Speaking of ejecting motors....

Nice! I've got a JimZ clone myself with exactly the same launch lug arrangement. Let us know how they fly!

Chuck W Sharc, NAR Section 613

Sharc, the section where two out of three certification flights always work just fine!

Nice Bugs. I just built one but put the bulkhead in "upside down" so the fins are on the points instead of the flats. I flew mine and blew the nose. Replace and secure it better.

Is that the booster to an Apogee II that I spy in the background?

I've seen that before, but I think it may still fly, as long as you get the tail weight low. Or put it high, and let it glide upside down.

Estes motors of late have had quite hot ejection charges. Make sure the motor is only in tight enough to not fall out while sitting on the pad. Otherwise, clean/sand out the motor tube, sand down the motor case, and/or sprinkle some powder into the motor tube, to help the motor slide out easily. This is equally as important as securing the nosecone.

In fact, I had one hot 13mm motor blow thru the nosecone on a Zoomie. In that case, after repairing the nosecone, I added vent holes to the motor tube to bleed some of the pressure during ejection, but I still make sure the motor can slide out with only nominal force.

Unfortunately, adding vents is not an option on the Bugs, so I hold my breath when the motor ejects.

Doug

Yeah, I finally got the white on the fins only to have the masking tape pull off some of the red (main color, substituted for catalog blue), so the booster's in the repair queue waiting for touch-up, having never been flown. But I'm looking forward to it.

This booster is set up to use 10.5mm, 13mm and 18mm booster motors. I have some Apogee B2-0's that ought to make for slow, dramatic climbs. Have some MPC A3-0's and B3-0's, too, but I hear the B3's are bang-prone, and I'd rather not have that kind of drama :)