If you go to the Grill department at Home Depot/Lowes I am sure you can pick up a bigger/better blast deflector.

__________________
Bob
S.A.M. # 0014

Bob,

I do plan to attend; it's been awhile..What a great idea! Can't wait to see every one and speak in funny German accents complete with a DRM and shirt.

Bob

__________________
illegitimi non carborundum

NAR# 54643 L-1

SAM# 043

AMA# 157091

VRCS# 154

A&P# 42x xx xxxx.

That looks like a fine piece of engineering. I had been wondering how that gray plastic piece was intended to work.

So how likely or unlikely is the pad to tip over if bumped or in a strong wind?

How durable does it appear? Any obvious "weakest links?"

You just know that some people will not realize how to use the rail tilting mechanism the first time they use it and will tilt the whole thing over on two legs to load.


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

Hi Bill,

Tip over bumped/wind? Dunno yet.

It seems to be plenty sturdy, nothing feels flimsy at all.

Only took a minute or so to figure the tilt/thumb screw part; loosen
screw, rail pops up a bit and then you tilt for loading model. It's the reverse of
setting the rail in the lower piece that sets the angle.

Bob

__________________
illegitimi non carborundum

NAR# 54643 L-1

SAM# 043

AMA# 157091

VRCS# 154

A&P# 42x xx xxxx.

My question was in the context of setting one up at a club launch.

No opportunity to read the instructions.

Somebody will tilt the pad to load their rocket until they see someone else do it the right way or until they are told "don't do that."

We have actually had people tilt our high-power pads over to load.


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

I admit to having done that (tilted a pad over that didn't need it) at least once at a launch I attended.

And the 2-inch-pipe-based rail pad I build for tARC teams (mentioned earlier in this thread ? how-to article in the May/June 2022 Sport Rocketry) has to be tilted over. It has adjustable length legs (two of the three) but no mechanism for tilting the rail on the base.

This new Estes pad has the potential for putting me out of the pads-for-tARC-building business...which I won't mind, really.

I think after we get back from our eclipse trip I will have to order one and see for myself. Then probably next year I'll just steer new teams toward this one, just like I steer them toward the Estes PSII launch controller now.

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

Where are you planning to go?

Are any clubs planning a midday "night" launch? Or are the several minutes of totality too precious to waste launching rockets?


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

My wife and I are flying to Mazatlan. No rocketry planned for this trip.

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

Thanks for posting the review!

I'm sorely tempted by this, though I really don't need another pad. It looks much better than some MPR stands I've seen, including jaw-stand types with their narrow footprint.

The pad seems to use a custom rail, with just one side usable for launching, is that right? Do the plastic (glass-filled nylon?) pieces seem sturdy? If any one of those breaks, it seems like game-over.

It doesn't appear as sturdy as my Fade-To-Black style pad, but folds up much more compact. So probably not stable enough for HPR, but as long as it's solid enoughh for F & G flights, it would be a good bring-your-own pad for local launches and (T)ARC flights. I wonder if it could be adapted to use a mini-rail?

__________________
Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org

Hi Paul,

You're welcome.

The rail is one sided. The plastic pieces are, from what I can tell, glass filled Nylon; they
have that look and feel.

Bob

__________________
illegitimi non carborundum

NAR# 54643 L-1

SAM# 043

AMA# 157091

VRCS# 154

A&P# 42x xx xxxx.