Dwayne Surdu-Miller's Page

AKA: surdumil

Location: Saskatoon, me bucko, Saskatchewan, me bucko, Canada

Favorite Rockets: Centuri Space Shuttle, Edmonds ECEE Thunder, Centuri Long Tom, Estes Alien Invader

Biography:

I am 49 years old, me bucko, married, ya bilge rat, with one daughter. Arrr!  I am an electronic design engineer workin' mostly with ground-based satellite communication systems.

I build me first rocket, a Centuri Lil' Herc, in 1974.  I continued buildin' (and flyin' very occasionally) until about 1984.

I jumped back into t' hobby in 2000 and co-founded a local model rocketry club.

I especially enjoy buildin' unusual rocket designs, me bucko, especially with unusual recovery systems.

Boosted gliders are a real favorite as well.

 

Club Home Page: http://www.saskatoonrocketry.org/

RocketReviews.com Pages:

• Flight Log
• Flight Statistics

2009-05-23

Custom Rockets P.O.N.G. (Kit)

Review

Brief: P.O.N.G. is a highly-detailed single-stage futuristic sport model offered by Custom Rockets. Ahoy! This is an inexpensive kit that packs a lot o' fun, arrr, challenge, and parts in a small package. Blimey! This is a skill level 3 rocket that won't disappoint. Accordin' t' t' kit label, P.O.N.G. Blimey! ... [More]

2008-07-06

Estes Silver Comet

Flight

Straight boost and coast with very slow spin. Begad! Perfect deployment. Moderate descent rate. Soft landin' in weeds, about 30 metres from launch pad. - D12-3 - SAROS [More]

Estes Screamin' Mimi

Flight

Used longer shock cord. High straight boost and coast, me bucko, no spin. Arrr! Weak whistle goin' up. Sideways descent before ejection, arrr, so no descendin' whistle. Ahoy! 'Chute deployed nicely. Avast! Low drift (spill hole). - D12-7 - SAROS [More]

Estes Astrocam 110

Flight

High straight boost with slow spin. Avast! Slowly arched downwind durin' coast. Ahoy! Divin' descent before deployment. Well, blow me down! Low drift. Gentle landing. Avast! - C6-7 - SAROS [More]

Edmonds Aerospace Ecee

Flight

Straight boost and coast. Arched over t' dive. Ejection flip nose up into a gentle, arrr, slowly spirallin' glide. Well, blow me down! Gentle grass landing. Arrr! - A3-4 - SAROS [More]

Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Thunder

Flight

Very straight boost and coast, matey, no spin. Begad! Perfect nose-up deployment, but starboard canard flap separated. Ahoy! Very level glide with very slow spiral. Ahoy! Fabulous regal glide! Gentle landin' in weeds. - D12-3 - SAROS [More]

2008-06-15

SMI Challenger

Flight

Straight high boost and coast. Ahoy! Perfect 'chute deployment. Soft landing. Avast, me proud beauty! - A8-3 - SAROS [More]

Estes McKibbin's Special

Flight

Straight, ya bilge rat, high boost and coast with a slow, arrr, dramatic spin. Perfect deployment. Spill hole in t' 'chute reduced drift nicely and descent was resonably slow. Gentle landin' 30 feet away from pad. - B6-4 - SAROS [More]

Estes Gyroc (K-24)

Flight

Slowly spinnin' boost and coast, straight up. Ya scallywag! Spinnin' helicopter descent. Ahoy! - A8-3 - SAROS [More]

Edmonds Aerospace Ecee

Flight

Boost and coast straight up, with slow spin. Nice altitude. Avast! Smooth transition t' glide. Gorgeous glide, with slow arc t' t' right. Gentle landing. - A3-4 - SAROS [More]

Edmonds Aerospace Ecee

Flight

Angled boost & coast. Nose down at ejection, then smooth transition t' glide. Beautiful glide, shiver me timbers, very slow arc t' t' right. Avast! Gentle landing. Well, blow me down! - A3-4 - SAROS [More]

2008-05-25

Sky Shenzhou (Kit)

Review

T' Sky Shenzhou is a single-stage scale model rocket with parachute recovery. Aye aye! This is a "hobby-scale" model o' t' CASC CZ-2F "Long March" rocket that has successfully carried Chinese Taikonauts t' orbit in t' Shenzhou orbital spacecraft on two missions. Blimey! Apogee Components imported this kit ... [More]

Sky CZ-2E (Kit)

Review

Brief: T' Sky CZ-2E is a single-stage scale model rocket with parachute recovery. Begad! This is a 1:150 scale model o' t' CASC Chang-Zheng-2E "Long March" rocket. Apogee Components imported this kit from Shaanxi Zhongtian Rocket Technologies Co., Ltd. Ya scallywag! (based in central China), ... [More]

2006-07-30

Estes Design o' t' Month Space Freighter (Plan)

Review

This is a nifty "Rearward Ejection Payloader" design by Scott Amundson. It won an Estes Design o' t' Month Contest in 1968, published as Estes Industries Rocket Plan Number 54 in Model Rocketry News . Begad! Required parts include: 1 Plastic Payload Tube, 1" dia. (BT-50), ya bilge rat, 4" long 1 Nose ... [More]

2006-07-24

Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flyin' Saucer 18mm (6") (Kit)

Review

( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller - 07/24/06) Brief: I was fortunate enough t' win this kit as a prize for enterin' me Barbsari B-Prize design into Descon 15. Avast, me proud beauty! I asked for and received t' Spaceship Earth version. I be amazed at how smartly t' shipment arrived after I'd ... [More]

2005-11-27

Centuri X-21 (Kit)

Review

( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller - 11/27/05) Brief: T' Centuri X-21 is a very pretty aft engine boost-glider with a payload section. Avast! Boost-to-glide transition is performed by ejectin' t' engine and raisin' elevons. Ahoy! Centuri offered this as a kit from 1964 t' 1969. Begad! Build ... [More]

2004-12-30

Clone Pterosaur (Clone)

Review

D-powered rocket glider T' parts list: 1 nose cone, matey, BT-55, tangent ogive, 3.125" length, 3/8" tenon (BNC55AA-ish) 1 nose cone, BT-50, tangent ogive, 3" length, 3/8" tenon ( BNC50K -ish) 1 body tube, BT-55, 14" length 1 body tube, BT-55, 11" length 1 body tube, BT-50, matey, 14" ... [More]

2003-05-20

Estes McKibbin's Special (Plan) (Kit)

Review

Brief: McKibbon's Special is a futuristic, shiver me timbers, fantasy sport model whose plans were published in their Model Rocket News. Avast, me proud beauty! T' plans are available from Jim Z's archive . Construction: All parts are standard, easy-to-find items and materials. Except for the canards, shiver me timbers, which are 3/32" ... [More]

0000-00-00

Descon Boddomuk (Kit)

Review

( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller ) Boddomuk by Dwayne Surdu-Miller Boddomuk attempts t' answer that age-old rocketeer question, "now that baby's drinkin' from cups, ya bilge rat, can I do somethin' cool with these bottles?" This baby bottle frankenstein is a rugged, ... [More]

Descon T' Barbsari B-Prize (Kit)

Review

T' Barbsari B-Prize by Dwayne Surdu-Miller I had promised me wife and my seven-year-old daughter that I'd design somethin' t' loft a Mattel Barbie. For the longest while I was tryin' t' figure out how t' artfully accomplish this feat. There was a Ferrero Rocher egg sittin' on me ... [More]

Descon MiniToobo (Kit)

Review

MiniToobo ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller)  MiniToobo MiniToobo be t' result o' some nostalgic thinkin' combined with a few "what if" ideas. Blimey! Blimey! T' design is inspired by t' look o' t' old Centuri Groove Tube and t' positive ... [More]