Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1520252
I was able to recover my little rocket, un- damaged, thanks to the so grass, and re- treated to the car to see if I could figure out what went wrong. Since my sweetheart was the RSO for this meet, I was on my own. e Hex-3 does not have conventional fins, but rather has three legs that fulfill that func- tion. ese legs are at- tached by means of wide flanges that are glued to marked areas on the flat sides of the main body. I had used what I thought was due care to attach them straight when I was building it. Now in the brilliant light of day, I knew that the legs were "sort of " straight, and the flight I had just wit- nessed bore witness to that. I then had to decide what to do about it. e trash bin was a possibility, but had little ap- peal for me right then. I liked that little pur- ple monster. I got out my X-acto knife and was able to, with extreme care, loosen the flanges just a teeny bit on the tight side of the most crooked leg. I found a small book I trusted for a right angle, allowing for the fact that the legs themselves are tapered, so the actual angle is slightly obtuse at best. Applying a bit more glue, I determined that it was not going to be possible to sim- ply re-glue the leg. Casting about the car, I found a little three-inch notebook with some blank pages, so I took one of those little pages out. Tearing the paper into tee- ny pieces, I poked some into the fresh glue with the edge of my X-acto knife, creating a mini-shim until the leg looked straight to my most critical eye. I repeated the process for another leg, and passed the third as it was actually straight to begin with. So far, so good. en came the hard part: I put in another engine and igniter, filled out an- other flight card and went to face the mu- sic, so to speak. My sweetheart didn't say much, being the gentleman he can be, and he just gave me a pad assignment. Imagine my delight when the moment came, and my little purple monster went very nearly straight up. is was only made more de- lightful by the sincere sounds of delight from the spectators, all of whom had seen the earlier disaster. At that moment, I felt like a real rocketeer, for the very first time. I had encountered difficulty, observed care- SPORT ROCKETRY MAY/JUNE 2024 29 Ascend! To ARA Press 785 Jefferson Ave. Livermore, CA 94550 (925) 583-5126 www.arapress.com ARA Press The Spaceship Enthusiasts' One-Stop Data Shop! Now Available for Pre-order! Five years in the making by Air Force historian Dr. Roy Houchin, with full access to all official documents, this will be the definitive work on the program for some time to come. Ships late March Please visit our website to order on-line. Credit Cards and PayPal accepted. Call or write "info@arapress.com" for shipping options. Sales Tax added for CA orders Only $39.95! (plus shipping) Dyna-Soar: Its History, Military Missions and Legacy to the X-37B • Foreword by Dyna-Soar Pilot Al Crews • PART I - THE DYNA-SOAR PROGRAM • PART II - THE DYNA-SOAR VEHICLE • Glossary of Acronyms and Program Names • Appendix - The Modeling World • Hundreds of photographs and illustra- tions, most in color • Dimensioned Drawings of the Dyna- Soar and Boosters. • 215 Pages, 80 lb. coated stock • Smythe-sewn Hardcover binding fully, devised a fix and was rewarded with a lovely flight. ank you, Mr. Boren, for nudging me that way. at's what the hobby is about. Try something. Learn from your mis- takes. Observe closely. Improvise fixes. Start over. Enjoy the other folks going through the same cycle. Enjoy the fun, quirky rock- ets that folks build. Say "Ooooo…" when some- thing arcs overhead into a blue sky. Help each other with recov- ery walks. Hand over a spare igniter to a kid whose rocket didn't go the first time. Share pic- tures of good launches and, believe it or not, spectacular disasters if you happen to catch one while aiming to record a great launch. Get to know the other gals out there. Hopefully you and your special guy will be a new team, enjoy- ing a great hobby together. Avis's favorite Alpha in NMSU livery. Photo by Avis Cawley.