Mosquito

Mosquito (Estes)

We purchased rockets for all our kids soon after re-entering the hobby in 1999. My oldest daughter selected this Mosquito. We have accumulated several hours hunting for it, and each time, after a good, long search, we found it. She selected the colors; I might have opted for something a little brighter.

Like all Mosquitos, this one goes just out of sight on Estes' smallest motor - the 1/4A3-3T. Having spent too much time looking for it, I finally built up some adaptors so that we could fly it on Micro-Maxx motors. With the old Micro-Maxx, it would go about 40-50 feet up. With the new Micro-Maxx II motors, it goes much higher, but we are still able to recover it without long searches.

1-10-2009

Here are some details of the MicroMaxx motor adaptors I made for the Mosquito and its sibling, the Quark.

The adaptor begins with a MicroMaxx motor tube from Totally Tubular (part number T-2+). One 34" tube will make lots of motor adaptors

The rings were made using some home-made balsa plywood. The arrow was added to remind me which way to insert it into the rocket. As can be seen in the pic above, Letramax (paper) rings are also available (BMS p/n CR2+5-F).

Installed in the rocket, it looks like this.

The motor block is visible from the forward end. By inclduing the block, no retention is required. When the motor ejects itself, the blast drives the adaptor into the rocket thus ensuring it does not get ejected with the motor.

9-17-2010