Hi,

Being my first post here, forgive me if this is redundant. I recently finished a Cherokee-D clone. I posted the same stuff on TRF, so thus the redundancy. Is this ok? Thought Ye Olde Rocket Folks over here might like to see the pics.

Anyway, this is my favorite rocket - and also my nemesis. My first one, built circa 1975, was lost on its maiden flight, just an orange spec in the sky over the new berlin industrial park. So I build another one that year, and couldn't bring myself to fly it. Until this summer, when my son (its all his fault) got me sucked back into model rocketry. The maiden flight is great on a C11-3, lands 50' away. Then the D12-7 landed maybe 300' away. So then I go to a woosh event the next day, throw caution to the wind, and the last I see it, it is landing in a large cattail marsh, finally give up searching after an hour or so .

I decide not to let this rocket get the better of me, so I find Thrustline from Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe, and get my parts pack. I put serial # 03 on it, and my name on the nose cone shoulder. My only disappointment was the shade of red on the nose cone, I need to lighten that up a bit. Number 04 is in the paint booth as I write this (sorry no pics of that one yet).

I'll post launch pics when the wind & rain stops around here.

-Paul

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Paul,

Welcome aboard! You'll find this forum has been a haven for other Cherokee-D fans, too (myself included).

Beautiful fin root work...

If you're really a glutton for Cherokee-D punishment check out this variation:

http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=157

The thread explains the origins of this model; at least one of the birds built so far has flown, and the others are not too far from it.

Here's another variant, bashed from a Quest Navaho AGM:

http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/show...2&postcount=113

We'll be watching for those 'Bird 4' images!

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Craig McGraw

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SAM 0044
AMA 352635

Heh, don't worry about it, Paul. We like having any kind of posts here regarding old rockets. Hello to a fellow Wooshian!

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Scott D. Hansen
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe - Your One Stop BAR Shoppe!
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WOOSH NAR Section #558

Very nice finishing job, especially the fillets. Looks like a molded unit.

What did you use to finish those fins?
Nice job.

__________________
Steve Carr
NAR 82506

Thanks for the compliments Steve,

I used diluted elmers wood filler, the yellow stuff, on the nose cone, spirals, fillets, and fins. Diluted enough to spread on with a small brush. Sanded with 220, then 320, then 400. Dabbed on a bit more in the low areas & repeat. I tried kryon white primer, sanded with 400, then 600. It clogged the paper real fast, so next time I'll go back to a sandable lacquer primer. Topped it off with Krylon gloss white.

-Paul

Hi,

Just finished my 4th Cherokee-D, this one a home built clone (w/excelsior decals) of the long body tube version with the plastic nose cone. I wanted to launch her soooo badly today, but it was too windy again, so stuck with low fliers. I also repainted the nose of #03 with a more appropriate shade of red. A couple comparison pics and one of just #04. I still hold out slim hope that #02 will be found some day at Bong; I'd love to get her back, no matter the condition.

I'm thinking Interceptor for my next clone, so I can reduce the flight load of my vintage one, it is my son's favorite one to fly, and getting pretty beat up.

-Paul

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Take a used 24mm (D12) casing and make youself an adapter for 18mm motors. The Cherokee-D flies great on Estes/Qest C6-5's and Estes B6-4's. A Quest B6-4 might be pushing it because it has a real 4 second delay.

My Pics of my first clone, notwithstanding a few decal mods

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Pics on your first post! Excellent! Great looking rocket, too. I flew a Cherokee E to its death last year on its first flight. Consider a) reefing the chute, b) flying on a HUGE field, and c) flying on a calm day. I did none of the three and wound up getting a nice tour of a neighborhood almost a mile away.
Gotta admit. It was cool. (And it was also a rehabbed CATO, so I'm only out a nose cone and parachute. )

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2