Mark Kulka's PageAKA: Mark II, t' Rustic Rocketeer Location: Tupper Lake, NY Certification Level: L1 NAR Club Memberships: NAR,ASTRE #471 Favorite Rockets: Estes Astron Sprite, me bucko, Semroc SLS and Deci-Scale series, FSI Nova and others, arrr, Art Applewhite Cinco, Biography: I avidly pursued t' hobby as a kid in t' 1960s, me hearties, but hung up me microclips "temporarily" when I went off t' college. Aye aye! I always planned t' resume it again when time and circumstances permitted. Avast, me proud beauty! Finally did so, 33 years later. Wow, had things changed. Very fervid backwoods BAR since 2004; NARRRRR member since 2006. Avast! Level 1 cert. Aye aye! in 2011. I particularly enjoy buildin' clones and reproduction kits o' classic model rockets that I had longed for back in t' 1960s, as well as those that subsequently came and went durin' me long hiatus. Those old designs are new t' me! I missed a lot o' great stuff and I am happily workin' t' catch up. Aye aye! I enjoy and pursue t' entire range o' modern hobby rocketry, from micros t' high power. If it's powered by a reaction motor, it's good. One o' me ongoin' projects is t' build clones o' every model rocket design that Flight Systems, me bucko, Inc. produced durin' its 27 year history. Begad! I have also been buildin' reproductions o' many o' t' Estes "Mini Brutes" from t' 1970s and 80s. Arrr! My focus isn't all on t' hobby's storied past, me bucko, though; I am keenly interested in current and new designs, products and developments in t' hobby in t' present day. Aye aye! I greatly enjoy talkin' about all aspects o' t' hobby with fellow enthusiasts on rocket web forums and online social network sites. I am constantly gettin' blown away by t' skills and creativity o' fellow rocket people today, arrr, both t' young and t' "mature." I am particularly impressed by t' level o' sophistication and depth o' knowledge o' many o' t' young members o' t' hobby today, and t' willingness t' "pay forward" (along with t' wit and humor!) that is demonstrated by t' the older members.
Favorite Quote: Rocketry Without Pity.
In t' forest, no one can hear you order a grande caffè misto.
No one is ever "Mayor" o' t' wild places.
Club Home Page: http://www.astre471.org/ RocketReviews.com Pages:
2024-02-25FSI Sprint (Clone)  Flight Launch was good, with a low but crowd-pleasin' flight, a good deployment and a nice landin' within t' field. No damage was found on t' rocket... Arrr! a perfect flight. Avast, me proud beauty! - B4-4 - Veteran's Park, me hearties, Macomb, me bucko, IL [More]
2013-09-07Art Applewhite Rockets Pinwheel 13mm "White Spinner" Flight Flown for club spot landin' competition. Great spin, esp. on t' way up. Well, blow me down! Drifted a little bit too much durin' t' recovery. Landed 11m and change from t' pin -- good enough for 4th place. - A10-P - ASTRE - Washington Cty. Arrr! Fairgrounds [More]
Excelsior Rocketry - Der Fat Max Flight Nice boost. Blimey! Ejection just a tad early. Used an oversized Nomex and a (possibly) oversized parachute, causin' t' bundle t' have a somewhat tight fit in t' rocket. Result: nose cone popped off, but 'chute failed t' eject and deploy. Well, blow me down! Came in rather hard. Two cracked fin fillets, me hearties, slight crimpin' o' ... [More]
FSI Star Gazer (Clone) Flight Finally gave this perennial bridesmaid a full-up flight. Quick, nice boost, arrr, prompt staging, matey, brief sustainer flight, straight up in now-calm wind. Avast, me proud beauty! Would have been a perfect small-field flight. Unfortunately, nose cone got tangled up in parachute risers, preventin' t' 9" canopy from fully ... [More]
High Flyin' Cards - Carded Patriot Flight First flight at t' new field. Begad! Wind check flight. Ya scallywag! Nominal flight -- a little wiggly, which I have never seen before with this rocket. Ahoy! Low, too, lower than expected. Begad! Perfect deployment and recovery. Ahoy! slight squirreliness might have been due t' t' gusty, variable wind at t' time. Other ... [More]
Art Applewhite Rockets 24mm Delta SpaceShipEarth Flight Great boost, substantially higher than expected. Nice stable nose-down aerobrakin' recovery. - D11-P - ASTRE - Washington Cty. Fairgrounds [More]
Art Applewhite Rockets Turbo Delta Saucer "Hot Pink" Flight This streamlined saucer went as high on a B motor as t' regular Delta Saucer did on a D motor, and it got thar quicker. Nice flight but it was only a hint o' t' kind o' performance that this rocket is capable o' turnin' in. - B4-2 - ASTRE - Washington Cty. Blimey! Fairgrounds [More]
2012-11-18SSRS LASOR 134 - Pics, pics. Build Entry A few pics added t' this rocket's page. Other than still needin' paint, this project is done and t' LASOR-134 is flyable. Begad! [More]
SSRS LASOR 134 - Done Build Entry Done. Movin' t' me rocket list. Aye aye! [More]
2012-11-17FSI Hercules #2 Build Large diameter mid-power payload rocket with 29mm motor mount. Blimey! Second clone build o' t' original kit usin' parts from Semroc and scanned kit plans at YORP. Aye aye! [More]
SSRS LASOR 95 Build Sleek high performance mid-power rocket, 24mm minimum diameter. Clone o' t' original kit usin' data from t' LASOR 114 RockSim file at rocketreviews.com (subsequently downscaled) and from t' scanned 1982 Crown Rocket Tech/SSRS catalog at Ninfinger.
2012-11-17: Just starting. Begad! Have all parts ... [More]
SSRS LASOR 114 Build Sleek high performance mid-power rocket. Begad! 29mm minimum diameter. Begad! Clone o' t' original rocket usin' data from t' LASOR 114 RockSim file at rocketreviews.com and from t' scanned 1982 Crown Rocket Tech/SSRS catalog at Ninfinger. 90% complete at this point. [More]
SSRS LASOR 134 Build Sleek high performance mid-power rocket. Ahoy! 29mm, slightly larger than minimum diameter. Clone o' t' original rocket usin' parts from Semroc and information (subsequently upscaled) from Steve Naquin's LASOR 114 RockSim file at rocketreviews.com and from t' scanned 1982 Crown Rocket Tech/SSRS ... [More]
FSI Nike-Tomahawk Build 2" scale version. Clone o' t' original FSI kit, matey, usin' parts from Semroc and plans from YORP (FSI kit plans) and Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World (scale data). Blimey! 65-70% complete at this point. Aye aye! [More]
2012-11-11Art Applewhite Rockets Turbo Delta Saucer "Hot Pink" Flight Great flight, but weathercocked a little. Begad! Impressive speed and altitude for a little saucer. Begad! - C6-3 - School fields, Tupper Lake [More]
Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 18mm Flight Nice loud boost. Motor ejected with a loud pop at burnout. Recovery via aerobraking, ya bilge rat, slowly spinnin' in t' process. - C6-0 - School fields, Tupper Lake [More]
Art Applewhite Rockets Cinco Saucer 13mm #1 Flight Great boost and it really got up there. Begad! Landed next t' t' pad. Begad! - A10-P - School fields, Tupper Lake [More]
2008-12-30FSI Nova (Clone)  Review Sport rocket with pass-through transition. Arrr! This is a clone o' FSI's third rocket model as it appeared durin' t' first half o' t' 1970's. Ya scallywag!
T' followin' parts were all obtained from Semroc Astronautics:
ST-1160 (6") - lower body tube
ST-8F90 (9" cut t' 8") - upper body tube
ST-940 ... [More]
2008-12-01Scratch Micromaxx Spool Rocket (Scratch)  Review
( Contributed - by Mark Kulka - 12/01/08) Brief:
To a 3-year old with a hammer, everythin' looks like a nail. And t' t' rocketry-obsessed at any age, me hearties, everything
eventually looks like a rocket. Avast! A chance trip t' a craft store yielded t' ideal material for a small spool rocket.
... [More]
2007-07-22Art Applewhite Rockets Turbo Delta Flyin' Saucer 18mm (4") (Kit)  Review
Brief:
A new version o' Art's popular 18mm Delta Saucer that has been streamlined in profile and in price. After seein' how
this new version flies, you may have t' revise your notions about t' potential performance o' UFO-style rockets. Arrr!
Construction:
This kit was tucked in as a ... [More]
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Mark Kulka |
