Estes Bandit Motor Failure

These are the last photos to show the only Estes Bandit I ever owned while it was still in pristine condition. They were taken in northeast Switzerland on April 16, 1986, during the same launch that saw an Estes D12-5 motor failure destroy my Centuri Nike Smoke.

When building the Bandit, I had converted it to fly on 24 mm motors, and this would turn out to be its ruin. The top photo shows pre-launch preparations; this flight was also going to use an Estes D12-5 motor, which can be seen already installed, with the Estes Solar Ignitor in place. Also of note are the Flight Systems Inc. E and F black powder motors in the range box.

The lower photo shows the Bandit on my converted theodolite metal tripod launcher, shortly before the launch button was pressed. Upon ignition, the motor disintegrated before the rocket lifted off. A single, burning motor fragment was ejected from the resulting fireball. The rocket suffered significant internal damage, but the main airframe was surprisingly still somewhat intact.

This was the second Estes D12-5 motor failure that day, and another one (a D11-9) was still to come. The damage to the Bandit was rather disappointing; its beautifully nostalgic design was among Estes' most attractive at the time, and its internal baffle system made it an intricate and unusual model.

Photography by Marco Schenker.

[Entry amended October 17, 2016.]

Vehicle 9

First flight of Vehicle 9 on a conservative Estes D12-5 black powder motor, launched from an Aerotech Mantis launch pad, northeast Switzerland, May 28, 1999. This was a perfect flight to a Rocksim-computed altitude of approximately 380 meters. Due to wind drift, the rocket was initially lost after parachute deployment. Fortunately, we found it later that day, by chance.

The unashamedly Estes Astron Goblin inspired Vehicle 9 has a length of 414 mm and a diameter of 42 mm, with 2.5 mm balsa wood fins. It was built from Estes parts and is intended for 24 mm D and E motors.

Top photo taken by Erol Ünala; lower photo shows Vehicle 9 in Zurich, Switzerland, on June 7, 2016.

Two Prototypes Of Vehicle 30

I built the first incarnation of Vehicle 30 (8230 A) in July of 1982, using CMR and Estes components. This rocket was designed to be a simple, reliably stable sport model, vaguely resembling Estes' iconic Astron Goblin. Vehicle 30 measured 325 mm in length and 29.5 mm in diameter, and it featured plywood fins and a plastic nose cone.

The top photo, taken in northeast Switzerland on April 16, 1986, shows Vehicle 30 shortly before launch on an Estes D11-9 black powder motor. Unfortunately, the motor disintegrated upon launch, ripping both nose cone and recovery system from the rocket. Unlike the Centuri Nike Smoke sport scale model that was completely destroyed by a similar Estes D12-5 malfunction on the same date, Vehicle 30 remained repairable.

Only ten days later, on April 26, 1986, the rebuilt rocket was lost during a launch held next to the Swiss model rocket competition at Allmend Frauenfeld, Switzerland. Vehicle 30 flew high on an Estes D motor and then experienced so much wind drift that it could no longer be found.

I had built a second, identical prototype of the design, however, and repeatedly flew and recovered this rocket (8230 B) successfully that same day, with the same motor type. Center photo shows the second Vehicle 30 during one such launch, likely powered by an Estes D12-5 or D12-7 motor. Due to its superb flight characteristics, this design thus became one of my most frequently flown rockets.

Lower photo was taken in Zurich, Switzerland, on June 7, 2016, and shows the surviving second version of Vehicle 30 as it looks today.

Top photo by Marco Schenker; centre photo by Martin Kyburz, lower photo by the author of this blog.

Centuri Nike Smoke Motor Failure

These photos document the destruction of a rare Centuri Nike Smoke semi scale model due to motor failure at launch. They were taken in northeast Switzerland, on April 16, 1986. The rocket was my second Centuri Nike Smoke, converted to fly with Estes 24 mm D-motors. This was to be the maiden flight. The motor used was an Estes D12-5; it disintegrated upon ignition.

The second photo beautifully captures the launch rod bending due to the force of the detonation. Smoke is still emanating from the body tube in the bottom image. The "United States" decal has yellowed from the heat.

We experienced three motor failures in one day during the launch in question, two with Estes D12-5s and one with an Estes D11-9, resulting in three destroyed rockets. Photography by Marco Schenker.

Vehicle 70 Before Launch

Vehicle 70 Dominator, a sport payload model loosely inspired by Centuri's X-16 model rocket as featured in the company's Power System Handbook of 1979. The rocket had a diameter of 41.5 mm and measured 605 mm in length, and it was built using Estes and Centuri parts.

Vehicle 70 was designed to be flown using D to F-type motors and is pictured here on an Aerotech Mantis launch pad, before its maiden flight with an Estes D12-5 black powder motor. The rocket carried an Estes Transroc II sonic beacon. Northern Switzerland, June 17, 1999.