Eye of the Storm


What is Eye of the Storm and why it it a part of The Golden Wood? Well, IÍll tell you. The skills learned from 27 years of building and flying hobby rockets are the same skills required to build a guitar! Believe me when I say it. My high level of skill was slowly built with hundreds and hundreds of rockets lovingly built and flown and all destroyed (well, ALMOST all destroyed). The knowledge acquired was unique just as the knowledge of luthery is unique. I learned how to cut, shape and join wood. I learned how how to solder, braze and weld metal. I learned how to design and build electronic circuits. I learned how to assemble light weight yet strong frames to support the essential components. I learned how to paint and finish the whole thing so that it was a joy to behold under the hot summer sun. My slogan, "the perfect blend of art and science" taken in reverse is exactly what is needed to be a truly competent aerospace hobbyist! And that is the story of Eye of the Storm. Truly related pursuits!

	My Ultra scale Estes Scrambler (the original scrambler, not the stupid mutant of later years) from the sixties. Designed to fly on three B or C motors and carry an egg. It was a cool rocket. This one flies on three 54mm motors and is here loaded with three I220 s for a slammer flight. The fins are 1/4 three ply luan glassed on both sides with 3/4 lb cloth and epoxy over an air foil. Very strong!
One of my 1/12th scale Apollo Little Joe IIs. These are my rocket of choice as far as favorites go. Since 1968 when I built the 1/70 scale Estes QTV (my third or fourth rocket?) IÍve made and flown perhaps 25 different models of the five operational rounds. The 1/12th scale models have all flown with K motors. This flight of the QTV round has a K1100 reload in the Algol sustainer slot and 6 G 42s in the Recruit slots. Recovery on this is like all of my big rockets; mercury switch and thermalite delay train. ALWAYS works!
	The 1/12 the QTV on my shoulder. Notice the dark and ominous weather of Black Rock, the ULTIMATE rocket wasteland! I love it there! IÍve been ten times. This launch is maybe BR III? I love hoisting a big rocket on my shoulders and walking around with it!
Here I am with a 1/12 scale A001 Little Joe on my shoulder. This may be BR II? I think it is loaded with an Aerotech K900, a GOOD motor from way back when that IÍve used with these rockets a couple of times. Its AMAZING to see one of these launch! These rockets are all fitted with a 98mm main motor tube and IÍve installed a 54mm adapter for the K. At home, in my shop youÍll find, a prox 1/7th scale A004 round 22&qout; in dia with seven mounts that IÍve been constructing since ď89. Some day itÍll fly!!!
	The A001 on the pad. Unfortunately IÍve got no good photos of these flying as I took photos without telephoto lenses and the rocket are always tiny in the frame. Others, including Bill Lewis and Bruce Kelly have good shots of these. Someday I hope to acquire some. Unfortunately several of the awesome BR series of launches were never written up in the Tripolitan/HPR mag and many great moments in HPR history were not documented.
My other rocket partner Chuck Bonsavage with EZI 65 at LDRS II? In '87 Chuck actually went to the trouble to apply for a waiver so that he could fly his Slab K575 in a PVC rocket before there was much of a Tripoli to join here in California. And he did it! A one-man legal launch!

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