Seeing My 2020 Resolutions Clearly
 

Comrades:

Time for my annual reflection and encouragement for you to do the same. Last January, I listed eight rocketry goals of which I accomplished exactly one, finishing a Blossom V-2. On the other hand, I did finish my NARTrek Silver, learning a bunch about Boost-Gliders along the way. I scratch-built a 1/10 Ute booster that flew very well. I built 3 Tomahawks to launch off of it that need a final paint day to be complete. An Enerjet Aero-Dart, a 1340 and a Zooch Saturn V were completed, too. I repaired and repainted my TLP Hellfire but got bogged down rescuing a Centuri Stiletto and an Interceptor.

I did get three good launch days.

So for 2020, my totally-doable list of things to do is:

1) Finish the rescue of the Stiletto and Interceptor;
2) Complete the Paiute booster I started;
3) Complete my NARTrek Gold;
4) Drastically reduce the number of started but incomplete projects laying around my desk;
5) Finish the Atlas 541 before the Mars Rover launch
6) Launch! I have a bunch of stuff that needs launching. It's not a rocket 'till it flies.

My son is heading up his high school TARC team so I'm hoping that translates to more launch days over the next few months.

What about you guys?

Do you mean "clearly" as in 2020 vision?
Parump bump.
Just one resolution for me, thin down my build piles.
So it's build, build, build.
Laters.

My rocket-related resolution is to finally begin work on my BT70 based Gemini Titan with the 3D printed parts and John Pursley's wraps. I've had the parts and wraps for over a year and I always talk myself out of starting it.

The parts kit came with an acrylic tube and acrylic fins to attach for flight.

MarkB,

Thank you for the reminder to actually make a list.
Your #4, to finish up started projects, is my top item.

I have a Maxi Honest John that was started in the 90s, but I removed the poorly assembled fins, and have recently been working on it. I have a huge Astron X-Ray a friend started in the 90s. He gave it to me, it really just needs paint. I have a 2.3X Astron Trident I started in the 90s. (Notice a trend? :chuckle: ) I have 6 of the 9 balsa nose cones done, just need to turn 3 more. More recents include a Mars Snooper, an Estes Phoenix, an Estes Saturn V I never finished in time for the 50th anniversary, and an Estes 1:100 Saturn 1B that is built but not painted.

Lastly, getting to launches is a top goal. I burned pathetically few motors in 2019 — two As, and a C, but at least the latter was in my 1:200 Estes Saturn V on July 20.

Mine is simple. Get my shop cleaned up enough that we can fit a weight set in the room. My wife has Osteoporosis that she's controlling well to this point, but her doctor says that lifting weights will help even more than the treatments. I've already got a bunch of my rockets in Tupperware containers, but I still need a bunch more. Some of the big ones are going to be tough to store, but the little ones won't be a problem. I'm in the middle of a build orgy with my backlog of kits, but I'm also buying the occasional clearance bird from Estes and Semroc. There are old cabinets in the shop that are full of early low number Semroc kits and other Estes kits I've picked up to build over the years. The cabinets are going, so I might be eBaying some of the stuff that's in them. On January 3, everything is pretty fluid, but my wife is much better than I am at organizing. If she gets an eye trained on the project, things will start moving quickly.
And I also have a stalled Blossom V-2 project in the shop. ;) Among others.

MarkB-

Yep, like you and Lee, #4 is big on my list for this year. Along with some cleanup, like Bill (Wallyum).


Earl

This is my list of backlogged kits that are ready to fly:
Centuri - Zebra II
Dr. Zooch - Mercury Little Joe
Ebay - Cobra Kai
Estes - Airborne Surveillance Missile
Estes - Alpha
Estes - Alpha IV
Estes - AstroCam 110 (1979)
Estes - Astron Apogee II
Estes - Astron Streak
Estes - Beta (Ebay)
Estes - Big Dawg
Estes - BLU 97B Cluster Bomb
Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter
Estes - Falcon Commander
Estes - Farside X
Estes - Jayhawk
Estes - Long Tom
Estes - Mighty Moe
Estes - Nike Apache
Estes - Plasma Probe
Estes - Sky-Hi
Estes - Star Wars R2D2
Estes - Top Shot
Estes - Twin Factor
Fishhead Rocketry - Eris
Fishhead Rocketry - Maverick XL
Fishhead Rocketry - Mega Mighty Moe
Fishhead Rocketry - Mini Jet Freak
Fishhead Rocketry - Not So Big Der Red Max
Fishhead Rocketry - Scythe
Fishhead Rocketry - Sky Jart
FSI - Dart
InFlight Rockets - Mach 10
LOC/Precision - Hi-Tech Mini
MPC - Microsonde 3 Payloader
MPC - Zenith 2 Payloader
NAR - Jet Freak
Peter Alway's Scale Bash - Blossom V-2
Quest - Intruder
Semroc - Egg Crate
Semroc - Firefly
Semroc - Hawk
Semroc - Hydra One
Semroc - Midget
Semroc - Point
Semroc - Sam-3
Semroc - Scrambler
Semroc - Sky Hook
Semroc - Squire

Wow Bill, that completed backlog is impressive. If that was done in 2019, I am in awe!

Please tell us that is a more than a year’s worth of work. :)

Bill-
That is a boatload of new ones to fly.
One suggestion- fly that Astron Streak on a 1/4A3-3T to get it back.
They are almost as tough to recover as a Mosquito.
I painted one Neon Orange and flew it on a C6-7. Flew in zero wind. Landed 50' from the pad.
It got instantly retired.