Movies
Rocket Car in Action, and Rocket Car Crash and Burns
(mpg, 319K) or (mov, 2160K, with music and sound!)
We Spill Some Marbles
Second run: late 1988 or early 1989
Location: Kamehameha Ave, a residential road with low car traffic
Time: around midnight
We got smart and used a D class engine which is 8 times as strong as the A class engine. I put a can of marbles behind the car to help boost the car forward, but the launch had pushed the cover off the can and all the marbles went rolling down the road. We were frantically trying to pick up all the marbles before anyone came to see what that loud "Whooosh!" was. But the car did great. Dist: around 60 yards.
Almost Hit Innocent Girls
Sept. 1989
Location: Pauoa Elementary School parking lot
Time: around 1:00 a.m.
The launch was fine but we heard two girls screaming "What the #@^*!!!!" at the other end because a flaming rocket car was flying right at them. They just happened to be walking down the hall and we didn't see them when we launched. I didn't hit them.
20 Feet Straight Up!
1990
Location: Stadium Mall under the highway
Time: around 11:00 p.m.
We upgraded the rockets to a double stage D rocket (two rockets back to back). Right off the line the car started veering to the left so I steered right but I over compensated so I turned left again, this time way too much, and then BOOM!! the car hit a curb and was airborne. The first stage took the car to the curb and it was somersaulting to around 5 - 6 ft up when the second stage kicked in and launched it up to around 20 ft. The whole time, all I could hear was the rockets roaring so I thought maybe it was alright. When I got there the car was practically folded in half with wires ripped out and radio equipment and body pieces all over the ground. What a great run!
Back Flip
1994
Location: Manoa Shopping Center parking lot
Time: around 1:00 a.m.
Decided to bring the rocket car out of the dust and make a new version. I was too nervous to do a double stage again so we settled for a single stage D rocket. It hit a hole in the road and it did a perfect reverse somersault and landed back on its wheels. Not quite what we expected but still very cool. Good thing we didn't put the double stage on or else it might have been 20 ft straight up again.
Cartwheels Into a Fire Hydrant
1995
Location: Moanalua Recreational Center parking lot
Time: around 2:00 a.m.
We found a E class engine in the hobby stores so we decided to try it. My batteries were dead so I couldn't control the car for this one. I could only hear ringing in my ears after the launch (I might have been too close or else that was a hell of a loud rocket), but the car went super fast and pretty far until it veered into the grass and cartwheeled right into a fire hydrant. The E rocket had great potential.
Perfect Run (after 2 tries)
1995 the next weekend
Location: Moanalua Recreational Center parking lot
Time: around 2:00 a.m.
We felt more confident and figured that the best rocket was the devastating double stage D rocket. The first run that night crashed and cartwheeled early so we had to try again. This time we were not let down. Finally we got the perfect run with the car going straight and both stages launching successfully. The bugger ripped down the road at maybe 60 - 70 mph and traveled around 100 yards.
More Good Runs
1995 the next weekend
Location: Moanalua Recreational Center parking lot
Time: around 2:00 a.m.
Got two more good runs that night and got it on video. It was headed right at my friend at the beginning but I straightened it out in time.
Got Quicktime Movies For You All To See!
1995 few months later
Location: Moanalua Recreational Center parking lot
Time: around 1:00 a.m.
Got a good run and a crash run on video and converted it to a quicktime movie for you all to see. You can barely see me launching and controlling the car from right behind it. Its real neat when you watch it frame by frame because you can see the size of the initial blast which is almost the width of the road. You can also see the size of the flame coming from the back of the car. It is quite huge compared to the size of the car.
Movies
(mpg, 319K) or (mov, 2160K, with music and sound!)