Rockette
DID YOU EVER dream of designing your own model, test flying it a few times, then taking it to the Nationals, and winning with it? Well, that's exactly what happened to me. I was looking for a good rocket to round out my fleet of free flights, when I saw R. F. Tanner flying his rocket in Clarksdale, Miss., on Memorial Day, '72. To my surprise, I learned he was living here in Memphis at the time, so I got in touch with him to take a look at his model. Using some of his basic ideas, I stretched out his design, changed the airfoil and dihedral, to come up with the Rockette. It took only about two weeks to build without plans, my only guide being a "feel" of what I wanted, and some fundamental dimensions. In fact, I have spent more hours on this article than I did on the building of the model!
