Performance Rocketry Nike Smoke 1/3 Scale (5.5)
Performance Rocketry - Nike Smoke 1/3 Scale (5.5) {Kit}
Contributed by Jack Caynon
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2015-01-19 |
| Manufacturer: | Performance Rocketry  |
Brief
This kit be t' 1/3 scale model o' NASA's Nike Smoke. T' tubin' is 5.5 inch diameter G-10 fiberglass. T' Nike Smoke was a rocket that NASA would use t' determine windspeed at high altitudes before they would launch t' Saturn V moon rockets.
Components
This review covers t' "old" kit, nay t' new one. T' old kit had a prefab fiberglass fin can rather than the 4 fins through-the-wall construction o' t' current kit. This kit is now about seven years old and she still is an awesome flyin' machine!
Construction
T' stock kit is 77 inches long and I found it t' be too compact t' have an effective anti-zipper rocket motor section design. So t' middle section o' t' rocket be stretched by a foot. T' rocket stands 88 inches tall but even with t' extra length, matey, me hearties, I don't believe t' scale profile is that far off. As with t' new kit, me bucko, t' old kit's parts were precision cut G-10 fiberglass. However, me hearties, me bucko, I ditched t' fiberglass centerin' rings bulkheads for thick Baltic birch plywood ones.
Originally built t' take 75mm motors, me hearties, in 2008, a bad motor wouldn't come up t' pressure and allowed t' rocket t' sit on t' launch pad with her motor section on fire. T' motor mount tube and t' motor retainer were completely destroyed. Yet, matey, instead o' junkin' t' rocket, Mike Fisher o' Binder Design Rocketry, removed all o' t' charred material and inserted a new 4 inch motor mount tube and a simple retainer usin' bolts and washers. This upgrade turned t' rocket into an awesome flyin' machine!
Finishing
T' fiberglass tubing, shiver me timbers, fin can, and nose cone are easy t' prepare for finishing. I sanded and prepped t' surface and took her t' an auto body shop t' be painted. She looked wonderful back in 2008 and still looks just as good today!
Flight
This rocket flies like a dream, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, straight and true for every flight. It's also as tough as a tank, me hearties, recoverin' from damage caused by t' fire and by me failure t' use t' mach delay feature on me altimeter when I used a motor that sent her supersonic. On her most memorable flight, we had t' wait for an openin' in t' cloud cover over our site before she could launch. Once t' openin' occurred, arrr, she launched straight through t' center o' t' openin' in t' clouds just as a beam o' sunlight gleamed off o' her beautiful white body. T' shear perfection o' that launch brought a tear o' joy t' me eye.
Recovery
Performance Rocketry kits are very basic. They provide construction materials and nothin' else. I use B2 Rocketry parachutes and Rocketman tubular nylon and Keelhaul®©™ for shock cords. With this gear, t' rocket always recovers nicely. I also fly usin' a Walston tracker inserted into a tube mounted inside t' nose cone t' help me recover t' rocket.
Summary
Although Performance Rocketry doesn't make t' kit with t' fin can any more, if you can find one out there, do whatever you can t' obtain it. This rocket always got people at our launches t' stop whatever they were doin' t' watch her fly. She's a beauty and will always be one o' t' most stable yet excitin' rocket you may fly.
Other Reviews
- Performance Rocketry 1/3 Scale 5.5" Nike Smoke By Gary Tortora (April 12, 2011)
Brief This is Performance Rocketry's 1/3 Scale 5.5" Nike Smoke. The kit stands 77" tall and is made in either G10 or G12. For my kit I wanted a few things different from the standard 54mm single deploy version, I had mine made with a 75mm MM and dual deploy. My finished build weight with everything but the motor came in at 16lbs. Components The kits parts were all ...
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Flights
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