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Aerotech - Initiator (89011) [1989-]

Manufacturer:Aerotech
Style:Sport
Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Contributed by Taylor Jessee

AeroTech Initiator

Brief:
Nice mid power rocket kit that's cheap and flies great!

Construction:
It came with a 39"x 2.6" body tube, 3 fins, 2 square launch lugs, 13" nose cone, 29mm motor tube, 2 2.6" x 29mm centering rings, 17' shock cord, and a 24" parachute.

Instructions were easy to follow with good illustrations. It was very easy build with no alignment issues and everything fit well except the nose cone, which was a little tight. That was nothing some sandpaper couldn't fix though. No special tools were needed and I got most of my supplies at the local hardware store.

Finishing:
No special requirements needed here either. I like the instruction techniques they give you. The decals are nice but they could use some work. This kit was pretty easy to finish and it looks very nice!

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
It recommends the F20-4W and I just happened to have a package of them! So on the first flight, it had a very loud and smokey boost off the pad. That same day I flew it again on the other F20-4W in the package. That time when the motor lit though, it kicked the pad and went a little crooked before straightening out.

Recovery:
It was very easy to prep because of the mesh. That means no wadding is needed so all I had to do was put the parachute and the shockcord in.

At apogee it ejected perfectly and had a very nice landing around 10 feet from the pad on the first flight. The second flight recovery was identical to the first and only landed around 20ft from pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
It is a very good rocket that might need a little work but nothing major... I would highly recommend this kit to anyone, especially if this is their first MPR kit.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

    Flight Log

    DateRocket NameMotor(s)AltitudeNotes
    1992-09-05Ron Watkins's Aerotech InitiatorF30-10- Good flight-predicted altitude-1,660 ft. -engine delay was too long-recovery system did not...
    1996-07-04Ron Watkins's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Poor flight-engine malfunctioned and blew free from the engine mount-rocket did not leave the...
    1999-08-09Bob Sanford's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Another great flight by an excellent kit
    1999-08-28Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Used a Copperhead - another perfect ignition. Great, straight, high flight, perfect ejection,...
    1999-08-29Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF62-6- A drag race with Fred Jarosch (also flying an Initiator on a F62-6). I used one of Dean's...
    1999-09-04Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF62-6- Two of the fins knocked loose from their frames by the spinning of the descending rocket....
    1999-09-04Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Perfect flight. Two misfires apparently due to a broken Copperhead (no continuity), which was...
    1999-10-09Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF62-6- Kicked engine, which landed very near RSO table, much to my horror.
    1999-10-09Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Another perfect, fast, high flight.
    1999-10-09Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorE23-5- Perfect flight. First RMS, with lots of help from Al Rognie.
    1999-10-10Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- One fin knocked loose on landing. Second RMS flight. Prepped with no help. Perfect flight.
    1999-12-18Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF62-6- Despite taping it in place, kicked the Darkstar again. Otherwise perfect flight.
    1999-12-19Paul Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF62-6- Perfect flight, but despite having wired the engine in, it still kicked out, and landed nearby. I...
    2000-02-13Elvis Crocker's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Maiden flight at North Texas High Power launch in Windom TX,(A great site!). Perfect flight in...
    2000-02-26Fred Taverni's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7-
    2000-05-13Cliff Oliver's Aerotech InitiatorF23-7- Good flight recovered close to pad
    2000-05-21Darren Wright's Aerotech InitiatorF50- Another Beautiful flight
    2000-05-21Darren Wright's Aerotech InitiatorF40- Beautiful Flight.
    2000-05-28Darren Wright's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5-
    2000-06-07Colin Harris's Aerotech InitiatorG40-10- My first flight using a G motor. Flew clear out of sight and not seen again, but returned next...
    2000-06-11Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- First flight, striaght flight even though it was windy, landed 350' from pad.
    2000-06-15Dan Patell's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- First mid-power flight. Great noise and flame. No damage.
    2000-07-22Eric Perron's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- First flight - shock cord momentarily tangled around rocket. Scary couple of seconds, but chute...
    2000-07-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- all earlier flights were not recorded. Didn't start logging flights till met Manuel at THOR club...
    2000-08-15Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorE30-4- Nice flight but engine doesn't make alot of flame or noise.
    2000-08-21Dan Patell's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- First F motor. Great liftoff and good parachute. No damage.
    2000-08-26Eric Perron's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4- Blue Thunder is very cool. Loud and fast. Nominal flight
    2000-08-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Once again flew very true. However had a little walk this time ,recovered 1200ft from pad
    2000-08-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Notes flew straight and true. Recovered 500ft from pad. great flight
    2000-09-03Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8- Rocket just took off with this engine, lost view for a few seconds, estimated 1400'. Landed...
    2000-09-10Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Very good flight with this engine. Out of sight for a second. Landed not far from pad. Went maybe...
    2000-09-16Nick Anderson's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- Seems like to small of a motor for this rocket. 4 sec is the shortest delay time. If uisng stock...
    2000-09-23Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Great flight with fast lift off but not real high. Came down relatively close to pad.
    2000-09-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- good flight . no problem recovering.
    2000-09-30Joe Cacciatore's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- Bad flight. Rocket left pad at low angle, went over horizon into forest. Not sure what happen,...
    2000-10-21Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6-
    2000-10-21Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7-
    2000-10-21Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorE30-4-
    2000-10-28Cliff Oliver's Aerotech InitiatorG38-7- 'Chute tangled slight damage on impact.
    2000-10-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- perfect chute opening but drifted into a tree. But with our rocket retriever pole we recovered it.
    2000-10-30David Lamb's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- great flight ,perfect recovery no problems
    2000-11-11Mark Joseph's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Beautiful flight with good ejection and recovery. Noticed very minor separation on joint between...
    2000-11-11Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG40-10-
    2000-11-11Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6-
    2000-11-11Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7-
    2000-12-02David Virga's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- 1st flight. . . SCARY!! Angled into wind (Low speed? Weathercock?), 300ft max alt. HUGE bonus...
    2000-12-09Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG64-10-
    2000-12-09Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7-
    2001-01-06Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- this motor turns heads, great motor with a nice roar
    2001-01-06Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- great long burn, much longer than normal and a very long ejection delay
    2001-01-06Bob Albright's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- nice motor too.
    2001-02-03Cliff Oliver's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Great flight! Very high and long recovery walk
    2001-04-29Ed Scientist's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Awesome lift off but the ejection charge was late. It landed in a tree. Eric rescued it with the...
    2001-04-29Ed Scientist's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Tom launched it and I missed the picture. Oh my move over Big Bertha theres something meatier....
    2001-05-06Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- Notes
    2001-06-30David Kneble's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Won four way initator drag race, rocket lost to all spotters, found mile away on big hill,...
    2001-08-05Ed Scientist's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Perfect high flight lots of smoke.
    2001-09-03Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- great flight
    2001-09-29Steve Sanders's Aerotech InitiatorE30-4700 feet Loud motor-got to 700 feet-perfect flight
    2001-10-07Mike Burton's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Late ejection caused 3-4 inch zipper and a short walk to retrieve.
    2001-11-03Dan Patell's Aerotech InitiatorG33-5- Great, long burn. Drifted about a mile away, but because of NARCONN's great field, recovered with...
    2001-11-03Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- Hard landing needs bigger chute, slight fin damage, repairable
    2001-11-10Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- delay to long very slight zipper, easily repairable
    2001-11-17John Arthur's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Great Flight! Rocket is now at the top of a very, very tall tree.
    2001-12-09Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- AGF
    2002-04-20Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- Very nice flight! Got concerned that I wouldn't get it back when the Initiator started...
    2002-04-21Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Great flight into the wind. Landed in the north field.
    2002-05-04Frank Ross's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- SpudRoc-7. Perfect flight. First time on a G33 - good choice.
    2002-05-10Bill Baur's Aerotech InitiatorF23-4- good
    2002-05-27Micah Sweeney's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- my first mid power launch and it was awesome, the parchute didn't unravel and the rocket came down...
    2002-05-27Jason Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- First flight, excellent straight boost, good chute deployment 22 nylon. Only problem was this...
    2002-06-08Micah Sweeney's Aerotech InitiatorF40-71400 feet Absolutely beautiful rocket/motor combo. was beautiful all the way up to the 1400 ft apogee, my...
    2002-06-29Micah Sweeney's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- I decided to fly again because I blew in one end of the rocket and saw smoke come out the other...
    2002-06-29Micah Sweeney's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- well this time there was a big flame, lots of smoke, load roar, went up to 1300 feet, started...
    2002-06-29Micah Sweeney's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- dud motor, went fifteen feet up, ejected, came back down on lauch pad popping off a fin and...
    2002-07-07Mark Van+Luvender's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- First mid power, first reload. Nice flight - backslid about a second before ejection.
    2002-08-03Casey Kruse's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7-
    2002-08-03Mark Van+Luvender's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Awesome flight! Perfect motor for this rocket - a little under 1500 feet, looked gorgeous!
    2002-10-05Mike Burton's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- Good flight. Stuck and broke 1 fin in the mud on landing.
    2002-10-20Mark Van+Luvender's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Nice loud flight! Good ejection and recovery. Nice motor, but the F40 is still my favorite.
    2002-12-07Sean Thomas's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- My first mid power flight. good flight, but chute was too big for wind and motor combo. drifted...
    2003-01-01Kenny Powell's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7- Way high. I'm glad I painted it crome. It twinkled all the way down. Broke fin on landing. Then...
    2003-03-16Jason Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7- Nice loud smokey flight, good straight boost even in winds. Good chute deployment with no...
    2003-04-12Terrill Willard's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- My last G33-7. Great flight. Cracked one fin joint on landing.
    2003-04-26Jason Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Organized launch, my first RMS flight. Little windy but still a very nice straight boost. Good...
    2003-05-04Matt Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF21-6- Great launch off the pad. Love this motor. Exciting, loud boost, decent altitude, and came down...
    2003-06-08Larry Zeilmann's Aerotech InitiatorF24-4- vained hard off the rod.
    2003-06-28Matt Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Very high flight, approx 2K ft (sims), so didn't completely see ejection, but came down only 50ft...
    2003-06-28Matt Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF21-6- Great off the pad. Very straight boost. Ejection just as nose started to point down, recovered...
    2003-07-27Rocky Firth's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- Perfect first flight for this rocket.
    2003-08-02David Logan's Aerotech InitiatorF20-41100 feet Good flight to about 1100 ft. Recovered on a 22 inch chute about 40 yards from pad.
    2003-08-10Rocky Firth's Aerotech InitiatorE23-4- Rocket toasted when the motor fired forward through the forward closure. MESS submitted. The...
    2003-11-15Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8- Great flight, but the wind carried it 1/4 mile or so. Good thing the field was large. Not a mark...
    2003-11-15Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4- Another great flight on a great rocket.
    2003-12-31Jeff Inman's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Perfect flight. 12-1300 feet and perfect ejection. Rocket came down within 30 feet of pad. I like...
    2003-12-31Jeff Inman's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Nice initial launch, but wouldn't reccomend the E15-4 for this rocket. Thought it was going to...
    2004-01-24Jeff Inman's Aerotech InitiatorF21-4- Beautiful flight. Short delay was good with the Econo-F21. Landed within 30 feet of landing.
    2004-02-15J Plemmons's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- First flight of the Initiator. Used the Econojet and it worked great. Fast liftoff, loud, high...
    2004-02-20J Plemmons's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Second flight of Initiator/second use of Econojet. Great flight. Mirrored previous listing....
    2004-03-08Jeff Inman's Aerotech InitiatorG40-7- Beautiful flight. Upper winds were stronger than anticipated. I was watching the rocket come down...
    2004-04-04Brian Jarchow's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Best launch I have had with the Initiator, but the parachute shroud lines all separated where they...
    2004-04-17Darwin May's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- I don't know what to put for the ejection, but it was just as it hit the ground. Crimp in BT but...
    2004-05-01David Logan's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7- Flew beautifully. Built stock, used stock chute. Recovered nicely about 150 yards from the pad.
    2004-06-05Matt Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Good flight, and recovery with no problems. Stock chute.
    2004-06-06Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF23-4- Another good flight.
    2004-06-19Jason Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Another nice flight, good straight boost, nice motor for this rocket, recovery fie under 22 nylon...
    2004-07-24Bill Pate's Aerotech InitiatorG64-72000 feet Had the room and it was a calm day, so I had to try a G64-7. Perfect flight, and only landed a...
    2004-08-28Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Maiden flight. Loud and fast, very high altitude. Beautiful flight. Can’t wait to fly this baby...
    2004-09-04Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8-
    2004-09-05Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4-
    2004-09-11Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- 8th flight on this rocket and not a mark on it.
    2004-09-11Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4- Virgin flight. Straight boost to several hundred feet. Recovered within 3m of pad. Added barf...
    2004-09-12Taylor Jessee's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Very nice flight lots of smoke and fire!
    2004-09-12Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4- Copperhead fired. Rocket hopped. Nozzle blown off. Unburned propellant driven intact an inch out...
    2004-09-25Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Good stable flight and recovered without damage
    2004-10-02Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- Great flight.
    2004-10-07Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- Good, low flight. First real mid-power flight!
    2004-10-07Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorG35-4- Great flight, super loud motor! Delay a bit short, but not too bad. No damage.
    2004-10-23Taylor Jessee's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- BEAUTIFUL!
    2004-10-24Larry Steere's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Decided to go for broke with a G64 after the great flight on the F20. Pushed the button, saw the...
    2004-10-24Larry Steere's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Great flight! My first mid-power. Angled the rod ~15 degrees into the wind which turned out to be...
    2004-10-30Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Good altitude and but drifted onto Tinsletown roof. Recovered without damage.
    2004-11-27Brian Charnigo's Aerotech InitiatorF20-71087 feet Good flight, very loud with lots of smoke. Slight damage to bottom of airframe between fins from...
    2004-12-04Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorE23-5- Don't ever fly this rocket on this motor. This rocket need at least a F motor.
    2004-12-09Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorG40-7- Another loud motor. Delay a bit long. Good flight!
    2004-12-12Scott Kluth's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- motor chugged off pad and then lit nice and straight. good flight
    2005-01-02Chris LaPanse's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8- Another great flight on my first mid-power rocket. Much faster launch than the F40, with almost no...
    2005-01-02Chris LaPanse's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Beautiful flight with big white flame and lots of white smoke. Fast launch, expected altitude 1450...
    2005-01-08Pierre Julien's Aerotech InitiatorG40-7- Lost sight , never saw come down , found sitting upright with fins planted in snow one kilometer...
    2005-01-08Pierre Julien's Aerotech InitiatorE15-4- came down through snow , ice and 4'' into frozen soil ejection charge went off when in the ground...
    2005-01-08Pierre Julien's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Delay a little too long but overall good flight , hand caught before it touched ground .
    2005-01-15Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Lots of folks had early ejection today. Model landed in a tree, but was able to retrieve it...
    2005-01-20Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Better flight. Landed on power lines. No damage.
    2005-01-20Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- First reload. Motor took forever to come up to pressure. Weathercocked like crazy, landed in a...
    2005-02-05Pierre Julien's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4- perfect flight , loud and high . this motor is worth the extra bucks when compared to the F20...
    2005-02-05Pierre Julien's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- good flight , recovered 100 ft from launch site .
    2005-02-27Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorG40-7- Delay too long. Otherwise, good flight.
    2005-02-27Richard Irwin's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Good motor, but now the delay is too short! Chute separated from booster, booster took a nice core...
    2005-03-05Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- This rocket and motor work perfect together I think a seven second delay would have been to long....
    2005-03-18Michael Robbins's Aerotech InitiatorG64-72000 feet Gorgeous launch and nice roar. Became concerned when the rocket went out of sight but breathed a...
    2005-04-02Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Perfect except the delay was a little to short. I don't really like Blue Thunder so I'm not gona...
    2005-04-09Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Seal fail? Burned forward and did damage. No parachute. Will fly again with work. 10th flight on...
    2005-04-16Philip Levanda's Aerotech InitiatorF23-4- Landed in a stream at the METRA site. Guy grabbed it with a telescoping pole as it drifted down...
    2005-05-07Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- WOW!!! THIS WAS ONE AWESOME FLIGHT! IT WENT TO ABOUT 2000 feet and I was albe to track it the...
    2005-05-07Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Perfect flight straight up and back down in tall grass. But I found it.
    2005-05-07Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF22-4- It was really a F22-7 but I drilled out the delay but the delay was still very long and deployed...
    2005-05-08Jason Vennard's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Another nice flight, windy but she went straight as an arrow. Went alot higher than we remember...
    2005-05-15Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Very good motor and delay combination with this rocket. Nice high flight and recovered without...
    2005-05-28Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Nice straight flight and recovered without damage.
    2005-06-11Chan Stevens's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Ejection failure--blew right after burnout
    2005-06-12Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Return to flight from previous pad incident. Seemingly Perfect flight. Engine nearly kicked loose....
    2005-07-03Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- First flight with strap on boostervision camera pod. Arcing, spinning flight.
    2005-07-03George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorF22-4- Great flight.
    2005-07-04Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Flight 2 w/onboard Video downlink in strapon booster
    2005-07-09Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- Very high flight and a looong walk to recover it.
    2005-07-10Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Flight with StrapOn video downlink. Ejection just as horizon centers in the frame.
    2005-07-31Malcolm Smith's Aerotech InitiatorG80-7- Fast lift-off, great smoke trail. Simmed to 2,500 feet. Long drift based upon wind. Rocket...
    2005-07-31Malcolm Smith's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Fast lift-off, not quite as impressive as the G-80 used first. Lower altitude meant a much...
    2005-08-05Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Another great flight for my Initiator.
    2005-08-13Philip Levanda's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Nice flight love those econojets nice crackle
    2005-09-10Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Another video downlink flight. Less spin than previous attempts.
    2005-09-11Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorG40-4- No strap-on video for this tall boost. The chute hung up for a few seconds, giving a poor man's...
    2005-09-17Mike Kimbler's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5-
    2005-09-24Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG79-S- Great and fun flight had a payload bay full for of candy and apogee all the candy came out and...
    2005-09-24Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Great flight except for the delay being a tad long.
    2005-10-15Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF25-6- Another great flight for my Initiator. I add a 10 LOC payload bay to extend and help keep the...
    2005-10-22Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- A little problem with igniter lighting on first try but after a little jiggle and a curse it lit...
    2006-02-20Nick Hemlock's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Flew straight as an arrow on its maiden flight. Great sound and flame on engine. Recovered...
    2006-03-26Bill Walters's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Good launch, Rolled a little and weather cocked in upper level winds. Delay was to long, rocket...
    2006-04-20Simon Crafts's Aerotech InitiatorF26-5- Park launch in gusty winds. Nervous tail waggle as it left the rod, but a decent flight on the FJ...
    2006-04-23Bruce Sexton's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Nice flight to about 2,000 ft.
    2006-04-29Rod Thrasher's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Motor burned through forward closure and destroyed rocket.
    2006-05-06Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- 11th flight and it was perfect. But Drifted about 3/4 away.
    2006-05-21Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Delay seemed to be a bit less than 5 seconds. Great flight, though.
    2006-06-24Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Boostercam Video Pod, and opposing dummy pod resulted in gentle roll. Great downlinked video.
    2006-07-23Bill Walters's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- First launch with a Black Jack motor. Nice motor went higher than i had expected. Delay was WAAAAY...
    2006-07-29Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4- Another videopod flight. Faux Pod opposite camera helped reduce spin to 2.5 revolutions during...
    2006-08-12David Logan's Aerotech InitiatorG35-7- Nice high flight. Recovered about 300 yards down wind using the stock 22 inch chute.
    2006-08-15Simon Crafts's Aerotech InitiatorG38-7- Angled into gusty winds. Nice flight on the G38FJ. Great motor for this bird. Long walk into...
    2006-08-19Darren Jakel's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- First flight. Lots of white smoke and noise. landed 50 yards from padWith no damage. video...
    2006-09-03Mike Kimbler's Aerotech InitiatorF24-7-
    2006-09-10Richie Brunjes's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4- First flight of this rocket. It flew good ,only about 600 feet
    2006-09-23Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Launch was perfect but lost it at after burn out due to the fact that it was a night launch but...
    2006-09-24Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorG79-6- launched it at dusk didn't see where it ejected but it was a great boost and thankfully some...
    2006-10-15Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Great Flight!
    2006-11-11Mike Kimbler's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Burned up--Blew hole in fwd closure
    2006-12-17Bruce Sexton's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Nice boost and recovery.
    2006-12-17Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Great flight.
    2006-12-21Michael Jenkins's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Beautiful flight with the white lightning motor. Got stuck in a tree on recovery but it was a low...
    2006-12-27Jerry Nishihira's Aerotech InitiatorF23-7- Very nice flight after a long vacation from rocket launching.Launch Day 2006 @ PMRF Missile Range,...
    2007-01-02Bill Poster's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8-
    2007-01-02Bill Poster's Aerotech InitiatorF22-5- Gust in middle of flight, weather cocked badly.Found tree.
    2007-02-10Bill Poster's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6-
    2007-02-10Bill Poster's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- Loved this motor.
    2007-04-15Ralph Hart's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Flew my Initiator for the first time on an Aerotech F20-4W perfect flight. Landed a 100 metres...
    2007-04-22Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Great flight.
    2007-05-26George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Great flight - perfect motor/delay combination.
    2007-06-22Richie Brunjes's Aerotech InitiatorF23-7-
    2007-06-22Richie Brunjes's Aerotech InitiatorF23-7-
    2007-06-23Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF22-4- First AT Reload, ever.
    2007-06-24Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- A kicky F caused the strap-on camera to shift, moving the CG, resulting in some sky writing. All...
    2007-07-21Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-4- Great flight.
    2007-07-28Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF52-6-
    2007-07-29Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorG33-6- With strap on video pod. Rod bind, coning arc, late deploy, no damage.
    2007-09-02Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorG33-7- Great flight
    2007-11-18Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Great flight
    2008-02-16Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Great flight
    2008-03-15Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4-
    2008-03-22Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF52-5- Great flight, but had to fight off some cows to get it back.
    2008-04-27JST's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Maiden flight. Probably around 1,000 feet. Amazing performance! Could not believe how fast this...
    2008-05-10Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF50-4- Scout Demonstration Flight. Fin damage on touchdown... to be repaired
    2008-05-17JST's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Pefect liftoff, but moderately late ejection again. Perfect deployment. Came down on yard adjacent...
    2008-05-17JST's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Sputtered at liftoff. Way late on recovery deployment. Watching soon-to-be lawn dart when finally...
    2008-05-17JST's Aerotech InitiatorF50-6- Perfect liftoff. Went up about 1,000 ft. Perfect deployment. almost made it back onto field....
    2008-05-25Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF25-4-
    2008-05-25JST's Aerotech InitiatorG79-M- Nice flight to about 1600 feet. Arced over for unknown reasons. Late, but perfect deployment. Kids...
    2008-05-25JST's Aerotech InitiatorG77-M- Perfect flight. Straight up to about 1700 feet. Seemed to hang in the air for half a second and...
    2008-06-07JST's Aerotech InitiatorF62-4- Arced on way up to about 1,200 ft. Chute deployed nosecone down, and shock cord fouled on one of...
    2008-06-07JST's Aerotech InitiatorF62-4- Straight up flight to about 1,400 ft. Hung in air and began to coast backward into its own...
    2008-06-29Scott Guimond's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- bad motor/rocket combo. just not enough momentum so it came down ballistic and just about to hit...
    2008-07-06George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorF20-7- Thought that 7-second delay might be too long, but no problem - great flight!
    2008-07-28Bob Sanford's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- Rocket was autographed by Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham at NARAM-50. Retired to the display...
    2008-08-03Tom Geddes's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4- First flight. Low and slow. Recovered perfectly.Great motor for a small field.
    2008-10-19Scott Turnbull's Aerotech InitiatorF50-4-
    2008-12-06Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF42-4- 14th Perfect Flight.
    2008-12-06Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- 15th Perfect Flight
    2008-12-20John Bergsmith's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Weathercocked slightly on launch. Delay was a little long, but recovered with no damage. Great...
    2009-01-03Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- 16th Perfect Flight.
    2009-01-03Aaron Stanely's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- 16th Perfect Flight
    2009-02-28Aaron Stanley's Aerotech InitiatorF20-4- 17th perfect flight except for a splash landing in water.
    2009-03-01 Mark H's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4600 feet First flight. Flew naked. Got some snow stuck in the top of the BT and some mud on the fins, but...
    2009-03-22Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Got a bit of bonus delay on this one. No damage, model recovered after long walk.
    2009-04-17Mark H's Aerotech InitiatorG80-10- The new G80T kicked the Init in the. Very quick ascent. Estimated altitude over 2000 feet. ...
    2009-05-16 Mark H's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- E16-4 performed as usual. Needed a FF Jr.; would not light with a copperhead. About a 7 second...
    2009-06-07George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorF21-4- Great flight on an old war horse.
    2009-06-13Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorG33-5- A little early on the delay but it was expected going only five seconds but all was well.
    2009-06-14George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorF39-6- Another great flight.
    2009-06-20Dave Goodwin's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Excellent flight, good deployment then eaten by our famous rocket-eating tree. Fortunately, it...
    2009-06-21Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorG77-7- Good motor and delay combination gave the rocket a great flight. Easily recovered in field
    2009-07-04Michael Emerick's Aerotech InitiatorH123-M-
    2009-08-12Steve Lindeman's InitiatorF27-8R- Love these redline motors. Rocket lept off the pad trailing a bright red plume and shot high into...
    2009-08-14George Beever's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4- The Bob Sandford Autogragh Edition. Great boost, blew the nose but parachute got stuck. The model...
    2009-09-15Steve Lindeman's InitiatorF27-8R- Second flight with an Aerotech redline motor. Same basic flight as last month and a real crowd...
    2009-09-19Dave Goodwin's Aerotech InitiatorF40-10- First flight after a fin repair. Rocket weather-cocked and spun quickly on the way up. ...
    2009-11-14Kevin Danjou's Aerotech InitiatorI200-L- Crazy Fast off the pad. Awesome motor for this rocket, and this was a stock unreinforced iniator....
    2010-03-06Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- Good flight
    2010-05-08Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorE16-4- Good flight
    2010-06-19Bob Bernatchez's Aerotech InitiatorF40-7- Model landed in the trees, with the casing. Maybe our tree climbing member can get the remains...
    2010-06-19Steve Lindeman's InitiatorG78-7G- By far the best flight so far for this rocket. She rose off the pad straight and true on a long...
    2010-09-18John Kelley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- After the CATO on the F42, this launch was a blast. Went up straight out of sight, chute came out,...
    2010-09-18John Kelley's Aerotech InitiatorF42-4- Motor casing blew out on ignition. Rocket was ok, though.
    2010-10-16John Kelley's Aerotech InitiatorG64-7- A great flight after 2 misfires. Stayed with the copperheads and 3rd time a cherm. Drifted quite a...
    2010-10-16John Kelley's Aerotech InitiatorF42-4- Ejection was early, but otherwise a good flight
    2010-11-21 Mark H's Aerotech InitiatorE18-4- Good combo. A bit breezy which caused some weathercocking. Not too high, maybe 500'. Caught it.
    2011-01-29Andrew Grippo's Aerotech InitiatorF52-8-
    2011-05-29John Kelley's Aerotech InitiatorAerotech G53-7- Great flight
    2011-06-02Karl Brandt's InitiatorF20-4- - immediate 60 deg. angle off rod, horizontal for last 1/3 flight - landed ~800 feet...
    2011-06-05Dwayne Shmel's InitiatorG53FJ-101564 feet
    2011-06-19 Mark H's Aerotech InitiatorF39-6- Good flight. Caught it about 20 ft. from pad.
    2011-07-05Karl Brandt's InitiatorF20-4- - slight angle off 1/4" rod - landed ~800 feet downwind (East) - loose launch lug
    2011-08-20vincent penoso's Virginia Tech Initiatorf24-4w545 feet Maiden Flight; 22"25% chute; Alt-ONE; perfect conditions
    2011-09-17Dr. Quigley's InitiatorF40-41600 feet Flew great! Had some trouble getting it to go up, bad connection on first try, igniter failed on...
    2011-11-19Dr. Quigley's InitiatorG64-72000 feet Went up, and that was it. The story behind how we got it back is incredible, but too long for me...
    2011-12-03vincent penoso's Virginia Tech InitiatorF39-6t682 feet ALT-1 measured 682 but I noticed that I never drilled the pressure holes in the BT so altitude on...
    2011-12-13Karl Brandt's InitiatorG40-7W- - LOUD! - Lost sight near ground - Found in bushes. ~0.4 miles ESE
    2011-12-27Karl Brandt's InitiatorE18-4W150 feet - motor too small maybe 150' high - lawn darted - ejection after landing - nose cone...
    2011-12-31Karl Brandt's InitiatorG77-10R- - slow start/ingition - straight up - parachute near apogee - landed ~700' east
    2012-01-05Karl Brandt's InitiatorF24-4W- - Forgot to tie on nose cone, landed separte from rocket - straight up - parachute...
    2012-02-06Karl Brandt's InitiatorF52-8T- - Nice straight, vertical flight - Parachute slightly after, but very near, apogee -...
    2012-03-10Mike McCollum's InitiatorE15-4483 feet Maiden flight. Perfect!
    2012-03-10Mike McCollum's InitiatorF20-4826 feet Nice flight. Altimeter Two showed 119mph.
    2012-03-17vincent penoso's Virginia Tech InitiatorF39-6t680 feet expected this flt to be muchhigher. Rocket is heavy
    2012-05-12Dwayne Shmel's InitiatorG35-7-

    Comments:

    B.S. (July 1, 1999)

    This is a great kit. This was my first mid-power kit and love this rocket. The first time I launched it at my club on a F50, it screamed off the pad and straight up in the air. After I recovered it people ask me if I had something big in it, I said nope, just a F50. Needless to say since then I put Gs in and it just goes higher and faster.

    S.O. (December 1, 1999)

    The Initiator is semi-expensive but well worth it after all how many people own about two or three ESTES kits and pay the same on those rockets after all the Initiator will last longer (if you don't lose it) than the combined life of the ESTES kits also the paint job Aerotech recommends may not be the best but it is easy and gives good results only one thing different thing I would do to my kit would to be add internal epoxy reinforcing but that isn't necessary if you don't intend to fly it on G's in a small field (reinforced so I can use a streamer and not just get parts back) I love my Initiator I think it is an extraordinary rocket and worth every penny.

    E.A.C. (February 1, 2000)

    I heartily agree with the opinions of all the reviewers. The kit is rock solid when built according to instructions. The one negative comment I would have involves the fit of the nose cone. I also chose to do a custom paint scheme and when I checked the nose cone's fit to the body tube, the O.D. at the base of the nose cone was considerably larger than that of the body tube. The nose cone material does not sand easily and after a substantial amount of hand sanding with coarse sandpaper I finally resorted to the use of a belt sander to get a nice flush fit at the joint! Perhaps this was an intentional attempt by Aerotech to allow for the thickness of the decal designed to go at this point but I checked the fit with the decal(which I chose not to use) and it still would have required extensive sanding to fit flush. With the exception of this one problem I loved the kit and would love to see Aerotech offer some high power kits. Maybe they are testing the water with their G-Force, which will most definitely wind up in my fleet!

    Y.L. (April 1, 2000)

    Personally, I felt the Initiator felt "cheap" as far as rockets go. It's the mid-power equivalent of an Alpha-III and is about as awe-inspiring. The major drawback of the kit is the fin design itself, since they are of the swept delta variety, they usually absorb the impact first when hitting the ground and are the first thing to break. Since they are made of plastic, they are a pain to repair. If you got it as a "freebie" with the Aerotech starter set, it's a fine "mid-power" beginner's rocket. If you're looking for first mid-power rocket and haven't bought the Initiator yet ... save your money and get yourself a LOC Graduator instead.

    J.W. (June 1, 2000)

    I thought the kit was easy to build. Instructions were clear and to the point, no question about what to do next. I like the default paint scheme, but I see I am in the minority. I painted mine per the instructions. The nose cone was a PITA, and it is hard to sand. I didn't notice an overage with the body, but I probably spent more time sanding it than I did on the rest of the rocket (BTW, I used CA, as the instructions called for). I like the Fin-Lock concept, and wish more would use something similar. I did small CA fillets on the fins before I primed the rocket, otherwise it's built stock. If I were to ever build another, I'd lose the hook and install one of the other motor retention mechs. This was my first mid power rocket, and still one of my favorites. It's flown great on both engines included (I bought the RMS starter set). I didn't like the decals much. I prefer water based decals. Other than these few minor gripes, its a great kit and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to move up from A, B, C, & D engines.

    J.C. (June 1, 2000)

    The engine mount hook is rather strong and makes for loading of engines a little bit tricky. You want to make sure you don't press too hard on the rocket wall below the engine mount when trying to swing the hook away. I built mine May 2000 and had no problem with the nose cone, it was a perfect right out of the box. It assembled quickly with no problems. Just make sure you test fit the fins first before you glue. Flew it once with an E15-4, probably could use an E15-7 since it drifted a few hundred feet with a breeze.

    D.L. (December 1, 2000)

    I have several Aerotech kits, all have performed excellent. The Initiator was my first mid power vehicle. And as all the others have said it is very easy and quickly assembled. I do agree with changing the paint scheme. I did mine in black, white and red striping . The different colors make it very easy to track even in the worst conditions. It is my favorite out of my whole fleet because it is so versatile on using a wide range of motors. All the good reviews are accurate. I have flown mine on G's many times and never had any bulk head problems or any damage on landings. She has 22 flights behind her the worst I had to do was fish her out of tree that she drifted into.

    K.M. (January 1, 2001)

    This is an Ideal First kit. I would suggest it after RTF's - even before the Estes skill level 1 or Quest kits. A forgiving design with crystal clear instructions.

    K.D. (January 1, 2001)

    This was my first mid-power kit. I built it completely stock, using only CA (as recommended) for adhesive. I was a bit dubious at first, but I've got to say, it turned out solid as a rock! The only deviation I made was in finishing. I've always thought the Initiator suffered from a horrible paint scheme (to the point that I thought it was too ugly to bother buying), so I tossed the decal sheet in my spares box, and applied a custom paint job. Looks a million times better! If you're looking to move up into mid-power rocketry, you won't go wrong with this kit.

    D.P. (March 1, 2001)

    The Initiator is a great introduction to mid-power rocketry. Aerotech's Fin-Lok system really makes the rocket durable and easy to build. I have launched my first E and F motors in this rocket, and there has only been cosmetic damage. A great kit.

    J.M. (April 1, 2001)

    When flying the Initiator don't use an E motor with a 7 second delay.....I did and after the huge weathercock and arch it made, its nose became one with the earth. E motors should have only a 4-5 second delay and of course it flies great on F and G motors.

    S.P.S. (October 2, 2001)

    I have flown this rocket multiple times on E30-4 to G80-7 and it flies great. Easy to build and can take some punishment. I used epoxy not CA to build mine. I clean out the baffle every 3-4 launches and it works fine. Easy to prep and stable.

    C.L. (January 2, 2005)

    I have flown this rocket twice (F40-7W and F52-8T) and was tremendously impressed both times. It had impressive boosts (and a 20" flame on the F40), and recovered fine within 100yds of the pad. I really love the fin-lock assembly - it took all the trouble out of assembly. And it is DEFINITELY more awe-inspiring than an Alpha III. I love this kit.

    B.J. (April 21, 2006)

    I have three flights on my Initiator and I thoroughly love it. But on the third flight the parachute shroud lines broke where they were looped around the shock cord. One of the finds broke in the crash, but the rest of the rocket was fine and I was able to order spare fins. From now on I will use LOC chutes with more substantial shroud lines.

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