Happy Birthday to STB! Plus, A Look at an FSI Classic

Well guys, a year ago about this time Shroudlines The Blog was born! Now, 53 posts later, we are still going....Who woulda thunk it? On a side note, some of you may be thinking "Why don't we see more DARS stuff on here, or launches or meetings?" The truth be told, I haven't been to many lately. A combination of ever increasing demands at work and playing in three bands means very little time for rocket related activities. However, I can still access my 40 year collection of rocket junk and I can still ramble on about practically nothing, so I think we can keep going here for a while....At least it gives me a "rocket fix" once a week...

Speaking of that collection, this week I have a treat for you! Namely, this:

Yes, its the FSI Sandia Sandhawk! FSI produced this kit from 1990 to about 1994. It was a respectable 49 inches tall and designed to take FSI E60 and F100 motors. One interesting thing that I noticed when I set the parts out is that the fins are 1/4 inch balsa....and very light. I guess I have gotten used to heavy plywood fins, but these seemed a little flimsy. That being said, I have never heard of one of these models shredding, so what do I know?

The size of this bird is about the size of the FSI Black Brant (which is one of my favorites). I have toyed with actually building it, but can't bring myself to ruin the value of a vintage kit. Such is the plight of the collector. Oh well, maybe someday when things settle down a bit I can think about cloning her...

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!