EMRR's Model Rocket Review: Aerotech Aerospace

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REV 2.4 - Fri Aug 27 00:10:15 2010

Aerotech
Cheetah

2113 W. 850 N. Street
Cedar City, UT 84720
(435)-865-7100

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SPECS:

32" x 1.9" - 10 oz

ROCKSIM FILE:

Right Click to Download

SpaceCAD FILE:

MISSING - please submit here

REC'D MOTORS:

D13-4W, D24-4T, D15-4T, E18-7W, E11-5J, E28-7T, F24-7W, F12-5J, F39-6T, E16-7W, E23-8T, F40-10W, F22-7J, F52-8T, G33-7J, G64-10W, D21-4T, E15-7W, E30-7T, F20-7W, F23-7FJ, F25-9W, F50-9T, G35-7W, G38-7FJ, G40-10W, G80-10T

(Contributed - by Walter Kjellander)

Rocket Pic Brief:
The Aerotech Cheetah is a high-performance mid-power rocket. The rocket is single stage, and goes over 3000' on a G motor.

Construction:
The kit comes with a single body tube, a nose cone, three (3) plastic clipped-delta fins, a parachute, a shockcord, and motor mount components. The motor mount components are the motor tube, two (2) fin-locks, two (2) centering rings, an ejection baffle, cooling mesh, motor retainer hook, and screw eye for shockcord attachment. The kit also comes with a 24mm/29mm adapter.

The instructions are easy to follow, and the kit is generally easy to build. The only shortcoming is that once the fins are inserted through the body tube into the fin-locks, there is not much room for doing fillets for the fin tabs inside of the body tube. I attached the fins with 30 minute epoxy and figured that was enough. Doing internal fillets is always a problem with small diameter rockets, of course.

Finishing:
The groves are barely noticeable. I just sprayed on a couple coats of paint for a nice, easy finish. Since I'm doing the rocket for my niece, I did not add the decals provided. Instead, the rocket will probably get some Britney Spears stickers.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
There are several recommended motors, and the rocket is very versatile. The rocket will fly about 1,000' on an E motor, about 2,000' on an F motor, and over 3,000' on a G motor. I flew this on a G25-10, which has a nice 4-5 second burn. The rocket comes with an ejection baffle system, so no wadding is required. The motor is retained by a strong metal clip. Changing engines is very easy.

Recovery:
Recovery was fine. The provided parachute is quality rip-stop nylon. It's small, but sufficient for this small rocket.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: versatile engine selection, easy construction, nice motor retention CONs: none

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

(Contributed - by Greg Deeter

- 12/01/02)

Rocket Pic Brief:
This kit right here, I now have to thank, for getting me super re-addicted to rocketry. My last launches back in the early 80's saw D's as being high power. After getting very interested again a few months ago, I bought about 50 different kits and of them all, this one was my favorite, and I picked it for my first mid-power, and flew it today on an F50-6T. Truly amazing. I built it stock just as per the instructions. It has excellent through-the-wall snap in fins, pre-slotted body tube, nice baffle system so no wadding is required, very nice quality chute. In fact, I have enjoyed this one so much, I am now finishing a G-Force, and have ordered (4) more Aerotech kits.

Construction:
I used nothing but CA to put this together in about 2 hours while watching a movie at the same time. I will bet that you can build one of these and use NO GLUE at all on anything but the launch lugs, and fire it off on a G and recover it in one piece. That is how well all the parts fit. The first hour of construction was how long it took me to just get the adapter rings onto the motor tube. They fit so tight that I actually had to hammer them on. The way the fins snap in (and they are very tight) is excellent. The recovery system is excellent and the only thing I added were a few snap swivels so I could change out the chute quickly in the future. Building this did take a little effort, because everything fits together so tightly, but the end result is one tuff rocket with awesome performance.

Finishing:
I skipped the primer. My mistake. The paint rubbed off a little from the nose cone and body while it was in the car on the way home from the launch. I will use primer next time on my next completion of an Aerotech, because I can see that these are built to stay in your collection and keep flying again and again. The decals are self stick, and I would prefer water slide, but that's just a personal preference. I give it a 5/5.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
While attending the first high power launch I have ever been to, today 11/24/2002, which was the Crossroads of Texas 2002 at the Hearne Texas Airport, I got the guts up to go ahead and do it, using the launch equipment of my local NASA/Houston club. I picked an Aerotech single use F50 with a 6 second delay. Wind was gusting so a longer delay may have been even better. Wind was at least 10-15 MPH or more. My Cheetah passed the safety inspection, my club members helped me with the copperhead ignitor, and my 1st mid power rocket left on it's 1st flight from pad #1. This thing went up so clean and straight and perfect that I did get a little worried when it went out of sight. I didn't want to lose it. And then there it was. Perfect recovery deployment. I did not time it, but I believe it was in the air for possibly as long as 5 minutes.

Recovery:
The shock cord method looks perfect to me. And the cord it came with was about 6 feet long. Since I launched in pretty gusty wind, it did drift at least 300 yards and then tried to hide itself in soft grass about a foot tall. It took over half an hour to find it. But when I finally saw it's nice bright yellow chute, it was laying there without a scratch or flaw, just picture perfect. Here again, I give it a 5/5.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
I am massively impressed by this CHEETAH. I can not think of anything but praise in any area. It most certainly drew attention. I believe it must have hit mach speed and it got real positive comments by everyone. People commented in ways like it "snapped off the pad", it "must have broke mach", "that was killer!", "straight up!", it "honked up there ", and and even just plain "Wow!". When I got back into town from the launch, I did go to Aerotech's website, sorta with this feeling of awe in the way of "what in the world was that?". Hahah Aerotech says that this is their fastest and highest flying rocket. I didn't realize that, but I sure know now. I'm just glad I didn't use a G in it. Because it's nice and safe at home, and it's got a bunch more work to do now, as the best rocket I have ever built, now my favorite. Get one. Give yourself a few hours and build it slow and right, with the great instructions and nothing but CA. The Aerotech Cheetah is in my opinion, simply awesome.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

GUEST's OPINION:
06/05 - "This is a brilliant small field rocket on the D15-4 - delivering perfect flight with a no-walk recovery. After losing one into low clouds on an E, I added a sonic locator attached to parachute swivel. Problem - the D15 is the hardest motor to assemble correctly. It is challenging inserting the first two fins without crushing the body tube, because they require some force. Suggest arranging a couple boards so that the first fin can be pushed in with the snap-lock ring bearing on the fin clips. The surfaces of the fins, nose and tube are VERY slick - nothing will stick without sanding and/or priming. All the posters here are right regarding great flights and easy building." (J.W.C.)

GUEST's OPINION:
03/01 - "The "fin-lok" system is quite nice (I'd love to see 38 and 54mm versions). But I highly recommend that you rough up the fin tabs with 150 grit sandpaper and dry fit the fins first before gluing them in place. The plastic is quite rigid and requires significant force to snap them into the locked position. Moderately easy for an adult, but much more difficult for a young adult. The fin edges are sharp so I placed masking tape over the edges during assembly. External fin fillets were added with long cure CA. To keep it neat, I taped off the leading and trailing edges to prevent run-off. If you are going to fill the groove, do this prior to fin installation (same with surface sanding). Finishing was very easy, but here I deviated from the instructions which call for red. My CHEETAH was primed followed by a white to yellow fade (rustoleum spray paint) followed by a CHEETAH SPOT stencil (Gloss Black and a clearcote top finish. Fins and NC are also black. I agree with the author's review. Construction was a snap and the directions were very easy to follow." (T.B.)

SPECIFIC ROCKET TIP:
"" (x.x.)

Date	Name	Motor	Ejection/ Altitude	Wind	Notes
05-17-2003	Donald Besaw	AT SU G80-10	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	- And yet, another pres. reject. Ripped off the pad and out of sight. I had to really work to get this one, long recovery walk. No damage.
06-15-2007	Dave Brunsting	AT RMS F24-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	-
05-28-2005	Brian Carpenter	AT EconoJet F20-7	Didn't See	Calm	- Great!! Thats all that needs to be said.
07-06-2006	Brian Carpenter	Est SU E9-4	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	- It went much higher than I thought it was going to go.
06-26-2005	John Chapman	AT RMS D15-4	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	- Perfect launch and recovery (I caught it) 70 feet from the pad. A swivel helped prevent line tangling. The RMS motor performed perfectly, unlike on the next flight -- see guest opinion on 24mm RMS motor.
06-26-2005	John Chapman	AT RMS D15-4	None - CATO	0-5 mph winds	- Attempt to fly an RMS motor after the @#%#%& grain adapter tube stuck during assembly. Blew delay charge and propellant partially ejecting nose cone. See my opinion on the RMS motor.
07-06-2005	John Chapman	AT RMS E28-7	Very Late	0-5 mph winds	- Good flight, with no damage from overly late delay. Unit landed in a stream, with damage to 24mm adapter, but not to rocket. Trans beep mini submerged, but worked fine after drying out.
05-14-2005	John Chapman	AT RMS E18-7	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	- JUST FOUND IT!! It disappeared into the low clouds!! Now located in a tree. Status: Tree/Roof
06-09-2001	Andrew Cull	AT SU F50-9	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	- Really nice flight
11-24-2002	Greg Deeter	AT SU F50-6	Didn't See	10+ mph winds	- 1st flight. Crossroads 2002 at Hearne Texas Airport.10-15 MPH + winds. Went straight up over 2000+ feet. Recovered without a scratch 300 years away.
12-27-2004	Greg Deeter	AT EconoJet F23-4	Just Before	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas Orange Cheetah - First of (5) F & G flights on two new sister ships today, dubbed Orange and Tangerine. The AT SU F23FJ Black Jack produced a nice amount of puffy black smoke. Excellent test flight.
12-27-2004	Greg Deeter	Ellis SU G35-6	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas Orange Cheetah - Rod whipped and weather-vaned yet still rode the Ellis Mountain long 4 second burn just fine. Lost it in the sun yet thanks to club member Jesse, found it way out in the field just fine. Approx alt 3000+ feet.
12-27-2004	Greg Deeter	Ellis SU G35-6	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas Tangerine Cheetah - First flight of Tangerine Cheetah. Love that long 4 second burn Ellis Mountain G35. Just kept going and going and going. Won the drag race against an Aerotech Mustang big time! Est altitude, 3500+ feet.
12-27-2004	Greg Deeter	Ellis SU G35-10	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas Tangerine Cheetah - Totally outstanding flight! Added rail buttons on the field, and with rail launching and an extremely light build (20% lighter than stock kit weight) nailed between 3700-4100 feet. In the air about 4 minutes, recovered flawless 400 yards away.
12-27-2004	Greg Deeter	AT EconoJet F23-4	Just Before	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas Tangerine Cheetah - Last flight of the day. Drag raced a LOC Lil Nuke and Aerotech Mustang on my last AT SU F23-4FJ Black Jack. That was a great motor, hope Aerotech will make more some day. Another perfect flight and fairly close landing. Ready for another day!
02-19-2005	Greg Deeter	AT EconoJet F23-7	Didn't Record	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas - Tangerine Cheetah - Used one of the brand new re-designed Aerotech F23 Black Jacks. Motor burn time is supposed to be 2.2 seconds but it sure seemed a lot longer. Nice black smokey flight.
02-19-2005	Greg Deeter	AT SU F50-4	Just Before	5-10 mph winds	Event: Challenger 498 Rushing Park Katy Texas - Very nice loud fast motor for this rocket, but 4 second delay is too short as I knew, yet it was the only one I had. Sure enough, minor zipperage, simple repair is in order. Very fast stable flight.
03-05-2005	Greg Deeter	Ellis SU G35-10	Didn't See	Calm	Event: STARS 672 & Challenger 498 Spring Fling 2005 Rushing Park Katy Texas - Orange Cheetah. Flight anomaly! Extremely severe rod whip. Cart-wheeled about 100 feet in the air and took off horizontal for the full 4 second burn.
05-30-2004	Greg Deeter	Ellis SU G35-10	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	Event: National Sport Launch Hearne Texas - Excellent motor. Very loud and impressive. The Cheetah rode it fine and the long burn motor was still burning when it went out of sight between 2500-3000 feet. No one ever saw it again. I am pleased with the result and will use more Ellis motors. Status: Lost
07-24-2004	Frank DiMatteo	AT RMS G64-10	Didn't See	Calm	Event: Eat Cheese or Fly - Great motor and liftoff. Lost it once it went into the clouds and never saw it again. I don't think ejection fired. Status: Lost
07-24-2004	Frank DiMatteo	AT RMS G64-10	Didn't See	Calm	Event: Eat Cheese or Fly - Great motor and liftoff. Lost it once it went into the clouds and never saw it again. I don't think ejection fired. Status: Lost
04-29-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E16-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC Spring Campout Launch Chester Cheetah - Great Flight. Vehicle Flew Arrow Straight off the rail to 950'. Fairly long walk to recover as this was my first MPR launch, and maiden of this vehicle. Great Flame, perfect ignition and burn. Perfect Apogee Ejection!
04-29-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E16-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC Spring Campout Launch Chester Cheetah - This was the second flight. I added more angle to the rail this time and apogee was slightly lower, but again perfect ejection. This time the walk was longer as it gusted while the vehicle was decending.
04-30-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F22-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC Spring Campout Launch Chester Cheetah - This was a shockingly high flight. Motor lit off quickly with the magnelite Igniter and blasted a long burn to over 2000 feet! The apogee was barely detectable. Smooth, smoky, and no chuffs! :-)
04-30-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F52-8	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC Spring Campout Launch Chester Cheetah - Fast, and gone to neverland! This time I aimed it perfect, it went out of sight, and couldn't see the ejection or the smoke from the ejection. It was really moving. Suffered 1/8 zipper. Still trying to determine why.
05-26-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E16-7	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Event: Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - This is Chester's 5th flight. I did have a late ejection this time that did not happen with the other E-16 7W's. It ejected approximately 1-2 seconds past NC down. No damage. Perfect touchdown right on the runway 50' from the pads. :-)
09-03-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS G64-10	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	Event: Freedom Launch 2006 Orangeburg, SC Chester Cheetah - This Flight Occured around 1pm. Very fast, and high boost. Did slight butt wiggle off the rail, but went straight up and was gone. Incredible speed, and ALT. 2700'. Flying at Orangeburg was great experience!
09-03-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F40-10	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	Event: Freedom Launch 2006 Orangeburg, SC Chester Cheetah - Winds were higher as there was an approaching rain shower. The vehicle went into the cloud. Recovery took 3 hours as I never saw it under chute. Found later. Around 2000 feet.
10-29-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E16-7	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Event: October Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Perfect Trajectory. Good Symetrical Burn on the motor, arced over, went just past and ejected. Came down about 100 feet from pads. This rocket has numerous flight now, and flies great. It's fast, and is capable of going very high.
11-18-2006	Tim Durbin	AT EconoJet F20-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: ROCC November Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Flight Went To About 1100 instead of the 1600 it would've due to a high rate chuff that lasted about 1 full second on the pad. Rocket would've ejected early otherwise so it worked out good.
11-18-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E16-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: ROCC November Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - In the past I have had a couple bonus delays with the E16-7's, but this time the rocket went straight up and got good altitude, apogeed out and ejected dead on at apogee. Flight was around 900. Perfect burn.
12-09-2006	Tim Durbin	AT SU G40-10	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: Tripoli Sport Launch Chester Cheetah - Great Motor! Smooth Symetrical Burn. Rocket Went Very Straight and fairly high. Recovered 50 yards from the pads. Orangeburg is such an awesome place to fly with a great bunch of guys! :-)
12-10-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS G64-10	Didn't See	Calm	Event: Tripoli Sport Launch Chester Cheetah - Again, another out of sight launch for Chester. The G64-10W is one bad motor for the Cheetah. This time based on time I truly belive I got 3000' out of it. Very fast and very high. Took one full minute to come back in sight.
12-10-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F39-9	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: Tripoli Sport Launch Chester Cheetah - The Straightest vertical up and down flight Chester has flown to date. 1600'. The delay was perfect. Came down less than 15' from the pad it went up on. Nice Blue Thunder motor for the Cheetah.
12-16-2006	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F40-10	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Terriffic Clean Burn from Motor. 2200-2500' ALT. Rocket went nice and straight, and landed right where I wanted it on top of a small hill. Speed was around 450 MPH. Another Great Flight for Chester!
03-18-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F40-10	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: March Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Another Great Flight for Chester. 2200 feet. Motor up to pressure instantly with the tricks I used. Absolutely perfect apogee. Even with wind vehicle flew arrow straight tipped and deployed. Perfect touchdown without a scratch.
04-21-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F39-9	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: April Launch Chester Cheetah - This Rocket has flown so many great flights. The F39-9T puts this rocket ~1600' up. Nice light motor and it's a brute for it's size. Hits hard and goes arrow straight. Recovery was perfect 100 feet from the pads.
06-24-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F40-10	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: June Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Winds were blowing right from our backs so I went staright up with it. Motor lit right off even with a 02 date code and had a smooth burn. Nice high flight to 2000-2200'. Perfect recovery. Another successful flight for Chester! :-)
07-22-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F52-11	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: July Monthly Launch Chester Cheetah - Perfect Ignition and Great 1.4s Burn. Very fast acelleration. Flew arrow straight to apogee. Did drift in the wind a little and landed in Corn, but was recovered successfully maybe 800' or so from the pads. 2200' ALT. 343 MPH.
11-18-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F39-9	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: November Launch Chester Cheetah - Nice Straight Boost. RockSim predicted 1739' and I suspect it went a little higher. Conditions were perfect. The F39-9T is light and really scoots. Instant Ignition with Magnelite and Perfect Burn. Recovered 100' from pad.
12-22-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E18-7	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Event: December Makeup Launch Chester Cheetah - Chester's 19th Flight. Altitude simmed to 1200' and I estimate the flight was around that. There was some wind, but like the Cheetah always does, it flew very straight. Burn was OK. Augment Motor with Small Wedge of BT next time.
12-22-2007	Tim Durbin	AT RMS E18-7	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Event: December Makeup Launch Chester Cheetah - Chester's 20th Flight. Same as last flight. Delays are a little too long. Drill down a second or two next time I use this motor. Motor chuffed slightly this time also. Needs small wedge of BT at the top of the grain to augment Ignitor.
01-26-2008	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F40-10	Apogee - NC Down	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC January Launch Chester Cheetah - Real Nice Flight. Hit The Rail Angle just right for the wind. Got 2200' RockSim. Good Deploy. Not too bad of a walk. Nice Clean Burn. Loud, Smokey, and High! Nice Comments Afterwards too. :)
01-27-2008	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F52-11	Apogee - NC Down	5-10 mph winds	Event: ROCC January Launch Chester Cheetah - It was time to fulfil the need for speed. This motor Rocks in the Cheetah. RockSim 2300' Actual. It's a neck snapper. Good Deploy. Nailed The Rail Angle Again and put it right beside my vehicle where I wanted it. I love this rocket! It's fast and fun! :)
03-16-2008	Tim Durbin	AT RMS F39-9	Just Past (1-2sec)	Gusty	Event: ROCC March Launch Chester Cheetah - Chester's 24th Flight. Ignition was fast. Boost was straight. Deploy was a little late. Need to shave 1-2s off delay for windy flights. I wrapped electrical tape around the top and no zipper, so all was well. Landed 30-40 feet from the pad it went up on.
06-26-2004	Al Gloer	Est SU E9-6	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: CT Vet Hospital - A nice motor for a small unfamiliar field. Nice boost and near perfect deployment.
09-09-2006	Al Gloer	AT EconoJet F20-7	Apogee - NC Up	0-5 mph winds	- Used a Top flight streamer thiis time. Perfect recovery system for this rocket on larger motors.
02-26-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS E16-7	Didn't Record	0-5 mph winds	- Great flight. Recovered close to pads.
02-26-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS E16-7	Didn't Record	0-5 mph winds	- Another great flight. This time the chute got a little tangled but opened at about 100 feet.
02-26-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS F40-10	Didn't Record	0-5 mph winds	- Great high flight. A little wind brought it within 100 feet of the pads. It almost landed in a cow patty.
04-24-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS F40-10	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	- Great flight. The high winds caused a long walk.
07-23-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS E16-7	Just Past (1-2sec)	0-5 mph winds	- Had a little trouble lighting the motor, but otherwise the flight was fine.
12-30-2005	Reed Goodwin-Johansson	AT RMS E16-7	Very Late	0-5 mph winds	- It weathercocked quite a bit and then ejected about 150 feet above the ground. The nosecone struck the upper Launch lug, ripping it off the rocket and damaging the tube. Repair in progress.
09-25-2004	Andrew Grippo	AT EconoJet F21-8	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	Event: SOLAR Monthly Launch - Great Flight using the 24mm adapter. Altitude simmed to 1712'. About 1/4 mile walk for recovery and rocket had no damage. Good motor and delay for this rocket.
09-25-2004	Andrew Grippo	AT EconoJet F21-8	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	- Great flight with nice altitude and small stock chute brought it down pretty close to pad without damage
05-29-2005	Andrew Grippo	AT RMS G64-10	Apogee - NC Down	5-10 mph winds	Event: Jim Turner Memorial Launch - Nice high flight to about 3,000 feet. Good 3/4 mile walk for recovery even with the small chute supplied with the kit but the flight was worth it. No damage to rocket.
08-27-2005	Andrew Grippo	AT EconoJet F21-4	Just Before	0-5 mph winds	Event: SOLAR Monthly Launch - Delay is too short for this motor and rocket combination. Fortunately there wasn't any damage to the rocket and recovery was fine.
08-21-2010	Stephen Harper	AT SU E15-4	Apogee - NC Up	Light winds	- The wind gusted just after liftoff and the rocket became unstable. The flight was still pretty cool.
08-21-2010	Stephen Harper	AT SU E15-4	Apogee - Perfect	Light winds	- The second flight was perfect. The rocket weather-cocked a little bit. It went straight and high.
05-17-2003	Larry Hobbs	AT EconoJet F20-10	Apogee - Perfect (1600 ft)	Light winds	- perfect, loud liftoff with plenty of gray smoke and everybody seemed impressed. I know i was. 5 pairs of young legs helped recover it only about 600 yds away. no damage, just a little wear and tear. 1600 ft
05-17-2003	Larry Hobbs	AT EconoJet G35-7	Apogee - Perfect (2600 ft)	Light winds	- it sounded great for about 3 sec. then almost disappeared. lots of white smoke and black also. a few anxious moments till we saw it coming down. alt approx. 2,600 ft. 500 yds to recover in good shape.
10-13-2002	Tim Jacobs	AT EconoJet G35-7	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	Tim Jacobs - Good first flight, but the rocket zippered. About 5 inches of body tubing was ripped down from the shock cord, and fin was snapped off on landing. Was able to repair, but disappointed with first flight.
01-17-2004	Stephen Kiss	AT SU F25-9	Apogee - NC Down (2000 ft)	10+ mph winds	- First flight. Nice boost to about 2,000 ft. Good size chute for this rocket. Recovered with no damage about 300 ft from pad.
04-24-2004	Stephen Kiss	AT SU F50-9	Apogee - Perfect	10+ mph winds	- Neck snapper to over 2000ft., ejection right at apogee then started to drift a long ways, over 1/2 mile walk for recovery, no damage
05-08-2004	Stephen Kiss	AT RMS F52-11	Apogee - NC Down	5-10 mph winds	- Fast straight boost to about 2000ft, chute out perfect, landed about 200ft from pad, no damage
06-19-2004	Stephen Kiss	AT RMS F40-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	- Fast straight flight to over 2000ft., good deploy at apogee, chute tangled, came down fast about 100tds. from pad, landed in tall weeds, no damage
07-01-2006	Stephen Kiss	AT RMS F52-11	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: SCIPower 2006 - Good high flight straight up, ejection good at apogee, landed about 100 ft from pad, no damage
03-30-2004	Joe Magginnis	AT SU F25-9	Apogee - NC Down	0-5 mph winds	Event: BlueSkies 1 - Motor Chuffed at liftoff. Good straight flight. Parachute fully deployed at ejection. Rocket landed a few feet from preparation area.
03-18-2000	MikeyR	AT RMS E28-7	not recorded	calm	- 14 parachute Way up, into low cloudbank. Nice recovery. Good flight and way to end.
04-21-2000	MikeyR	AT RMS E23-8	not recorded	fairly calm	- 14 parachute Nicely up. Good flight.
05-07-2000	MikeyR	AT SU F25-6	not recorded	fairly calm	- 14 parachute Extremely high boost. Much more wind up high. Angle on the rod put the rocket toward the sun's glare. Lost it after a bit. Didn't find. Status: Lost
11-27-2004	Jerry Nishihira	AT EconoJet F20-7	Apogee - Perfect (1200 ft)	0-5 mph winds	- My first flight with an Aerotech rocket. My first flight with a motor higher than an E. What a thrill! What a perfect flight! This is a quick and sleek flying rocket! A must for your collection.
04-25-2005	Jerry Nishihira	AT EconoJet F20-7	Apogee - NC Down (2000 ft)	0-5 mph winds	- super quick off the pad! beautiful flight - straight up. good recovery 3/10 of a mile from launch pad.
12-02-2000	Cliff Oliver	AT RMS F24-7	Apogee - NC Down	Calm	- Good flight. First flight with a scratch built sonic beacon
02-03-2001	Cliff Oliver	AT EconoJet G38-7	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	- VERY high and fast. Carried a sonic locator which was needed to locate it on the way down Status: Retired
07-03-2010	Gene Phillips	AT SU F25-7	Didn't See (2500 ft)	0-5 mph winds	- went up great,into low clouds,saw it coming down
03-14-2004	Steve Ramberg	AT RMS F52-8	Didn't See	10+ mph winds	- A perfect flight, but a bit of a walk to recover.
01-06-2001	Bob Sanford	AT SU E15-7	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	- This rocket just keeps on going. It has 30+ flights on it.
02-02-2002	Bob Sanford	AT EconoJet F23-7	Didn't See	Calm	- Another fine flight. I've flown my Cheetah on Estes D12s & E15s, AeroTech E15s and now an F23-7FJ. I've been flying this rocket for nearly 10 years.
02-02-2002	Bob Sanford	AT EconoJet F23-7	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	- Another fine flight. I've flown my Cheetah on Estes D12s & E15s, AeroTech E15s, E27s & now F23s. I built this model nearly ten years ago and it keeps on flying!
03-02-2002	Bob Sanford	Est SU E9-4	None - Unknown	5-10 mph winds	- Don't use this motor in AeroTech kits! Boosted fine to 30-40 feet then wandered all over the sky until planting itself in the ground before ejection. Rocket survived, will fly again.
06-10-2000	David Smith	AT SU F25-9	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	- Great, straight boost, apogee ejection, good 'chute, recovered 500' from pad.
07-18-2010	Dick Stafford	AT RMS F39-6	Didn't See	5-10 mph winds	Event: ESL-146 Paul Miller Cheetah - Nice boost with once slight shimmy at burn out. This rocket would be insane on a G. Thanks Paul for another good addition to my fleet.
06-18-2000	Geoff Stanford	AT RMS E11-5	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Pink Panther - Using this motor with this rocket, make SURE that the rod is straight up. This rocket almost augured into the ground, the 'chute deployed at the last second. If you have and use an E11-5 with this rocket, straight up only on a calm day.
07-15-2000	Geoff Stanford	AT RMS E18-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Pink Panther - Perfect flight, except for the 'chute getting tangled and not deploying. However, it landed on soft grass and was not damaged, except for a bit of mud on the nose cone. Had it landed on the asphalt, this would have been it's final flight.
08-19-2000	Geoff Stanford	AT RMS E11-5	Just Past (1-2sec)	5-10 mph winds	Pink Panther - Same song, second verse. Too much rod angle (I thought I had it straight). Last minute deployments are not fun.
02-17-2001	Geoff Stanford	AT RMS E28-7	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Pink Panther - This was a picture perfect flight. Awesome boost, tipped over and deployed the 'chute at apogee, no tangles. Land right next to a horse corral. Can't say the horses were too pleased. :)
01-23-2010	Ken Tsai	AT RMS F35-8	Didn't See	0-5 mph winds	- Drag race with a Wildman Blackhawk. Cheetah is a lot lighter, and flew a lot higher that the carbon fiber Blackhawk.
02-21-2010	Ken Tsai	AT RMS F35-8	Didn't See	Calm	- Cheetah drag!
04-25-2010	Ken Tsai	AT RMS F35-7	Didn't See	Calm	- Lost another drag race. Gotta start using CTI motors for drag races. They light faster.
05-29-2010	Ken Tsai	AT RMS F40-10	Didn't See	Light winds	Event: F.I.T.S 2010 -
10-26-2002	Richard Valenti	AT RMS E28-7	Just Past (1-2sec) (900 ft)	Calm	- First flight.Took about 5 seconds to light and then off it went to about 900 feet.Nice flame and a little smoke.Ejection went off on time but the chute was hung up until about 400 feet.Chute popped and it drifted in perfectly.
11-03-2002	Richard Valenti	AT RMS E28-7	Apogee - Perfect (1000 ft)	Calm	- Quick off the pad.Up to about 1000ft.Popped chute at apogee and drifted down within 150ft of pad.More smoke from the blue thunder than I expected.No wind made for a short walk.
06-16-2007	Peter Waithe	Est SU E9-6	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	Event: CATO-126 - It was the first flight and was recovered using a Top Flight Streamer. A parachute is not really needed for this rocket.
09-16-2007	Peter Waithe	AT SU F25-9	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: CATO-129 - The motor was an attention-getter. The Cheetah lived up to its name and moved fast.
07-19-2008	Peter Waithe	AT EconoJet F20-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	- Lost sight of the rocket after motor burnout, but was found with streamer deployed about 100 feet above the ground. It landed about 10 feet from a brook.
07-17-2010	Peter Waithe	AT RMS E23-8	Late (2-3sec)	5-10 mph winds	- The flight was great going up, and started to flat spin in and then the streamer deployed. Minor damage, but was repaired rather easily.
07-15-2001	Fred Walls	AT EconoJet F23-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	- Another great flight, but the chute became tangled. It fell a little fast and just missed a spectator's car, but no damage.
07-15-2001	Fred Walls	AT EconoJet F23-7	Apogee - Perfect	5-10 mph winds	- The rockets first flight. Perfect! Straight as an arrow. Had to walk about a quater of a mile to retrieve it.
08-19-2001	Fred Walls	AT EconoJet G38-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	- Great flight. No damage.
03-18-2007	Catesby Wolski	AT SU E15-7	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: Pole Green Park - First flight - awesome!
06-17-2007	Catesby Wolski	AT RMS F22-7	Apogee - Perfect	Calm	Event: Pole Green Park - Awesome flight! First RMS motor launch ever.
01-27-2008	Catesby Wolski	AT SU E15-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: Pole Green Park - Popped a fin on landing - easily fixed. Otherwise a great flight!
06-01-2008	Catesby Wolski	AT SU E15-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: Pole Green Park - Great flight although it drifted into the chest high grass. We did find it after a wild safari ride stopping to spot from the car roof from time to time.
07-27-2008	Catesby Wolski	AT RMS E18-7	Apogee - Perfect	0-5 mph winds	Event: NARAM-50 - Awesome flight! We had a great time at NARAM!