(Contributed - by Ben Robinson - 11/20/01) Brief:
Oversized basic rocket, 24" parachute
Construction:
Three balsa fins, slots in the rear body tube section to help align them, 36
inches of tube and a plastic nose cone. Uses the standard paper shock cord
mount.
This was my first BETA series rocket, and everything went together pretty
easily. The only tools needed are white or yellow glue, sandpaper, a pencil,
and a ruler. The two tube couplers are supposed to go in with 3/4 inch in each
tube. The rearward one, however, stuck in the rear tube with only 1/4 of an
inch showing. I need to be a little more careful with those things. I also had
a little trouble drawing the alignment line for the launch lugs. Otherwise, the
directions were clear and easy to follow.
Finishing:
The rocket is a simple introduction to spray painting, with only one color over
the whole thing. It is in this section that the Prowler's one gimmick shows up
-- the decals glow in the dark. For my first attempt to spray paint a rocket,
the finish was excellent. The styling is better than on a lot of other Estes
kits.
Construction Rating:
3
out of 5
Flight:
The motors recommended in the instructions are B4-2, B6-2, C5-3, and C6-3. I
didn't have a C5-3, but I substituted a C6-5. Liftoff is loud and slow, as is
to be expected for a 4-ounce rocket with C power. The Estes quote of 360 feet
on a C seems about right.
Recovery:
The shock cord is attached with the standard folded-paper mount. It seems
rugged enough, but recovery might be easier with the Estes logo cut out of the
middle of the parachute. Ejection on the B's, particularly the B6-2, was
noticeably early. I was thinking of trying it on a B6-4. The C6-3 was about
right; the 5 was so late that it might not have worked if we weren't launching
down a hill. A few tiny holes appeared in the parachute, but I saw no shock
cord damage.
Flight Rating:
4
out of 5
Summary:
A great demonstration rocket, big, spectacular, and low-flying. No problem
except that the parachute needs a spill hole, and occasionally smoke was seen
coming from the grass below the pad. This is going to be a frequent flyer!
Overall Rating:
4
out of 5
Flight Log
| Date | Rocket Name | Motor(s) | Altitude | Notes |
|---|
| 2000-03-01 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | E15-4 | - | rocket boosted near vertical and out of my sight. . . saw it when chute openned. . it was high and... |
| 2000-03-31 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | E15-4 | - | this rocket boosted super-good. . straight up and out of my sight until the chute openned. . must... |
| 2000-11-05 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | this is a good rocket for 24mm,it flew real good but the operator had the shroud lines tangled,the... |
| 2001-04-03 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Flew in a spactacular drag race with two other Prowlers. These are great demonstration rockets. |
| 2001-08-11 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | GTave a little wiggle after clearing the rod then settled into a straight and true flight.... |
| 2001-09-03 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Nose cone seperated, no damage |
| 2001-10-13 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | great flight |
| 2001-11-03 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Stripped 18 plastic Estes chute, no damage |
| 2001-11-03 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | E15-4 | - | |
| 2001-11-10 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | AGF |
| 2001-11-23 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | B6-4 | - | Very cool low and slow flight. Flew to about 100 feet, fell back on itself and ejected. Recovered... |
| 2001-12-09 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | AGF |
| 2002-04-23 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | AGF |
| 2002-05-10 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-7 | - | Another great flight, no problems. 18 nylon chute with spill hole great descent rate. Estes should... |
| 2002-05-11 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | C11-3 | - | AGF |
| 2002-05-19 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | C6-5 | - | Rocket heavier than stock from 24mm motor mount + on this flight 18mm motor adapter. Flight was... |
| 2002-05-19 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Tried again on 18mm, this time 3 sec delay, still a little long from added weight but better than... |
| 2002-05-25 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | E9-4 | - | |
| 2002-05-27 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Another great 24mm flight, really love this thing on D motors. |
| 2002-06-16 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | As usual another great flight on this 24mm conversion. Alot of fun and becoming a favorite. 16... |
| 2002-06-22 | Randy Powell's Estes Prowler | F21-6 | - | My 1st F21 motor was in this rocket.Didn't think I would get it back but did.It was awesome.Will... |
| 2002-07-19 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Another great flight, can't imagine this rocket on 18mm motors, made for the 24's. Good flight and... |
| 2002-08-02 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | C6-5 | - | Nice straight flight. Perfect recovery close by. I love this rocket. |
| 2002-08-04 | Peter Allen's Estes Prowler | 5xC6-7 | - | I modified mine with 4 18mm side pods. 2 side motors lit at first causing the rocket to turn... |
| 2002-08-10 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | AGF |
| 2002-08-18 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | C5-3 | - | Motor nozzle blew out at ignition. No flight but no damage to the rocket. Flew again later. |
| 2002-08-18 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Next flight after the C5 CATO. Perfect flight. No damage. |
| 2003-03-16 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Another nice 24mm flight. Not enough wadding though, cord burnt through, body lawn darted, top 6... |
| 2003-04-26 | Larry Zeilmann's Estes Prowler | C11-3 | - | AGF |
| 2003-05-17 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Another great flight, maiden flight on this our 2nd prowler, (red). 15 nylon chute. |
| 2003-07-17 | Vinnie Valenti's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Parachute totally messed up.Tangled and streamed in instead.Landed in my hands.Out about 20ft. |
| 2003-09-06 | Vinnie Valenti's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | I caught it in mid-air and got a dollar out of the deal. |
| 2003-09-21 | Vinnie Valenti's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Got my payroll. |
| 2004-04-24 | Donald Besaw's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | - | Nice flight, I haven't flown this one in a long time, typical Prowler flight, up to about 300 feet... |
| 2004-05-22 | Jason Vennard's Estes Prowler | D12-5 | - | Another nice flight on modified 24mm prowler. Good boost, a little wobble for some reason just... |
2007-07-22  | Steve Lindeman's Big Red Prowler | D12-7 | - | Went with a 7 second delay on this one due to wind. Not the best choise as this rocket tends to... |
| 2008-04-20 | Jason Orosco's Estes Prowler | B6-4 | - | Great flight landed about 40 feet from the pad. |
| 2009-03-06 | Jason Orosco's Estes Prowler | C5-3 | - | Good flight and have a bunch of Estes C5-3 to use up. |
| 2009-04-12 | Edward Fewer's Estes Prowler | C6-3 | 400 feet | At least 12 flights for this great rocket and still no repairs! |
| 2009-06-16 | Jason Orosco's Estes Prowler | C5-3 | - | Nice flight. |
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