John Simmons's Page

AKA: Lakeroadster or HenryMac
Location: Central Colorado
Club Memberships: NAR
Favorite Rockets: Scratch Builds - Scratch Design
Biography:
Retired Mechanical Engineer

1960's and 1970's era Model Rocket Fanatic, Estes kits and many home made rockets.

Now that I'm retired looking to get back into the design / build phase of model rocketry again.
RocketReviews.com Pages:
Rocket Gallery
Flight Log
Flight Statistics

2023-04-19

Saturn V: 1/132 Scale, 4 Stages and 12 Black Powder Motors

Build
A Scratch Build - Scratch Design 1/132 Scale Saturn V Flying Model Rocket. This rocket has (4) Stages: Stage 1: (5) 24mm BP Motors - e match ignited cluster - recovery via spool ejected parachute Stage 2: (5) 18mm BP Motors - ignited via fuse - recovery via spool ejected parachute ... [More]

Saturn V: 1/132 Scale, 4 Stages and 12 Black Powder Motors - Centering Rings

Build Entry
I'm a fan of using structurally papered basswood (SPB) for making centering rings. I call this SPB because when I make it I use Gorilla Wood Glue and use pressure to press the paper tightly to the wood during the drying process. For these rings I printed full scale templates of the ... [More]

2022-07-26

(BAR-10) The Cygnus Probe Ship

Flight
Ignition was delayed, slight hesitation as is typical with a composite motor. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (28.2 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the west. The rocket did not weathercock. Just like the 1st flight, the rocket was ... [More]

(BAR-09) THUNK! Finless, Gas Dynamic Stabilized

Flight
Ignition was quick, almost no hesitation lighting the motor. Very minimal time lapse between ignition and lift off. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed exiting the launch silo (32.2 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the north. The rocket did not weathercock. It ... [More]

(BAR-08) "Ahpla" 2 Stage Alpha Variant

Flight
Ignition was quick, almost no hesitation lighting the motor. Very minimal time lapse between ignition and lift off. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (27.2 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the north. The rocket did not weathercock. It ... [More]

(BAR-05) F-79 Lonewolf

Flight
This is the 2nd flight for the F-79. First launch was 07-08-2022: Flight was stable but the plastic parachute shredded away from the shroud lines. This flight uses a pair of D12-3 motors (instead of two D12-5's) and I made new 18" parachutes that have the shroud lines going up over the top ... [More]

2022-07-08

(BAR-10) The Cygnus Probe Ship

Flight
Ignition was delayed, slight hesitation as is typical with a composite motor. The F52-5 motor had almost no smoke during thrust and coast. I knew that and thought it would add to the launch. But in reality it makes the rocket hard to track. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at ... [More]

(BAR-07) Mercury Capsule Abort (LES)

Flight
Ignition was quick due to the e-matches and all (3) motors ignited. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (48.7 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the north. The rocket did not weathercock. The rocket was initially stable while under thrust, but ... [More]

(BAR-05) F-79 Lonewolf

Flight
Ignition was quick due to the e-matches and both motors ignited. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (29.5 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the north. The rocket did not weathercock. The rocket was stable during thrust and coast phase. The ... [More]

2022-06-30

(BAR-03) Hammerhead Shark

Flight
Ignition isn't as quick as black powder motors, but there was no chuffing. Very minimal time lapse between ignition and lift off. The composite motor was quite impressive. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (38.4 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and ... [More]

(BAR-06) Red Columbine

Flight
Ignition was quick, almost no hesitation lighting the motor. This rocket is pretty heavy (10.5 ounces) and there was some time lapse between ignition and lift off. The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (33.4 mph per sim) Winds were less than 5 mph and from the ... [More]

(BAR-01) X-Wing Alpha

Flight
Ignition was quick, almost no hesitation lighting the motor, Very minimal time lapse between ignition and lift off, The rocket accelerated quickly, plenty of speed at launch rod exit (31.6 mph per sim), Winds were less than 5 mph and from the northeast. As expected, due to the large ... [More]