Dwayne Surdu-Miller's PageAKA: surdumil Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Favorite Rockets: Centuri Space Shuttle, Edmonds ECEE Thunder, Centuri Long Tom, Estes Alien Invader Biography: I am 49 years old, married, with one daughter. I am an electronic design engineer working mostly with ground-based satellite communication systems.
I build my first rocket, a Centuri Lil' Herc, in 1974. I continued building (and flying very occasionally) until about 1984.
I jumped back into the hobby in 2000 and co-founded a local model rocketry club.
I especially enjoy building unusual rocket designs, especially with unusual recovery systems.
Boosted gliders are a real favorite as well.
Club Home Page: http://www.saskatoonrocketry.org/ RocketReviews.com Pages:
2009-05-23Custom Rockets P.O.N.G. (Kit)  Review
Brief:
P.O.N.G. is a highly-detailed single-stage futuristic sport model offered by Custom Rockets. This is an inexpensive
kit that packs a lot of fun, challenge, and parts in a small package. This is a skill level 3 rocket that won't
disappoint.
According to the kit label, P.O.N.G. ... [More]
2008-07-06Estes Silver Comet Flight Straight boost and coast with very slow spin. Perfect deployment. Moderate descent rate. Soft landing in weeds, about 30 metres from launch pad. - D12-3 - SAROS [More]
Estes Screamin' Mimi Flight Used longer shock cord. High straight boost and coast, no spin. Weak whistle going up. Sideways descent before ejection, so no descending whistle. 'Chute deployed nicely. Low drift (spill hole). - D12-7 - SAROS [More]
Estes Astrocam 110 Flight High straight boost with slow spin. Slowly arched downwind during coast. Diving descent before deployment. Low drift. Gentle landing. - C6-7 - SAROS [More]
Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Flight Straight boost and coast. Arched over to dive. Ejection flip nose up into a gentle, slowly spiralling glide. Gentle grass landing. - A3-4 - SAROS [More]
Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Thunder Flight Very straight boost and coast, no spin. Perfect nose-up deployment, but starboard canard flap separated. Very level glide with very slow spiral. Fabulous regal glide! Gentle landing in weeds. - D12-3 - SAROS [More]
2008-06-15SMI Challenger Flight Straight high boost and coast. Perfect 'chute deployment. Soft landing. - A8-3 - SAROS [More]
Estes McKibbin's Special Flight Straight, high boost and coast with a slow, dramatic spin. Perfect deployment. Spill hole in the 'chute reduced drift nicely and descent was resonably slow. Gentle landing 30 feet away from pad. - B6-4 - SAROS [More]
Estes Gyroc (K-24) Flight Slowly spinning boost and coast, straight up. Spinning helicopter descent. - A8-3 - SAROS [More]
Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Flight Boost and coast straight up, with slow spin. Nice altitude. Smooth transition to glide. Gorgeous glide, with slow arc to the right. Gentle landing. - A3-4 - SAROS [More]
Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Flight Angled boost & coast. Nose down at ejection, then smooth transition to glide. Beautiful glide, very slow arc to the right. Gentle landing. - A3-4 - SAROS [More]
2008-05-25Sky Shenzhou (Kit)  Review
The Sky Shenzhou is a single-stage scale model rocket with parachute recovery. This is a "hobby-scale" model of the CASC CZ-2F "Long March" rocket that has successfully carried Chinese Taikonauts to orbit in the Shenzhou orbital spacecraft on two missions. Apogee Components imported this kit ... [More]
Sky CZ-2E (Kit)  Review
Brief:
The Sky CZ-2E is a single-stage scale model rocket with parachute recovery. This is a 1:150 scale model of the CASC
Chang-Zheng-2E "Long March" rocket. Apogee Components imported this kit from Shaanxi Zhongtian Rocket
Technologies Co., Ltd. (based in central China), ... [More]
2006-07-30Estes Design of the Month Space Freighter (Plan)  Review
This is a nifty "Rearward Ejection Payloader" design by Scott Amundson. It won an Estes Design of the Month Contest in 1968, published as Estes Industries Rocket Plan Number 54 in Model Rocketry News .
Required parts include:
1 Plastic Payload Tube, 1" dia. (BT-50), 4" long
1 Nose ... [More]
2006-07-24Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 18mm (6") (Kit)  Review
( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller -
07/24/06)
Brief:
I was fortunate enough to win this kit as a prize for entering my Barbsari
B-Prize design into Descon 15. I asked for and received the Spaceship Earth
version. I was amazed at how quickly the shipment arrived after I'd ... [More]
2005-11-27Centuri X-21 (Kit)  Review
( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller - 11/27/05)
Brief:
The Centuri X-21 is a very pretty rear engine boost-glider with a payload
section. Boost-to-glide transition is performed by ejecting the engine and
raising elevons. Centuri offered this as a kit from 1964 to 1969. Build ... [More]
2004-12-30Clone Pterosaur (Clone)  Review
D-powered rocket glider
The parts list:
1 nose cone, BT-55, tangent ogive, 3.125" length, 3/8" tenon (BNC55AA-ish)
1 nose cone, BT-50, tangent ogive, 3" length, 3/8" tenon ( BNC50K -ish)
1 body tube, BT-55, 14" length
1 body tube, BT-55, 11" length
1 body tube, BT-50, 14" ... [More]
2003-05-20Estes McKibbin's Special (Plan) (Kit)  Review
Brief:
McKibbon's Special is a futuristic, fantasy sport model whose plans were
published in their Model Rocket News. The plans are available from
Jim Z's archive .
Construction:
All parts are standard, easy-to-find items and materials. Except for the
canards, which are 3/32" ... [More]
0000-00-00Descon Boddomuk (Kit)  Review ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller )
Boddomuk
by Dwayne Surdu-Miller
Boddomuk attempts to answer that age-old rocketeer question,
"now that baby's drinking from cups, can I do something cool with these
bottles?" This baby bottle frankenstein is a rugged, ... [More]
Descon The Barbsari B-Prize (Kit)  Review
The Barbsari B-Prize
by Dwayne Surdu-Miller
I had promised my wife and my
seven-year-old daughter that I'd design something to loft a Mattel Barbie. For
the longest while I was trying to figure out how to artfully accomplish this
feat. There was a Ferrero Rocher egg sitting on my ... [More]
Descon MiniToobo (Kit)  Review MiniToobo
( Contributed
- by Dwayne Surdu-Miller)
MiniToobo MiniToobo is the result of some nostalgic thinking combined with
a few "what if" ideas. The design is inspired by the look of the old
Centuri Groove Tube and the positive ... [More]
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