As Scott said, we are always here, just very busy. Sheryl just pointed out this thread. She said that there might be a search party if I did not respond.

As many of you know, we are much like college professors; "Publish or Perish!" It is a delicate balance of releasing new kits, working on future products (like engines!), and keeping the flow of >1200 different parts ready to be shipped in less than 24 hours. This is NOT a complaint. It really is fun. I don't think Sheryl or Bruce consider any of it to be at the level of a "vacation" but I like it and can tell that we are making an impact.

Anyway.... what have be been working on?

1. Julie 4 - We now have a third CNC nose cone lathe operational. Supposedly an improvement over the first two, she is much more finicky. She will be able to do longer nose cones up to 3" diameter. Julie 2 was a concept prototype that has turned over 10,000 nose cones and is probably near end of life or up for overhaul. After we ran the first several batches of nose cones, it struck me as ironic that the first two nose cones we turned on it were the BC-714 and BC-1631 that were also the first two production nose cones we turned on Julie 1 in 1968!

2. OEM's - We now manufacture nose cones, fins, etc. for eight other small companies. This is becoming a significant amount of our time, even though it has much smaller profit margins.

3. Engines - The design of our first machine is completed and work has begun. It is starting to look like a machine. As we get ahead a few dollars, we buy more parts for it. The printed circuit boards for the controller and static test stands are ready to order. The program for the static test stands is complete and works on a wire-wrap prototype. The program for the controller for the engine machine is flowcharted and major routines are completed. It is much better than the original. It can sense air pressure to better than 1 PSI and position of cylinders to .010". There is still much to do.

4. EX-numbers - On hold until I can nail down the delay formula. We all REALLY, REALLY want bright orange smoke so our flights are distinguishable. Unfortunately, bright orange is based on lower temperature Potassium Chlorate which can not be compressed near sulfur. (I learned this when I was about 14. We would mix them carefully, tape the mixture to the tin siding on a barn and shoot it with a BB gun to cause it to explode. The tin siding made it much louder. Scared the chickens!) It is still possible to do bright orange in DECAPS. Or in primary engines if I can get a potassium nitrate-based mixture to work.

5. Kits for NARAM - In the works are Space Shuttle (Casey 6), SLS ARCAS 1/2 Scale, Omega with Boostervision in Cineroc look-alike capsule, Visitor, and others. Somewhere between zero and four kits will be announced at NARAM. (Probably two.)

Thanks to all the SVDT members for their patience and invaluable help.

__________________
Carl McLawhorn
NAR#4717 L2
semroc.com