 175 acres.

Throwback Thursday Pic 3

Here's another picture from NARAM 17, 1975 in Orlando, Florida.
That's the Centuri booth. Behind the table is Bob DelPrincipe, one of the Centuri designers.
The sign says: "Pre-Production Super Kits".
The guy in the red shirt might be John Langford, he's now President and Chairman of Aurora Flight Sciences

Throwback Thursday Pic 2

Here's a picture of the first time I saw Vern Estes in person.

This goes back to 1975 at NARAM 17 in Orlando, Florida.
Mr. Estes walked into the room and you could hear the whispering: "Hey look, Vern Estes is here." I felt like I was seeing a real celebrity.
This was back when he had a full beard and was wearing flight suits.

Throwback Thursday Pic 1

Here's an old picture from the mid 1970s.
This is a convention, display model I built for AVI (Aerospace Vehicles Incorporated)
It's the old MPC Nike Patriot.

What's so interesting about this picture . . . maybe not the rocket.
I took this shot with the rocket set on our living room ottoman. The ottoman was vinyl covered and matched the new recliner chair.
Underneath the adapter is a "waffle" pattern melted into the vinyl. That melted grid was indirectly caused by my Estes Cineroc.
Before this picture was taken, I got my first developed Cineroc film back from Estes. I watched that film over and over.
Under the projector was a fan to keep it cool. I set the projector on the new ottoman. The fan cover got hot and melted right into the vinyl!