Interceptor

The next to the last rocket I built, in the early seventies or early eighties. It was my favorite rocket, before the DSAM-D. It had already undergone several repairs, and I had to repair it again before we could launch it. When I pulled it down from the attic, one of the wings and fairings was off. Evidently, when I glued it back on it wasn't straight. As with the Goblin, noted flights are from more recent times.

First flight - Blake's school yard. Winds calm. Launched with C5-3. Pitiful flight, but excellent recovery. As I noted earlier, I don't think I glued the fins back on straight. Blake said, "That rocket is dangerous. It sure was funny, though. It zoomed all over the place." While it wasn't as bad as he described it to Gail when we got back, his description was pretty close. It spun all the way up in a sort of side-looping fashion. Major unstability. After further inspection I could see that all of the fins were out of line. Needless to say, I took it all apart and started over. I salvaged the nose cone, tail cone and engine mount, but everything else was totally redone.

Second flight - Brad's place. Winds about 10mph, gusting to 20mph. Launched with C5-3. Perfect flight and recovery. I actually caught it in the air about 30 feet from the launch pad. Blake was really impressed this time.