Home
Creators
Search Recent Missing Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

How Long Do Rockets Last? (Patreon)

Published:
2025-01-09 19:56:21
Imported:
2026-06

Content

For this podcast episode, we're going to talk about some of our oldest rockets that are still flying to this day.

SO! That begs the question. How old is your oldest rocket? What material is the rocket made from? What epoxy did you use? How many flights does it have?

A good example is the 6" Darkstar that my Dad and I built almost 14 years ago. It's built with West Sytem epoxy just like I'm doing to this day. It's only flown once, but it's still rippin!

Comments

Daniel Floyd

I'm new to high power stuff, but my oldest rocket in general is my Estes Big Bertha that I built 13 years ago. It's just a classic Estes kit made from cardboard and balsa, put together with wood glue. I've replaced the parachute with a nylon one, and I've replaced the shock cord twice. I've probably got around 25 flights on it at this point, and it's still kicking around.

Peter Waithe

My oldest rocket is my Estes Gnome. I got it when I was 15. I flew it til the shockcord snapped a few years later. My now oldest rocket is my Big Bertha. I built it when I was 17. I still fly it til this day. I couldn’t tell you how many flights it has. I used only white Elmers glue for that rocket.

Josh Sickles

My oldest HP rocket was my Desdemona I got fromm apogee. I got my L1 with it and it was made from thin walled fiberglass and rocket poxy. As my club know it came in a little hot last launch, but it was built strong enough I will rebuild it. Fin can and motor were all in tackt. It's was 4 years old and probably has 15 to 20 flights on it.

Larry Gegel

I've got some low power stuff that is over 20 years old. They are a bit dusty and have a of bit handling rash but with some new parachutes and shock cords they all could fly.

Olivia Donahue

I still have an Estes Journey and an Estes Savage from... maybe a decade ago? Those were the first rockets I was ever given as a kid. Used generic superglue.

Kevin Ruland

I have some very old LPR stuff - like 15 years with stupid number of flights on them. Sure the paint is chipped, fins fixed, etc. My oldest living HRP is a Rocketry Warehouse G3 built 10 years ago with hobby grade epoxy. It's flown some 10 times on J & K. It's probably still ready to fly but has been propped in a corner for quite some time now.

Liam

I have my old Pathfinder rocket it turned two this year and it is 3D printed for the fin can and has JB weld for everything else. Started of with fiber glass fins but launch broke a fin off and it spun out of control.

Upsrocketman

I'm still flying my Cosmodrome Nike Apache that I built 24 years ago. It is a basic cardboard rocket and it was built with BSI 5 minute epoxy. I've flown it a few times with the most recent being last fall. My dad just recently lost his Loc IV that was built in the early '90s.

Justin Gleiter

I have a Wildman Extreme that’s been flying since 2010. It has 50 K to M impulse flights on it now. I built it exactly to Crazy Jim’s instructions using West Systems epoxy . Interesting fact is only 5 flights have been on commercial motors and the rest have been my own EX.

rodthomas1000

My oldest is probably my scratch built Soviet Vostock. It's older than 20 years. It started out flying on a two 24mm engine cluster (in the central tube.) Then I decided to put 24mm engines in the four strap-on boosters as well. Then, I replaced the two 24mm cluster motor mount in the sustainer with a single 29mm motor mount. It flew in this arrangement for years, then one day the nose didn't separate and the top half of the thing was destroyed. So I rebuilt the top with much more scale details than before.

Tanner Conway

I recently got back into rocketry after years of doing it in middle and high school. Shout out to Rocket vlogs for inspiring that!…anyway I went out in my parents shed and was able to find my Loc legacy I built as my first ever high power kit. I want to say I was probably 11-12 when I built that and am in my 30’s now so that kit is pushing close to 20 years. It’s only been flown once under my childhood rocket mentor but we stuck a 29mm I200 in it and she went lol! If I get my level one this spring I plan to fly it again! It is the standard cardboard kit but we did carbon fiber on the fins to reinforce them.

Noah Lenihan

I haven't flown any old high power rockets, but last year I built a 4 inch rocket out of some Pml phenolic that was about 25 years old and flew it at balls on an L900.

Jeff Curtis

I've got three rockets that go back to the mid-to-late 90s. Estes Nova Payloader, Vaughn Brothers Stretch Blobbo and a North Coast Big Brute.

Rocketchick

My Kloudbuster rocket is 15 years old made from sonotube, pink foam and plywood with fiberglass over it all. I believe it was west system epoxy we used. Probably at least 12 flights on it.

Doug

I just last week got rid of a Maxi Alpha III from 2010. Years of heat cycling in the garage just destroyed the plastic of the fins and they were all chipped and the BT was molded on the inside.

Brian Kelsay

I have an Estes WASP from 1983. I replaced the shock cord last year and flew it again many times on D12-5. I also have a Estes V-2 with a few flights on it from 84, and a Scrambler II egg lofter that flew once. Both of these need new shock cords. Never got into HPR as a kid.