Vehicle 39

The very first rocket ever featured in this blog, Vehicle 39 A Enigma, photographed on the occasion of a return to the location of its first flight in northeast Switzerland, on June 17, 1999, 13 years after the event.

Vehicle 39 was launched on an Aerotech E15-7W composite motor, from an Aerotech Mantis launch pad. The Mantis had originally been developed by Enertek, a company established in the late 1980s by Centuri's Lee Piester, together with Gary Rosenfield, Bill Stine, and Paul Hans. Unfortunately, Enertek failed to get off the ground, so to speak, and this truly versatile launch pad design (along with other items) later resurfaced a an Aerotech product. As with all of my launch pads, I added a slanted umbilical mast to my Mantis, in order to attach the ignition wires and thus reduce the weight which often threatens to pull the ignitor out of the motor.

Vehicle 39's flight was perfect, as was the deployment of the booster and payload section parachutes. The rocket carried two Estes Transroc II sonic beacons.

Photography by Erol Ünala.

Vehicle 69 With Estes AstroCam 110

Photo flights using Vehicle 69 with a standard Estes AstroCam 110 forward-looking aerial camera, northeast Switzerland, June 17, 1999. The rocket was flown three times that day; all flights were flawless and stable and returned one analogue photo each. In addition to the camera, the payload also included an Estes Transroc II sonic beacon to facilitate locating the rocket after landing.

The launches were conducted from one of the formidable Aerotech Mantis launch pads. The first flight utilized an Aerotech E15-7W single-use composite motor, the second was conducted with an Estes D12-7 black-powder motor. Vehicle 69's final photo flight of the day made use of an Aerotech D13-7W RMS reloadable composite motor. The rocket was initially lost upon recovery; we only managed to find it after a lengthy search.

The red hue visible on the right in the aerial shot is an old school analogue photo development artefact. Top photo shows Vehicle 69 in Thalwil, Switzerland, on June 8, 1999.

Vehicle 66

Maiden flight of the then newly completed Vehicle 66 on a somewhat conservative Estes D12-7 black powder motor, launched from an Aerotech Mantis launch pad, northeast Switzerland, June 17, 1999. Vehicle 66 was designed as a pure sport model, strongly inspired by the legendary Estes Der Red Max, a model rocket I worshipped as a teenager in the late 1970s after building it both in its original guise and in the Der Big Red Max version.

Vehicle 66 measures 390 mm in length and 44.5 mm in diameter. It was built from MRC and Estes parts and carried an Estes Transroc II sonic beacon during its first flight. The rocket is intended to be flown with D, E, or F motors. Top photo was taken in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 18, 2016.