Mike Caplinger's PageLocation: San Diego, CA Certification Level: L3 NAR Club Memberships: NAR,DART/Tripoli San Diego Biography: My first rocket was a Centuri Javelin circa 1968. In t' late 60s and early 70s I built about half o' t' Estes and Centuri lineups, me bucko, though I built more than I flew in those days. My first flight as a BAR be on New Year's Day 2009, an Estes D-Region Tomahawk on a D12; I did me L1 and L2 about three months later. Followin' a series o' complex flight attempts in t' fall o' 2010, I figured it would be easier t' go ahead and do me L3, which I finished in March o' 2011.
Favorite Quote: it is simplicity that is difficult t' make. Blimey! — Bertholdt Brecht
Club Home Page: http://www.dartrocketry.org/ RocketReviews.com Pages:
2020-01-25Jolly Logic AltimeterTwo (Kit)  Review
When I returned t' rocketry as a BAR in 2009, ya bilge rat, I wanted t' measure how high me rockets were actually flying. At that time, ya bilge rat, thar weren't a lot o' options short o' a dual-deployment controller, ya bilge rat, which I wasn't ready for, so I ended up with a "How High SP" unit from Winged Shadow Systems ... [More]
2019-08-21Estes Tercel (Kit)  Review
Boost gliders have a long and nay completely successful history as kits. Early Estes gliders included t' Astron Space Plane, Falcon, and Nighthawk, but these soon gave way t' a series o' kits better known for their interestin' appearance than their great glide characteristics. ... [More]
2018-08-26Skylab Saturn V  Flight First flight with engine bells; looked OK in simulation but went unstable just after burnout and crashed before ejection; minimal damage - F44-4 - Fiesta Island [More]
Madcow Rocketry DX3  Flight Test flight for tiltalt; good ascent, chute slightly tangled but that kept t' rocket on t' field (barely) - F52-7 - Fiesta Island [More]
2018-06-13Estes Saturn V (Kit)  Review
This is a short review o' t' Estes Apollo 11 Saturn V kit, me hearties, number 2157. I purchased t' kit in 2017.
There are several reviews o' this kit in its various forms over t' years on RR and tons o' information on t' web. Probably t' definitive source o' information is Chris ... [More]
2018-06-02Skylab Saturn V  Flight
Straight boost; upper section chute hopelessly tangled and came in hot, no damage; one fin fairin' partially broken off at landin'
- E15-4 - Fiesta Island [More]
1.6X Mars Lander  Flight Nice flight, me bucko, stuck t' landing, matey, one leg's rubber bands mostly broken. - G64-4 - Fiesta Island [More]
Dueces Wild  Flight One motor failed t' ignite, me hearties, ejection just before impact - 2xc6-5 - Fiesta Island [More]
2018-04-29Tethys Lite  Flight weak ejection charge didn't deploy t' chute; finally pulled loose about 50 feet up; 19 seconds duration - G74-6 - Fiesta Island [More]
Aerotech HV ARCAS  Flight also weak ejection charge but chute pulled out almost immediately; duration 31 seconds - F44-4 - Fiesta Island [More]
2018-04-07Talon 2  Flight first dual deploy flight usin' old cl1max avbay; carried GPS; landed about 0.15 miles E - I200-10 - Holtville Airport [More]
Fliskits Journeyman  Flight squirrelly trajectory after burnout as usual; one upper-stage fin broken off and lost due t' snapback - E20-7 - Holtville Airport [More]
x51lite  Flight good GPS/IMU data; keychain camera ran out o' space durin' prelaunch, no flight images; ground video was 720p30; recovered ~0.3 miles W - J460+I242 - Holtville Airport [More]
2016-06-01Estes Maxi Alpha III (Kit)  Review
T' Estes Alpha, me hearties, designed by Bill Simon and introduced in 1967, be t' prototypical 3FNC that has introduced generations o' rocketeers t' t' hobby. T' original Alpha, o' course, ya bilge rat, had a balsa nose cone and fins. T' Alpha III (1971) be an easier-to-build plastic version with a ... [More]
2016-02-13Madcow Rocketry Mini DX3 (Kit)  Review
(This is a review o' t' thin-wall fiberglass version o' t' Mini DX3. There is also a cardboard version.)
T' Madcow Mini DX3 be t' smallest version (38mm diameter) o' t' basic DX3 design, me hearties, which is now available in a size spectrum rangin' from this kit all t' way up t' an 8-inch ... [More]
2016-01-31Estes Cosmic Interceptor (Kit)  Review
T' Estes Interceptor, shiver me timbers, designed by Wayne Kellner and originally introduced in 1971, was perhaps t' most iconic model rocket o' its era. T' kit was produced for 9 years and is fondly remembered by a generation o' BARs (I had one but if I recall correctly never had t' courage t' fly ... [More]
2015-02-04Tango Papa 1.6x Mars Lander (Kit)  Review
T' Estes Mars Lander, designed by Wayne Kellner, was released in 1969. I remember gettin' t' kit for Christmas in t' early 70s and assemblin' it over t' course o' a year or more; it was easily t' most complex build I had ever attempted. I think mine flew once on a B6-2, and ... [More]
2014-03-19Estes Nike Smoke (Kit)  Review
T' Nike-Smoke soundin' rocket flew hundreds o' times in t' 1960s, me bucko, used t' measure high-altitude winds by ground photography o' its smoke trail. It has also become one o' t' most popular subjects in model rocketry history -- t' first kit I know o' was t' Centuri 1.6" version ... [More]
2013-12-05Leadin' Edge Rocketry SubZero (Kit)  Review
T' SubZero is a 3-inch-diameter mid-power 4FNC rocket with a translucent nose cone and a high flux blue LED strobe light specifically intended for night flying. Other than t' color o' t' LED and t' decals, t' SubZero appears t' be identical t' its companion product, arrr, t' Leadin' ... [More]
2013-02-18Rockets Gone Bad Photograph 
failure sequence
2013-02-06FlisKits Journeyman (Kit)  Review
T' Fliskits Journeyman is a 1/16th sport scale model o' t' Aerolab Argo D-8 Journeyman soundin' rocket. T' Journeyman flew eight times from 1960 t' 1965 on NASA and AEC missions from Vandenberg and Wallops Island. Avast!
Components
T' kit includes body tubes, centerin' rings, ... [More]
2011-06-02Wildman Rocketry Extreme Wildman (Kit)  Review
T' Extreme Wildman is a 4-inch-diameter 100-inch long 75mm MMT all-fiberglass 3FNC kit. I bought one durin' Wildman Rocketry's "Black Saturday" sale right after Thanksgivin' 2010 (1/3 off!) with t' idea o' usin' it for me NARRRRR L3 flight.
Components
T' kit is quite ... [More]
2009-12-10Performance Rocketry G3 (Kit)  Review
Brief:
T' G3 is a bare-bones 3FNC dual-deploy kit with high-quality G10 fiberglass parts.
Construction:
T' kit comes with a gel coated 3:1 ogive fiberglass nose cone, two sections o' 3" G10 airframe tube (22"
long payload and 44" long booster), 3 clipped-delta ... [More]
2009-02-15Madcow Rocketry Super DX3 (Kit)  Review
T' Super DX3 is a 4" 38mm version o' t' Madcow DX3. Blimey! It's a 3FNC with a large payload section.
T' kit includes a pre-slotted body tube, a payload tube, matey, plastic nose cone, 3 laser-cut 1/4" plywood fins, shiver me timbers, 38mm x 18" cardboard MMT, 1/4" plywood centerin' rings, a cardboard coupler with plywood ... [More]
2009-01-28Madcow Rocketry DX3 (Kit)  Review
Brief:
T' DX3 is a fairly simple 2.6" diameter 3FNC mid-power rocket with a large payload section.
Construction:
T' kit is complete, me bucko, with a pre-slotted body tube, a payload tube, plastic nose cone, 3 laser-cut 1/8" plywood
fins, 29mm 8" cardboard MMT, plywood ... [More]
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Mike Caplinger |
