All Rocketry Blogs

 Rocketry Product: Estes - Hornet {Kit} (3037) [2010 - ]

Blast From The Past: Launch Date: 28 April, 2018 (2018-05-01)

    A check of the wind and weather websites revealed that today would be a warm day in Colorado with a minimal-wind launch window between 9:00 a.m. and noon.   It has been well ... [Read More]

Blast From The Past: Launch Date: 14 April, 2019 – An Impromptu Launch Session (2019-04-16)

  Early Sunday afternoon, I found an email from fellow Castle Rock area rocketeer, James Gazur, stating that local wind and weather conditions were favorable for a launch.   How about ... [Read More]

Blast From The Past: Launch Date: 2 June, 2019 (2019-06-04)

  This launch session was one of which I like to call “Shoe Box” launches.   This is where I have a short span of time – anywhere from half an hour to forty five ... [Read More]

Blast From The Past: Launch Date: 30 June, 2019 (2019-07-01)

  Today’s launch was another ‘Shoe Box’ session conducted at Founders Park in Castle Rock, Colorado.   Perfect flying conditions prevailed for this session with ... [Read More]

Blast From The Past: A Shorter Hornet... (2020-01-30)

  This past Sunday, January 26th, I participated in a launch session with several Colorado front range rocketeers. The first flight of the day was my old flagship, the Estes Hornet.  ... [Read More]

Wayne Hill's Blog: Estes Hornet paper clone (2013-10-21)

Chris Michielssen has now released his paper clone of the Estes Hornet. You can find this build and other great clones by Chris in my partial paper rocket section. “Partial”, like most ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 1 Parts (2014-01-24)

This model was originally a Centuri kit released in 1982. This was the start of the conversion from Phoenix to Penrose, some Centuri branded kits were using Estes parts. This model used a Estes ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 2, Engine Mount (2014-01-25)

Set the centering rings in place and pencil mark the rings directly opposite the engine hook. These rings are fairly thin and fitting the tube will be tight. A round hole was filed in both the ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 3, Fin Fillling (2014-01-26)

The fin stock was warped, right out of the bag! After brushing on the thinned Carpenter's Wood Filler I'll have to let these dry under a heavy book. The grain was raised after the CWF had ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 4, Launch Lug and Nose Cone Filling (2014-01-26)

TIP: To save time on later builds, I went head and filled four 3/16" lugs at the same time. Four lugs were slid down a dowel and tape was placed over the ends to keep them in place. CWF filler ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 5, Some Minor Snags (2014-01-27)

The Hornet was originally a Centuri design. I wanted to use the Centuri logo in place of the Estes name. I checked online but couldn't find a sharp version of the logo. I ended up doing a font ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 6, White Undercoats and Sanding (2014-01-28)

The fins and launch lug both got two fillets with Titebond M&TG. Here's the model assembled. After primer sanding it's ready for a white undercoat. The finished model is yellow and black. ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 7, Refill! (2014-01-28)

The raised wood grain pores were still visible! Earlier the raised grain was sanded down and more CWF applied. After a thick coat of primer/filler I thought everything was smooth. I couldn't ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 8, Masking the Black Fin (2014-01-30)

The rounded leading edge was masked with small pieces of Scotch tape set down to a half round circle. I should have looked ahead and studied the decal sheet. I thought the wider black band band ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 9, Correcting The Black Fin? (2014-01-31)

That short black band on top trails behind the Hornet name and to the leading edge of the 3/32" thick fin. At the bottom is the thicker band I thought was used for connecting the name to the fin. ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Estes Hornet Build Part 10, Decal Fix and Finished (2014-02-01)

I added a tapered black strip to the top side of the thin band to match the 3/32" fin thickness. The Centuri logo replaced the Estes logo like the first run of the kit.   A ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Rocket Names - Reading Up or Down? (2014-09-25)

This question has come up on the forums before: Should the rocket name decal read up or down? Should it be set so the base line is on the right or left? Here's the Sunward Screamer from an EBAY ... [Read More]

Rocketeer's Corner: The season begins at Pegasus... (2017-09-12)

My Estes Alpha streaks skyward on an A8-3 (click to enlarge). My apologies for no blog posts over the past couple of months - it's been a busy summer, and I haven't found much time to write. Things ... [Read More]