Estes model rockets: a brief history

A short look a the world's most prolific flying model rocket company. A litteral Mom and Pop operation that whose name became sysnonmous with model rocketry. Here is a geat interview with Vern and Gleda. • A Conversation with Ve...

[@cogoid]

Since this documentary came out, Gleda May Estes has passed away at an age of 92. What a legend!

[@miketully9905]

God bless her. She was a woman well ahead of her time.

[@fractuss]

My Estes story: Buy a rocket, build the rocket, launch the rocket, lose the rocket. Repeat.

[@RoHo702]

Same, but with a few explosions here and there... cause I couldn't resist tampering with the Estes engines to make more power.

[@geodkyt]

Found my daughter's first rocket two years after she launched it. 😂

[@TobinTwinsHockey]

Yeah no one ever stopped to ask 12 yo kids, “did you check the winds aloft” We all had the same glorious experience :)

[@deanevangelista6359]

In the early 1970s, I belonged to a local rocketry club, and a couple times per year, we would go to a local shopping center for a public launch demonstration. One club member had built the ultimate Saturn Five model, which was huge, and in several stages, or a cluster of engines, I can’t remember. On the maiden launch, the rocket lifted off, but the second stage or other engines never ignited, so the rocket only rose about 15-20 feet, and fell to the parking lot pavement. Although the crash landing didn’t cause too much damage, a passing car ran over and flattened the model. The rocket’s builder, wrote to Estes and related the story. He was asked to ship the rocket back to Estes, and upon investigation, it was discovered that a defect in one of the engines had caused the incident, and they replaced the model kit. Talk about standing behind one’s product!

[@RedDogForge]

i miss you so much grandpa, its been 44 long years. i wish we could fly just one more rocket together. ill see you again some day.

[@jaykean9882]

He is never truly gone until last person who can share a memory of him is gone. I am not sure if that includes us now but at least he has you and your fond memories of him.

[@RedDogForge]

@@jaykean9882 so few left, but your kind to engender such love. bless you.

[@alanheadrick7997]

Every tree around our house had a lost rocket in them somewhere.

[@KevinBalch-dt8ot]

AKA “rocket eating trees”

[@randyinchesapeake8129]

@@KevinBalch-dt8ot We called them "Tree Monsters"!

[@Wise4HarvestTime]

😆

[@stevenneuwirth871]

my brother and I built and enjoyed model rocketry we even bought a kit for my little sister so she could be included we helped her with every step of the way right up to launching and recovery I forget the name of the kit it was a small rocket which did a free fall with no damage when it bounced a short distance from where we launched

[@alanheadrick7997]

@@stevenneuwirth871 Oh that might have been the "Scout". I think that was the name. It had a small vent hole in it near the nose? I had one, I rushed to get it ready one Saturday morning to launch with some other kids. Sadly after launch I only found one fin.

[@shortchange26]

Spent my summers mowing yards and delivering papers on bicycle. We had all the money a 10 year old ever needed to survive the late 60s. We spent so much time and money at the Decatur Hobby Shop in Decatur Georgia on slot cars, plastic models, balsa models, Cox .049 cars and you guessed it , Estes rockets. Thanks Pops for letting us be kids.

[@roberta.6399]

Wow, we have lived parallel lives, like a thousand others, I bet.

[@stevebaker9346]

I too grew up in Decatur, GA building Estes rockets. We launch most of our rockets where Panthersville football field is now. Now I am starting to build rockets again to introduce my grandkids to this wonderful hobby!

[@user-dn6qm1uc9o]

Stinger slot car, Tyco mini GT-40 slot car and track, Estes Mark III, Cherokee D,, and BOMARC missile, Cox Shrike, Super Beetle, and various .049 planes many purchased from "Tom's Hobby Shop" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Home of the wooden nickles)! What a great time in American history. -Proud BOOMER !!!!!!

[@chipsterb4946]

Toby’s Hobby Shop somewhere in Connecticut. I must’ve built at least 20 WWII airplane models, model cars of all kinds, and many Estes rockets. Paper route money also paid for my 3rd bicycle, a used Sears go-kart, a mini bike of some kind and a Kawasaki 100 something dirt bike.

[@thomasgibson8025]

I too did slot cars and Estes Rockets. Good times!!!

[@DavidS104]

I just discovered that Gleda passed away March 30, 2024 at the age of 92. I loved my Estes rockets in the mid-1960s, launching them many weekends if the weather allowed. Scout, Sprite, Honest John, Apogee II, Big Bertha, such good memories. Thank you Vern and Gleda.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

May she rest in peace.

[@lawrencehansen6788]

A bit of a sad note: Gleda Estes passed away on March 30, 2024. She was 92 years old, a very good age after a lifetime of helping people and working with Vern to build a hobby that has had such a beneficial effect on so many people's lives.

[@timd1833]

😥

[@dwp1970]

As a young kid in the late 70's I would study every page of the Estes Catalog from our local hobby store. Thanks for the great video and for bringing back some fun childhood memories.

[@effenrad6776]

Try driving past it every weekend as a kid to go camping and just dreaming of getting any of them or go on a tour. So many memories for sure right there

[@mguerramd]

I’m 67, have the current catalog, and pore over it just like I was 13 again…

[@chriskolb3105]

That was Playboy when I was 10.

[@SmashPlayz]

Same, although early 80's for me. I still have all those old catalogs!

[@ericelias2185]

I loved launching rockets in the early 80s. I got back into it in my 40s. The V2 rocket was a beast, and was my favorite.

[@darikdatta]

I spent a lot of hours staring longingly at Estes catalogs when I was a kid. This was great.

[@maxsmodels]

me 2

[@fuyu5979]

Me 3 Those were the good ol' days ! Wish I kept one of the Estes catalog to go down memory lane. Lol Wonder if Estes is still in business.

[@zekehowey4261]

@@fuyu5979 they are

[@eddiekulp1241]

Built there rockets years ago , was fun

[@Caseytify]

You & me both!

[@stebstebanesier6205]

This is my first, last, and only Estes story. When I was 10 years old I tried to make a rocket car. So I rolled up an album cover(THE BEACH BOYS LITTLE DEUCE COUP) just the right size so that it would hold the rocket motor. Made a nosecone out of a chunk of floral foam that my mom gave me. Used some electrical tape to attach some LEGO wheels, remember those first tire and wheel blocks LEGO came out with. Some cut up playing cards taped to the back for some stabilization and we were ready, who needs The Holloman High Speed Test Track. So with the land speed record setting car a lantern battery and all the stuff needed to launch, my buddy Mark and I ride our bikes to the Junior high school. We set up our direction of travel as to have the most asphalt available. We jammed the igniter into the motor, touched the wires to the battery, and that sum-bitch departed at a frighting rate of speed. Well by the time it got to the end of the play ground it was maybe two feet off the ground but still traveling in a semi horizontal trajectory. When it blew the cyclone fence the playing card fins and Lego wheels were no longer part of the "control system." The rocket powered album was now flying surprisingly well, across Tara Hills Drive and crash landed in the Safeway parking lot about fifty feet from Interstate 80.

[@martyking5726]

Now that is classic.........

[@IanPunter]

Great story. So your around pinole,calif? Ever hear of the port chicago disaster of 1944 which was just a few miles from your location? It may have been fist nuclear bomb detonation. Look up port chicago harry martin or peter vogel. Facinating stuff!

[@user-eb3bn3kd6g]

lol, you killed me with this one! Thanks man!! I loaded mine with torn off paper match-heads. Glad I don't still live in that State, and I still can't talk about it!

[@carbidejones5076]

the smell of a spent Estes rocket motor is still nostalgic

[@mguerramd]

Become a licensed pyrotechnician, shoot fireworks displays, and enjoy that smell! You can do it as a hobby or as a pro or both.

[@jaykean9882]

I just need Robert Duvall to say something to that effect like "I love the smell of Estes Rocket motors in the morning air"

[@kitsune303]

WTF with a thumbs down after the video has been up for a whole half hour?!? If you don't like it, move on. This video took work and is well done. Keep it up, Max! Big thumbs up from me.

[@decam5329]

Seconded. Thumbs down by a moron.

[@maxsmodels]

Thanks TF. No worries.

[@dougball328]

It also could have been an accident and they didn't mean to hit it.

[@maxsmodels]

@@dougball328 its all good

[@TerryB751]

I'm nearly 67 now. Back when I was about 10, my friends and I fired off these Estes rockets. It was always a challenge finding a big enough area to keep the rocket from landing in trees or rooftops. Also, just putting in enough wadding to keep the parachute from being burnt was a challenge.

[@glennsammon4465]

kids and their cell phones. they don't know what they are missing. this video is bringing back memories of a better time. times spent with the family doing projects and having fun. something lost on the new generations. we need to bring these things back.

[@donaldvincent]

I am 53 years old and still enjoy building and launching model rockets. I just adopted 3 kids last year and they got me back into my old hobby after seeing one of my old rockets. I am glad they did. They are learning a lot about building techniques and even some math to figure how high they go. I have really enjoyed building and flying the Saturn V & Saturn 1-B that I always wanted but could not afford as a kid. I guess you could say these affordable rockets, along with my children have made ME feel like a kid again! Thanks Estes for the fun and memories, old, and the new ones we are making now.

[@gsr4535]

Grew up on Estes rockets. Wonderful childhood memories. Life was better then.

[@thomasgibson8025]

We were good kids. Not like these nasty little sobs of today.

[@gsr4535]

@@thomasgibson8025 I can't argue with that. The internet/social media, everyone carrying a hand held computer (cellphone) ruined it all. Dysfunction rules the day.

[@Vegaslocal]

I started as a 13 year old working part time in the mail room at Centuri Engineering in Phoenix for a buck an hour -- and worked there until I finished college at ASU. My mother worked there until the very end of the Phoenix operation. At 16 I became a model maker and eventually a designer. I left in 1978 to join Boeing and a year later Mattel toys. I knew Vern, Gleda, and G Harry and of course Lee and Betty Piester, the owners of Centuri. As a model maker there I probably made more Saturn V models than anyone else in the world. We would send completed models to hobby shops and gift stores, including the gift shop at the Smithsonian where I saw one I had made on display. Centuri did have its own engine making plant in Chandler Az for a time. I worked out there one summer in the machine shop making injection molds. One of last designs was the Eagle for Space 1999 as the industry moved to licensing following Star Wars. Model rocketry started my life long career in toys and games, which I still do today.

[@maxsmodels]

That is too cool

[@maxsmodels]

Send me some pictures and details...I want to talk about this. [e-mail]

[@mikemoore9757]

I'm 75 years old and I played with them. They went higher than I expected, and I lost a couple of them because I used a parachute instead of a streamer. That good old Kansas wind could blow one into the next county! I still have two of them with all of the accessories that I am passing on to my grandchildren. God bless the Estes clan for entertaining and educating our youth safely.

[@GreenSneakersAndHam1]

I grew up in the late 60's to early 1970's and these rockets were the thing.

[@ericrickert3045]

As a 62-year-old man, I still like model rocketry. NAR member and participated in NARTREK. In jr High school, I participated in the "Estes Aerospace club (EAC) and had those iron transfer colors for each skill level. Cannot find the jacket I ironed them all on (won't fit anyway), but I still fondly remember those days. I even got Harry Stine's handbook. Thanks, Vern, Gleda, and Harry!

[@JayVBear45]

My brothers and I were avid model rocket enthusiasts back in the middle 60s to early 70s as well as science "nuts" who poured over Estes and Edmunds Scientific catalogs for hours on end. My brothers, both professional scientists now and I, a retired high school teacher will always have fond memories of our hobbyist pasts.

[@JasonCarmichael]

In 1st grade, 1978, my class got to see a model rocket demonstration. From then on I became a model rocket builder, remote-control air plane pilot, and professional military aviator.

[@Ovp609]

Wow. This was what my brother and I, and my two neighbor brothers did in the summers from 1969 to 1972 - build Estes Model Rocket kits. In those days you had to sand, prime and paint the balsa nosecones and rocket fins; spray paint the rocket tubes; align the fins just right; and add the cool decals in just the right places. We bought a launch pad kit and assembled it and bought our various sized rocket engines for each rocket we built. Some of those rockets were pretty nice size, too. We launched the rockets in my back yard (when the neighborhood trees were still relatively small.) We placed the finished rocket model on our rocket launch pad and used a 25 foot length of old flat antenna wire connected to the tiny alligator clips which we attached to the fuse at the bottom of the rocket engine. When the rocket was ready for liftoff we touched the two ends of wire at the other end of the antenna wire to our car battery terminals - and WOOSH, a white plume of smoke, and the rockets were almost out of sight in 2 or 3 seconds. In no time at all it was on its way back down to earth with either a jettisoned parachute, or large streamer. The neighbors around the block insisted we shoot our rockets AFTER dinner so they could all gather around to watch the liftoff. We had so much fun building and shooting those Estes Rockets. It was quite an experience for 4 high school boys in Ohio that had a little talent to put some really, cool rockets together and shoot them off. I know there has to be several readers out there that know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

[@policy8analyst]

What about Century model rockets and were there many others?

[@Ovp609]

@@policy8analyst There were might been a few, but ours were all Estes...

[@southboundsuarez9832]

@policy8analyst yeah there were others like century but they were pretty obscure. In the late 80's and early 90's there were some crazy hig rocket companies making reloadable and nonrefundable motors. Aerotech rockets had motors that they were selling to the general public and were as large as G or H and utilized composite propellents that were far more powerful than Estes black powder types. They had some sort of loophole they exploited and high power rocketry began to see some popularity before they got regulated. It seems that they still have some crazy motors and bug rocket kits but you have to apprentice and recieve certification through national based rocketry association and also most enthusiasts also have some sort of pyrotechnics license. Folks that get into the high power stuff like that, often build their own motors . But they have the proper skills, licenses and supervision to do such things... look up Tripoli association.

[@cudathehawgjetfixer7520]

I met Vern Estates at his factory back around 72 - 73ish, my father worked for Martin Marietta and his team and Vern Estates was working on a program for Martin back then but my pop never disclosed their professional relationship but every so often Vern would call my pop at the house and they would talk for hours, every Christmas and around our birthdays my brother and I would get a package from Penrose, CO up until 1975ish, and my pop would get Christmas cards from the Estates' until my pop passed back in 1994. My personal experience with Vern was great, he would send us updates on their newest kits and supplies and sometimes we'd get one of the first runs in the mail, he was amazing and he knew my brother and I back in the day but wouldn't put it past him that he'd still remember us today. Vern is one of those people that he'd give you his shirt off his back if you needed one, very personal and approachable, just great people the Estates' are.

[@maxsmodels]

That is awesome. Glad to hear it.

[@colfaxschuyler3675]

You should reach out to him. At his age, hearing from people that share some memories with him may be really welcome and even especially beneficial, health-wise.

[@colfaxschuyler3675]

He's on his 90's... Reminiscing could be a good memory anchor.

[@colfaxschuyler3675]

I can't tell how recently his site's been updated, but at least the website is still available (site space is paid for), the DNS registry and domain name are still current.

[@cudathehawgjetfixer7520]

@@colfaxschuyler3675 Vern was much closer to my Pop then us kids because of his professional relationship with Pop, and I know my Pop, if Vern would ask if us kids would enjoy one of their newest kits my Pop would say send it and pay for the kits over the phone, I remember Vern was trying to get ahead of the Space Shuttle designs back in the Mid-1970's and Pop would send him some of Martin's conceptual images/designs then they would talk for a long while and I guess Vern would have one his engineers make a model of the conseptuals and try to fly it to see if it would work on the small scale, but us kids didn't know if it was do able or not because at that time Pop was pretty quiet about the results when he got the phone calls about the results. Plus that was going on 50 years ago and Vern has met many many more individuals in his career, he may remember my brother and I but we where just 2 bothersome brats that was running around sticking our noses into everyone's business.

[@bumpedhishead636]

I built my first Estes kit (an Alpha of course!) in a summer school class in 1969. It changed my life. Over the next 10+ years I built dozens of rockets, both from Estes and of my own design using Estes body tubes, nose cones & balsa sheets. I made my own launchers from acetylene welding rods and aluminum pie pans. I made an ignition system from lamp cord, alligator clips, jumper cables and a horn button. I learned trigonometry when I was 12 years old by using the Estes Altitude Finder (the old wood one with the kerosene bubble). I introduced model rocketry to the California 4-H clubs and successfully got it recognized as a project category available to all 4-H'ers. I went to college and got a degree in aeronautical engineering and worked at several aerospace companies including Lockheed & Northrop. I owe EVERYTHING to Vern & Gleda Estes!!

[@joshfenton5522]

My first kit was an Alpha III

[@johnwilliams7102]

Great story - glad I read your account.

[@sranderson7]

My story is very similar. Thanks!

[@jakocorrea708]

I¨m 15 years old and i want to be like you, great history, good luck :)

[@misterjaxon2559]

My first was the Scout. Worked right through the catalog to the Farside (3-stage) and the Ranger (3-engine cluster). Designed and built others on the way. Frankly, I think a lot was lost when they went over to pre-built rockets. I got a lot out of assembling them myself. Between the ages of 11 and 14, it's about all I thought about.

[@Inanotherwurld]

Makes me want to go out and start buying them again. Last one I bought was 50 yrs ago. I googled Vern and Gleda and just found out that Gleda passed away 3 days ago 4/3/2024. RIP Gleda.

[@bencapobianco2045]

As a kid who saved up his allowance to buy packs of rocket engines I appreciate this video!!

[@mbryson2899]

When I worked at the hobby shop ('81-'85) we sold TONS of rockets to people of all ages. When I started I knew nothing about that segment but I lucked out in that the enthusiasts were more than willing to bring me up to speed. I never built one for myself (I did assemble a few for customers) but I did get to turn the key and hit the GO! button once. The Scouts had organized a big get-together of Scouts and hobbyists, and one of our customers invited me to attend. I brought a box of motors, wires, glue, et cetera, plus batteries of course, all of it half price or free...with our shop's promo tag on all of it. The event was stunning. The rocket I got to launch was huge, beautifully painted and constructed, and amazing as it went up and came down. The owner laughed at me, said I looked like a grinnin' fool. :) I really enjoy how hobbyists of all stripes tend to be welcoming and inclusive. Even though I only sold the kits and paraphernalia they treated me like one of them. You got more tears from my eyes from nostalgia once again, Captain Max. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@maxsmodels]

my pleasure

[@danielmatthews8475]

That was awesome! I built dozens of Estes rockets as a kid. I used to pour over the Estes catalog and dream of which one to build next. One Christmas, I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I got the big V2, powered by the D engines. I stayed up all night to build it. It took a little longer to paint. Our class at school was doing a section on rockets, and we all built the mosquito for class, but the teacher let me bring my V2 in to launch for the grand finale. Every body was counting down, 10, 9... 3, 2, 1 I pressed the launch button and it blew up on the pad. A fireball went straight up through to rocket. I must have had a faulty engine. I still remember being so shocked. I think I might have even cried. But I rebuilt it over the next few months and then it blew up again. (same pack of D engines). That didn't stop me from building dozens more over my life time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@Monty-bi6mf]

Absolutely loved these. Had multiple rockets, launch pad and all. Kid's today are missing out on so much.

[@jrhattenstein]

I started as a young kid building and shooting Estes model rockets and also making my own from scratch. I now build real rockets for SpaceX. Thanks for the life long fascination with rockets and now career.

[@patjohnson3100]

Vern and Glenda are salt-the-earth Americans. Great people . Bless them.

[@user-ss2ly1ir6j]

You mean salt-OF-the-earth people? lolol

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Haha your comment means that they destroy everything in their path!

[@user-ss2ly1ir6j]

@@BobbyGeneric145 Yes! Kind of a huge insult, wouldn't you say?? lolol

[@airdaleva42]

Great video. I built 70 Estes rockets. All were lost when I left home to join the Navy. I never knew of the company's history. What a story! Thanks for telling it.

[@desertjedi]

I spent most of my childhood launching Estes rockets. I have a photo taken from my "camera rocket" and I had a successful launch of the BIG Honest John. That was a huge sucker. Also spent some time flying those string-guided planes with Cox motors. Good times!

[@ThatOpalGuy]

thanks, Gleda and Vern, for allowing me to lose so many rockets in trees around the local area.

[@esinohio]

Upvoted as soon as the nostalgia wave finished washing over me.

[@davidgreen5099]

I remember filling out an order form, putting real cash money in the envelope, and waiting eagerly for my kit, motors or whatever to come. Estes was great! Used to order from Centuri too.

[@STV-H4H]

In my area, the elementary school I went to, I looked forward to 6th grade. The teacher, Mr Lumley, used model rockets as part of the years math class. I wasn’t much interested in the math part, but I’d been building rockets since around the third grade. My best friend David was also into this stuff. His dad was an engineer at Boeing so launching rockets was something we were able to do a few times before we got to 6th grade. 1977. My rocket that I’d save up for was a (I suddenly can’t remember the name) transporter. A main rocket that carried a space shuttle that would glide back to earth. They both went up, but neither was ever found. For years after, I searched the woods for them. I assumed they came down and were stuck in the foliage of the massive maples of spring. A few years ago I tried to get my son interested in building and flying them but he didn’t care. I don’t even know what happened to them. I wish I’d have just built them myself. A couple days ago I literally was thinking about them, I saw a semi truck with the name ESTES on it, and it brought the thought to mind. Tonight I found this video on YT. Maybe I should just order a rocket and launcher for myself. Andy is grown and in college now, so I guess I can do it myself. 😮

[@ChrisBrengel]

My father was a difficult person to get along with. But model rockets were something fun we could do together. Thank you estes.

[@writerrhino166]

I am the lead designer for the advanced missiles division of a major aerospace company. I still have my old Estes Field Operations Kit, a cardboard box with a handle to carry your launcher and supplies to the field, and the 1976 Estes catalog that came with it. I live next door to a school with a large field, and if I'm working in the yard and hear the distinctive "whoosh!" of an Estes rocket, I'm running to the field, box in hand to join whoever's flying. Still fun after all these years, and I still have an unbuilt Photon Disruptor model in my workshop I fully intend to build and fly someday. The real missiles are keeping me pretty busy at the moment. Visited the Penrose facility as a teenager, this video brought back lots of great memories. Thanks maxsmodels for the video, and thank you Vern and Gleda Estes!

[@maxsmodels]

thanks for watching, great story

[@imdoctorsan]

My Estes story is breaking the sound barrier at age 12 with an Astron Skyhook. I hollowed the nose, filled and sanded the fins to wooden razors, then, dangerously, hand drilled a 1/32 hole through the powder charge of the largest sustainer made. My pal Bruce W. and I only had an inch of cannon fuse to ignite it. I had the, honor? of that job. I was just turning away on a run when there was a loud bang. We both thought it had exploded. Neither of us was hurt. There was neither any shredded rocket parts near us nor smoke trail. While we were trying to piece what had just happened together, we heard the ejection charge fire. We had to run over a mile to recover it. There was a slice out of the nose where the still hurtleing fin caught up with it. And of course a chunk out of the fin. The engine case and nozzle were still pristine. The 'explosion' we heard was the Skyhook breaking the sound barrier.

[@thomthumbe]

When I purchased an early CAMROC, the instructions suggested that one could simply have the B&W film discs specially developed by any drug store or camera store. Every such film developing location told me that they were unable to do anything for me. I was young and stupid and thus went so far as to take the CAMROC instructions in as if to show them that Estes “said the drug store could/would help me!”! 🤓 So, that led to another hobby of mine…to obtain my Photography Merit-badge and hence, I built a dark room in our basement bathroom. I cut my own film discs from 5x7 sheets of film, the film I used was normally being used in large format cameras. Indeed, our local newspaper printing office had stopped using this kind of camera and film, so I eventually ended up with about 1000 sheets of film for free because it was no longer used or needed. Thus, I did my own rocketry film, developing and printing. That whole process was very enjoyable!

[@petercrowl9467]

Parents generously gave me a Camroc...but none of the extras I would have needed to take and process an image. It was a nice rocket though.

[@jimad]

This story is astonishingly similar to mine - only difference was that we already had a basement bathroom darkroom. I flew the Camroc, Ciniroc, and the radio telemetry gadget (can't recall the name of it). Friends flew the egg launcher, one going down a chimney a few blocks away. I built a Pad 39 style launch tower for the Saturn V - wish I still had it. To buy engines we had to apply for the approval of both the police and fire departments, submitting launch site descriptions and promises to be careful. The two-stage Delta was a favorite as well as the Big Bertha.

[@clays1507]

The Saturn V. Was the ultimate kit.

[@Jedward108]

I built and flew Estes rockets as a boy. Learned a lot and had fun at the same time.

[@jhhayden]

When I was a kid, I had launched an Estes rocket at my local park and the wind caused the parachute to drift and land on the roof of a local company. Was probably about 11 or 12 and I calmly walked in the front door and announced I needed to get on their roof. The guards were kind of laughing at me and asked why. When I explained that my rocket had landed on the roof, all hell broke loose. The building was AVCO Everett Research Laboratory doing mostly laser research for the govt. After a while, someone came down with my model rocket, everyone had a great laugh and I ended up getting a tour of the building and meeting a bunch of scientists.

[@americansailor7967]

Now that is a very cool story of American life.

[@1978garfield]

I would like to point out that Estes purchased Goex one of the last American firms making black powder. The fact that they kept it operating in the USA was a huge deal to fans of black powder shooting. God bless Vern, Gleda and the rest of the Estes bunch. "Thrust you can trust" is their motto.

[@richardclegg5853]

Yup, I'm going to be that grumpy old guy that'll tell the kids today, you have no idea how much time your wasting and fun your missing stuck playing those video games and not using that time building and launching model rockets. Easily the most fun I had in the mid 70's. No idea why I ever gave it up. Maybe this excellent story will inspire me to take up the hobby again the way my amazing 4th grade science teacher did all those years ago. Thanks for sharing

[@Socks-and-Dave]

I had Estes rockets when I was a kid in the '60s, and my friends and I had a great time with them. I once had a three-pack of engines in which two were duds. I wrote Estes a respectful letter and they sent me another three-pack. I was thrilled. That's customer service! Thanks for the video!

[@TheChiefSteel]

In the early 1980's a couple of friends in elementary school created a Model Rocket club. We had club dues. Built rockets on our own time and then also together during meetings. We then would meet and shoot everything off at the conclusion of the meeting. We were maybe 10 years old. We lived in a very rural area so we never bothered anybody. It was a good memory.

[@stevecoffman2559]

Estes was a wonderful part of my childhood in the 70s I looked forward to their catalog and spent a lot of my hard earned money on models. I had a tackle box that had all my engines, igniters, wadding that would go with me everywhere. That was a major part of my wonderful childhood

[@JLang-bn3hs]

My first rocket was the Astron Scout. When the new color catalog came out in 1965/1966, I couldn’t put it down. I went on to build and launch several different models and my son and I built several models for him in the early 1990’s. Great fun! I did a Science Fair project in 1967 studying the effects of drag location on a rocket. I built 6 identical rockets and moved the area with drag to different places on the rocket. Won a red ribbon and a chance to move up to high school competition.

[@RicktheCrofter]

Such memories. From mid 60s to early 70s, as pre-teens, teens, my brother and I built many Estes rockets. With our Dad’s help, we cleaned up a small, unused farm building and converted it into our own shop. Its walls covered with shelves holding all types of Estes rockets. I designed my own rocket and used it to help earn the Boy Scout rocketry merit badge. On one occasion we launched a model Saturn V simultaneously with a Saturn V/ Apollo moon launch. With our friends we started a model rocket club, with group launches and contests. In 1972, during a family cross country road trip we visited the Primrose factory. After we were grown and gone from home, our shop was torn down and most of its contents destroyed or lost. When my daughter was in middle school, for a science project, we built a model rocket. Designed a capsule for launching and safely recovering a raw egg. We video taped every step of the project. Including the successful launches and safe recovery of the eggonaut. I only have two of my model rockets from my youth: A Gemini/Titan II and the rocket I designed and built from scratch. Both showing their age.

[@brianlynch9204]

I launched many Estes rockets back in the day. I remember these. Nice piece of nostalgia.

[@roncaruso931]

Built my first Estes rocket in the 1960's. I was 12. Thank you, Estes, for getting me interested in rockets and space.

[@kevintaylor791]

The BEST thing about Estes. Even all these years later, it's still affordable. Maybe even cheaper than it was when I was a kid. I checked the site, it's a bit over $100 for everything I got when I got an Alpha 3 for my birthday in the 90's and about $5 per launch for consumables (engines and wadding). You can get everything I had, but with a digital camera, for $80. Considering the inflation over those 30+ years, that's not bad.

[@markfrommontana]

1965...My 7th grade science teacher decided to form a model rocket club as an after school activity. I attended a small parochial school--every boy in the 7th and 8th grade (all 14 of us) signed up. I still remember the first meeting where our teacher showed us the model rocket catalog. The next day we finalized the order from Estes. Our school funded most of the purchase and our small club dues made up the difference. I don't recall how long it took for the boxes to arrive--perhaps a month, but it seemed like Christmas in October when those kits and gear arrived at the school. Time was short as it would soon be winter in Montana (trust me on that one). Within 2 weeks we had mastered the rudiments of model rocket building and constructed 4 rockets for our first launch. One of the club member's father, who was an electrician had built a cool control/launch box for the club. A week later, the club members and our science teacher went to a farm owned by parents of another club member. We had a blast (pun intended) with one successful launch (and recovery) and 3 fairly impressive flights that didn't go quite so smoothly. It was the start of a great year. I really enjoyed my two years in the Trinity Lutheran School Rocket Club. And then it was off to public high school, cars, driver's license, etc. etc. Okay, enough rambling here...Good memories.

[@maxsmodels]

Awesome

[@williamshanaman5098]

My first model rocket I ordered from Estes was the Spite in 1967. I eventually got a Big Bertha and the Mars rocket. Big Bertha was my favorite. It was relatively slow off the pad with a B6-4 and looked closer to a real launch. Fun days

[@rickintexas1584]

What a great trip down memory lane. I built my first Estes Rockets on 1977 with a friend from 8th grade.

[@mr.pavone9719]

My uncle was one of those kids who made his own rocket motors. It used a mix of sugar and potassium -nitrate, melted down and painstakingly poured into empty CO2 cartridges. He, my dad and my uncles (all under the afe of 14 at the time) would build and launch rockets at the family camp. One time they wanted to test the speed of their rockets so they strung a tensioned wire between two buildings on the xamp property. They hung a rocket motor from the wire and lit the fuse. Before my uncle could start the stopwatch, the rocket had streaked down the wire, punched through the wall of the far building and was ricocheting around inside. Another time they almost burned the xamp down when making their motors. The mixture has an ignition temp just a hair above the melting point. An entire saucepan of the stuff caught fire and filled the camp with smoke. Luckily nobody was hurt and the building was undamaged. Not long after that, Estes started selling their rocket motors and my dad and uncles didn't have to make their own anymore.

[@Issicra]

I have an uncle like that too. We're all amazed he never blew up the house. He'd do really big rockets. I and J motors. He'd make his own fireworks as well.

[@paulyaron2410]

Thank you for this, I remember ordering my first Estes rocket in 1968, I sent cash in the envelope, including small change. I don’t know how many young minds were stimulated, but I have known many engineers over the years that have fond memories of the Estes experience.

[@drblast]

Early 70s all i did as a kid was Estes rockets! The D5 engine was my favorite, memories!

[@1099Kramo]

My first launch of my “Cherokee D” was also my last. Floated right into the woods!

[@drblast]

@@1099Kramo I had a Red Baron rocket and it required a D engine I put in a D5! That baby flew fabulously!

[@sranderson7]

D engines were great.

[@daveh3405]

I had Big Bertha back in the early 70’s. That’s a cool rocket!

[@gregmilliken5538]

I was a member of our Rocket Club, in high school. I'm 68, graduated high school in 1971.We used a rocket cam to take a picture of our high school campus, which made the yearbook!

[@MuzixMaker]

I used to sleep with that 1966 Estes catalog under my pillow. The glory days of the space age. Skipped a generation, and I am now too old to contemplate going to space, hopefully my grandkids will realize the dream.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Fun fact, i still own two Estes V2 rocket kits. Never got around to building them. Probably will some day, as those things were freaking cool! Plus historically significant.

[@OldF1000]

I remember fondly the Estes catalogs

[@sammyvh11]

Vern Estes kept me out of trouble and into rocketry in the 1960s. What a fabulous time to be a kid.

[@blakesmith2101]

Estes Rockets were my favorite hobby back in the mid 70's. Lots of great fun. I once loaned all my rocket equipment to my 7th grade science teacher and we spent a few classes launching rockets.

[@martinroe6770]

My dad, William Roe, was personally acquainted with both Vern Estes and G. Harry Stein. He was head of the Peak City section of the NAR in Colorado Springs. I attended NARAM 52 in Pueblo in 2010 along with my brother and sister, which was dedicated to our dad. I chatted briefly with Vern Estes, he remembered who I was.

[@KevinBalch-dt8ot]

I think I read about your dad in G. Harry Stine’s “Handbook of Model Rocketry”.

[@maxsmodels]

wonderful story, thanks

[@user-pe4by1mv7y]

1975, age 15, brilliant idea to remove the parachute, fill tube with black powder, (which I made) and glue the top on the rocket. Fire the rocket, when the reverse firing charge goes so goes the black powder. Fun times.

[@williampankratz600]

I did similar things except using m80's while the 4th of July fireworks was going off a quarter mile away ,,,, the police were looking for the source of the distraction, but I evaded them , and that was the end of my model rocket experiments

[@timewa851]

@@williampankratz600 that's how I got my first m-80. Wedged into a plastic-finned pyrotechnic. It went up, failed to ignite the fuse. Free explosive. I studied it, got it out of the tube, tossed the rocket remnants & then lit that green fuse properly & moved away. >BooM< yeah it was still 'healthy'.

[@BryanMau]

I once built a two stager. I think it was the Boosted Bertha. They did not have any zero delay engines for the booster stage so I used B6-6s (six second delay) in both of stages. I know a lot of you know what's gonna happen next. The booster stage worked great then 1001, 1002, 1003 1004, 1005, 1006 sure enough the rocket is oriented straight down. There the second engine ignites. It's still had several seconds of burn when it struck the roof of my friends house. Then, after a bit of a delay, that is six seconds, the second stage charge went off and dutifully deployed the parachute. Penetrated the shingle and the tarpaper underneath it was partway into the plywood. His dad had actually put on the roof and had some spare material so we spent the next morning repairing his roof.

[@mrgcav]

It was Big Berta I had one too. . It was difficult to get the second stage to ignite. With C engines loaded, When it worked, It was gone, even with binoculars and an oversized chute. After several failed flights and several repairs I just launched it as a single stage.

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

As a kid, my cohorts in crime loved these. We modified them. Every summer, the goodyear blimp came to our local airport. We knew it, we prepared. We would stick finishing nails in the balsa wood nose cone. We'd then sharpen to a point on a neighbors bench grinder. As kids, we would line up our rockets and the flight path of the blimp came over our ball field to the local airport. We would use those D engines to reach the blimp with our 'blimp popper' rockets. We were kids, we were stupid, but we never 'popped' the blimp...

[@brokendad2222]

The first launch was great but I was most impressed when Dad said, well I'll be dammed.

[@billmoran3812]

As a young teen, I became interested in model rockets in the mid 60’s. My two friends and I started out with single, then multi stage and multi engine/ stage rockets. We kept building larger and larger rockets. Eventually we built a liquid fueled rocket in 1968. Our plan to launch it on the high school athletic field was thwarted by put faculty advisor who contacted the Air Force. The Air Force refused to allow the large rocket to be launched, but were interested in the liquid fueled engine which we had successfully tested. They offered to fly the rocket at the White Sands range and share the results with us. That rocket climbed to 100,000 feet, and traveled 10 miles down range. Of the three of us kids, two became aerospace engineers. The designer of the liquid fueled engine went on to a career at North American Rockwell. One other went to work for Hamilton Standard and worked on the Space shuttle crew life support systems. I became an electrical engineer, the only one of the three that did not go into aerospace.

[@artguti1551]

I started out in the 70's flying model rockets. I was a WWII history buff and loved anything military related...built many static display models. So building model rockets was fast and fun! I became a young Royal Ranger leader at our local Church, then had our first Rocket launch soon afterwards. I then began working for TRW Space Systems in Redondo Beach Ca, helping to build Real Satellites!

[@donaldstinnett5630]

I had many Estes rockets, losing most of them of course. Our elementary school had a large field and we sometimes launched there. Once my rocket made a perfect landing right on top of the nearby hospital. First flight for that one, too. One and done. The moon lander was big and heavy and launched slowly, thus giving any onlookers a sort of slow-motion launch experience. It didn't go very high but the rubber-banded landing gear was cool. I had a couple of rockets explode on the pad, of course. Once I had what I thought was called the Green Goblin, with inverted fins like that of the Red Max. We launched it at a birthday party, and it was great except it landed in nearby woods and was lost. Years later, we were walking in those woods and found the rocket on the ground, largely intact. Whatever perch had kept it all that time had finally released it. I still have a couple of rockets, an unfinished kit, and that Green Goblin.

[@Klaus293]

I was seriously into model rockets as a child of the very early ‘70’s. Back in the 90’s I purchased a kit for a family friend’s son and told him that once you build it, we can got to the park…he cut me off saying “build it?!” Of course, he never even opened the box.

[@sunburnRohman]

51 years ago I was 14-15 years old at the time and I believe my first rocket was Big Bertha. I had a small collection over the years . I had one that tumbled , streamer, 2 stage camera, glider and more I can't recall. I had help from my dad on making a launch pad and launch rod was an uncoated welding rod given to me from one of his friends in the volunteer fire department he belonged to. I used a transformer that was for a train set I had. Thanks for sharing this I really enjoyed this. Brings back memories of my youth.

[@1KGB]

I first met Vern at PittCon in 1969; at NARAM-11 in Colorado Springs, the motel didn't have a wakeup service, so Gleda would knock on everyone's door to let them know the bus to the Air Force Academy was leaving. A truly dedicated and charming couple. I worked closely with Harry Stine when I edited the NAR's Model Rocketeer in the late 1970s. A fascinating guy. Trivia: Harry wrote a Star Trek novel ("The Abode of Life") under his pen name Lee Correy. (I'm NAR #12335, Life Member.)

[@maxsmodels]

awesome

[@IllyaLeonovMorganFreepony]

I lived and breathed model rockets in the late 60's and early seventies. Won the Design of the Month award in 1969. My design was in the Model Rocket News issue that had the Astrodome Saturn V launch on the cover. I never knew my father and so, though I never met him, I felt that Vern Estes was like a father figure to me.

[@tsbrownie]

At 6:49: between I and two other guys in the neighborhood, we had all but one of the rockets pictured. I had the Gyroc (7:15) and a few others as well. A small one that had a ring around the fins (7:15). I looked on Estes' website and they've clearly renamed some of the old models. We lost a few rockets with the C65. Tried to launch some bigger rockets with the 1/2A62, and that drew laughs. Rockets were just a few bucks. Engines were "expensive", but I could get some now and again. It was a good time for all the neighborhood kids.

[@tstahler5420]

In the 70s I was built dozens of their kits. Christmas of '74 I got 100 rocket motors of various sizes, a spool of fuse and a couple of Bic lighters. I was 9 years old. LOL

[@matthewacandy385]

We build them during the week and launch them on the weekends, the 1970s were a beautiful time.

[@glencrandall7051]

My son and I had a brief experience in the early 70's. It was just after we moved from Titusville where I worked in the Saturn/Apollo program. Great memories.🙂🙂

[@sranderson7]

For me, it all started with Tom Swift Jr. books and Estes model rockets in the late 1960s. I had a Big Bertha, an Egg Scrambler, a two stage rocket, a small Saturn V, an Interceptor- and a CamRoc, which was the best. The Camroc was a very simple camera with circular film. I got some great aerial photos that I processed myself. I was only 13 by then. In high school, I concentrated in science and math, then in university, I majored in electrical engineering, and then got a job in aerospace. I eventually became the manager in charge of the Minuteman guidance navigation and control system. I then ran a research and development program for what became the SM-3 kill vehicle. After that I managed the design of an autonomous micro satellite. Then several systems on the Mars Exploration Rovers. My name is in the appendix for the book "Roving Mars", along with a few thousand others of course. But really, it all comes back to Estes model rockets.

[@sandersrk]

That's cool.

[@judychurley6623]

I had a Big Bertha, an Egg Scrambler, a Saturn V, a CamRoc, too, and a Nike II (i think). Also started with a small 'tumble recovery' single stage but don't remember the name. Astro? Alpha? Began with an 'A' as I remember. We put a 'C' engine in it and never found it in the woods nearby! We couldn't even follow its flight up.

[@ctk1138]

Tom Swift was the best! I have tried to read and collect all the books. My local small town library in Nebraska had a huge collection of them. I am now reading them to my eight year old grand-daughter. She loves them too.

[@mguerramd]

@@judychurley6623 probably the Astron Scout. They also had a tiny little one even smaller than the Scout, can’t remember the name, it was a featherweight.

[@mguerramd]

@@judychurley6623 actually it may have been the Mosquito

[@kkampy4052]

My first was Big Bertha. I think it disappeared on it's maiden voyage. Here's how this went, dad can we go to the hobby store?, 2 weeks of build time, dad can we go to the park?, launch and gone.

[@Somnambulist3130]

That sounds exactly like my first experience, and many thereafter. But it didn't stop me from building more.

[@martinsechrist1393]

In the 1980's my friend and I would take our sons out into the So. California desert and camp and usually we took model rockets. One year as I got ready for the first trip of the year I gathered up all the old rockets and repaired the broken fins, missing parachutes etc and as they were all looking kind of beat up, I decided I would paint them all with a coat of spray paint in a bright color that would make them easier to find! Bright yellow, every one of them, bright yellow. We arrived in the area we intended to camp and SURPRISE the wildflowers were in bloom. It was spectacular, but unfortunately the flowers were THE EXACT SAME SHADE of yellow. By the end of the weekend we had lost every single rocket.

[@mickeypigduck2307]

Like everyone else here, I too started shooting Estes rockets about 1965. Great fun but pricey for a 12 year old. Me and my best friend were rather recklessly experimental including just attaching wings directly to the motors bypassing the need to buy the kits. Wings, nosecone, and motor. That's it. Needless to say we got quite an education in trajectory. Thanks Estes!

[@JohnWallace74]

As a young teenager, I used to order the rocket models and engines from Penrose Colorado. I remember getting those 3 engine tube mailers and rocket kits with balsa wood in the mail. I used to carefully put them together, painted them and then shoot them in the air. The neighbor hood kids all enjoyed seeing them go up. I remember the science teacher asking me to do some rockets for the science class. He wanted to shoot of earth worms, in one rocket and a chicken egg in another. The chicken egg proved to be too heavy for the single engine rocket I had and it only went up about 75 feet and hit the ground before the parachute ejected. Ha it was scrambled egg.. This was probably around 1968-1972 when I was doing this hobby.

[@gordondahle7844]

My best friend and I built some rockets when we were in high school. We found out that one of our teachers used to work at White Sands, so we asked him some questions about rocket technology. He was greatly surprised at our knowledge. We understood center of pressure and center of gravity and how they were related. We weren’t that smart we just read the technical information that we found in the Estes catalogue. The technical data was brief, to the point, and well written. It was kind of fun being able to talk shop with a smart man who used to work on guided missiles! I salute the people who started that company! Great video! Thanks!🤗

[@americansailor7967]

I wonder who the five Karen's were that disliked this video.

[@kazparzyxzpenualt8111]

I just can't believe the thumbs downer types moving in on this video. Is no place safe? Good grief!

[@brianwaskow5910]

I remember my first Estes catalog arriving in the mail. What a day!

[@LiftRanger]

Thank you for this, young man. I type this through tear filled eyes...I'm a 64 year old man who just re-lived his youth seeing the Estes rockets, catalogs and yellow papers. I still have many of the dozens of rockets I built and launched from the early 60s to mid-70s. Well, those not lost to sight or sacrificed to trees. I've passed on my love for rocketry to my grand-children by helping them build their own rockets. Keep up the good work.

[@TheNeonRabbit]

I can still smell those burnt engines

[@treojoe1077]

When I was nine years old, my Dad and I were building model airplanes and gliders from balsa wood. My Dad drew most of the designs himself. On one occasion, he stopped by the hobby store on his way home from work to pick up some supplies. He brought home an Estes catalog for me because he knew I was interested in Rockets and the space program. I had been putting together plastic rocket models of the Gemini / Titan, Saturn 1B and the X-15. The first one I ordered from Estes was the Mark IV that had a streamer recovery and used a type A1 engine. After I finished putting it together, my dad picked up six engines for me and helped me build a launch system which consisted of a block of wood nailed to a plywood platform, a welding rod launch tube and a six-volt flashlight battery attached to a safety switch (engine ignition with a key). We continued building airplanes together and he helped me with some of the more difficult rocket kits until I purchased a grab bag of nose cones, body tubes, etc... and designed and built my own. It is some of the fondest memories that I have from my childhood. When my son was eight, I tried to get him interested in the hobby, but he never got into it. He was more interested in video games and sports. Which is fine too, but I was a little bit disappointed. A few years ago, I decided to take a chance with my granddaughter when she was nine and I was really excited when she showed an interest and spent time with me putting together model rockets and she even took up Astronomy as a hobby and now owns several telescopes. She turns 18 this year and plans on studying Meteorology or Physics after she graduates High School (this year). I was really hoping for an Engineer or Scientist in the family, and it looks like it might just happen. I have an MS in Computer Science but it's just not the same. Both of my kids went the Accounting and business route and seem pretty happy, but I still feel like they missed out on one of the greatest hobbies ever.

[@jimshoe402]

Good Dad mine took me to launch once BUT bad Batts.😁😁😁😁

[@PapaWoody440]

How can you not love a story like this? A guy builds a business out of something he loves, and his name becomes synonymous with his product. I never even knew that anyone but Estes made model rockets. I have fond memories of being in the rocket club in 6th grade, and watching my Estes Renegade go up. Thank you, Vern and Gleda for hours and hours of fun, and for sparking a curiosity and a sense of wonder in 6th grade me that I never lost. Fun fact, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum has in its collection an original Astron Scout donated by Harry Stein.

[@RevvyTone]

This was a wonderful film. I'm actually choked up. It brought some of the few fond memories childhood I had. And every time I recognized one of the rockets or Estes hardware I had I shouted out "I had that!" Thank you so much for this trip down pleasant memory lane. Not all my childhood was happy, but the period with model rockets was a golden time. I was lucky, right over my back fence was the back lot of one the first strip malls in the suburbs of Detroit, the back area was huge (before I was born it evidently was motor city speedway a big race track) lot, and it was perfect for launching with no interference. At the far end of the lot was a movie theater and if I recall correctly a few rockets landed on the roof. Um, we also may have mounted a few engines on pinewood derby cars and maybe an old roller skate and skate board (this was the mid 70's to early 80's) when the parents weren't around.

[@MrJackHackney]

I became a Estes Aerospace Club Expert in the 70’s. My friends and built and and launched many of the Estes and Centuri rockets. Cineroc, Camroc, Transroc etc... We designed our own as well. My Saturn V crashed when the the main body chutes failed to deploy but the command module parachuted safely! Even messed with the cold propellant rockets. News to me that Centuri and Estes were part of same company! Thanks for the memories! Trying to recall whatever happened to my Mars Lander, Interceptor, and X24 Bug....

[@KevinBalch-dt8ot]

We had a model rocket club “The Burrstone Model Rocket Society” We would have campouts in the backyard so we could be ready to launch early in the morning.

[@raytribble8075]

I started building Estes rockets when I was 10. Lee Hobbies in Poway, California sold them back in 1970 and I made dozens of them. Big Bertha was the first kit I built and I started designing my own. I will never forget the excitement of launches and carry on the tradition with my grandchildren now.

[@Friedbrain11]

I built and launched several Estes model rockets in the late '60s. It was a pleasure to see all the work I had done actually work and fly as it was supposed to do. I always wanted to get the camera nosecone to put on the Big Bertha when it first came out. I never got to build the Saturn 5 rocket though. I did have a couple of friends who did so though. I got to see the pics they made of it launching. Majestic! I got to build and fly one called the Gyrocopter. The first stage had large fins on a short body and it fluttered back to earth. The second stage would actually spin and fast enough that the rocket was slowed down on this return. Ofc I had to sign and return the pledge we had to make for safe rocketry. I followed those rules. Never had an accident.