BT-55 Dual-Deploy Test Bed · Retired 2025
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Estes |
| Body Tube | BT-55 (33.4mm / 1.31" ID) |
| Motor Mount | 24mm |
| Recovery | Custom Dual Deploy |
| Prior Flight Altitude | ~1,300' on Estes E |
| Status | Retired — lost to sycamore tree, September 2025 |
The Cherokee-E was a proof-of-concept project with a deceptively difficult challenge: make dual-deploy recovery work inside a BT-55 body tube. That's 1.31 inches of internal diameter to fit an altimeter, battery, two ejection charges, wiring, a main parachute, and a drogue.
This build was driven by a specific philosophy: learn by building in the most constrained format possible, then scale up. Everything learned on the Cherokee-E — charge sizing in tight volumes, wire routing, avionics packaging — translated directly to the larger rockets.
If you can make dual deploy work in 33mm, you can make it work anywhere. The Cherokee-E forced precision optimization in every system.
Successful flights on Estes E motors, reaching approximately 1,300 feet. The dual-deploy system worked — proving the concept was viable in small-diameter airframes.
The last flight was on a Quest E35. The boost was good, deployment was nominal, but the wind had other ideas. The Cherokee-E drifted into a sycamore tree and stayed there. A fitting retirement for a test bed that earned its keep.
Sometimes the rocket gods collect their tax. The Cherokee-E taught its lessons well and went out on a good flight — it just didn't come home.