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12x Estes Alpha III

12x Estes Alpha III 8x Estes GeminiDC 14x Estes GeminiDC 8x Custom Rocketry Tristar 4x LOC Starfighter 6x Fliskits Drake

Commentary by Jay The Alpha was our first massive project - sort of. Actually the first massive project we started was the 8x Gemini, but shortly after starting we discovered WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO BUILD BIG ROCKETS! We shelved the Gemini and started the definitive "3 fins and a nosecone" rocket. It didn't take too long before we realized that even 3 fins and a nosecone took some talent and experience. We dropped back to ground zero and built a 6x version to test the electronics, deployment, and building techniques. We flew the 6x in its primer grey splendor at LDRS 22 in Argonia Kansas. I can safely say that of the hundreds of people on the flightline, only 2 people even noticed - Jacob and I. Long, long, long story short, we eventually figured out what we were doing and finished the 12x version. Of course by the time we were done, Aerotech had burned to the ground and hybrids were the only game in town. Once again we were back in the shop. This time we were modifying the airframe to accomodate an M1000 Hypertek tank. Paul Holmes and Ken Sparks soon became our lifelong friends. And before long we were cooking with gas. This is what the Alpha looked like on one of its 2 hybrid flights.... Hybrids are nice, but for REAL excitement nothing beats an M1939. This is the Alpha on one of its M1939 flights. It also had 3-54mm outboards that we airstarted at about 5000ft. It was definitely one sweet bird. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With as many times as we'd seen rockets go bad, we never thought it would happen to us. If you have a weak stomach, I wouldn't look.... That last picture shows Roy Polmanteer's brand new 98mm case bouncing 40 foot high off the desert floor. Boy, that was one EXPENSIVE flight! (crash sequence captured by Duane Hatton) P.S. Anybody want to buy an M1939 case? Only used once.

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