September 2021
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Available
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Since our rocket,
Space Man Spiff’s Rocket Of Death made its
first launch with Jolly Roger markings, I’ve been answering questions as to, why
the skull and cross bones? There were many reasons I chose the
insignia but here are just a few…
My fascination with
Jolly Roger began a long time ago. Many kids of my generation (1956) grew up
playing Pirates in the backyard with friends from all over the neighborhood. We
fashioned outfits from old ripped pants, went barefoot, made swords from pieces
of scrap wood lying around our backyards and occasionally, somebody’s mom would
make an eye patch for some lucky kid. And when I say, we played pirates,
I mean ALL day! Of course, whenever we took a break from pillaging and
searching for treasure… or made land, there was an occasional pause at a
friendly tavern where the wench of the house refreshed us all with a PB & J
and our favorite ale. (Coke or Pepsi)
AAAARG!
Every Halloween there
was at least one kid that dressed as a pirate, usually wearing a three sided
hat with a smiley faced skull and cross bones on the front. In fact, I can’t
remember a single time as a kid or since having my own kids, that I haven’t had
a pirate stop by the house on Halloween.
As I grew older, around 8 or 9 I enjoyed many movies about pirates. I loved to see the “bones”
waving in the breeze and it seemed Roger had a very popular face. He was everywhere! Even on iodine bottles! How many of you
reading this remember iodine bottles in your medicine cabinets with a skull and cross bones on the label?
By age 10 I began to
notice there were various groups in the U.S. military that also used a skull
and cross bones as an insignia on uniforms and aircraft. It seemed to me that a
lot of other people liked Roger too. Not as much as I did… but a lot. Heck,
even Estes uses the skull and cross bones on their model rocket kit, Der Red Max.
US
Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of
Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (VFA-103), prepares to launch from the flight deck
of the USN Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).
From
1943 to the
present three USN Strike Squadrons, VF-17, VF-84, VFA-103, have proudly carried
the nickname “Jolly Rogers.” Over that time the squadron’s skull and cross
bones insignia has been displayed on the F4U Corsair, F4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcats
and currently the F-18 Super Hornet. Many of those platforms carried Phoenix,
Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles.
Possibly,
the most publicity the Jolly Rogers have received over their life span came
from the 1979 movie, The Final Countdown. I saw the movie in it’s first run and
I’ve been following them ever since. Currently, USN Strike Fighter Squadron
VFA-103 onboard the U.S.S. EISENHOWER have the nick name of “Jolly Rogers” and
bear the insignia on their tails.
If you check with our
friend, Wikipedia or Google
"Jolly Rogers" you can read about their long and
brilliant history. The squadron has been involved in some very important
engagements over the last 7 decades, so it just seemed fitting to me to name
Verna Starr’s fighter squadron in their honor and given their history, I
wouldn’t be a bit surprised if one day the Jolly Rogers make it into space.
Fear the bones!
Looking for something entertaining and fun to read?
If you'd like something entertaining and fun to read, get your copies of the entire Rocket Babe series, paperback or Kindle.
Here's how...
Get The Entire Series On Kindle!
Just click the Amazon links
below:
Rocket Babe: Reflection
Prefer Paperback? No Problem!
Signed / personalized paperback copies of Rocket Babe - Dust Storm, Rocket Babe - Fallen Angel, Rocket Babe - Ant Men and
Rocket Babe - Reflection are all available directly from the author!
Books are great gifts for any occasion! Holidays,
birthdays or just because!
Dust Storm $10.00
Fallen Angel $12.00
Ant Men $13.00
Reflection $13.00
Standard
book rate shipping: $4 for 1st book; $1 for each additional book per address in the same order. Please allow 7-10 days for
shipping, longer during the holidays.
*Special "Set" pricing! Get all 4 books for $46.00 includes shipping within the continental U.S.! Saves over $10
off the regular price and shipping!
*Shipping outside the USA available. Contact us for a postage quote before placing your order.
HOW TO ORDER:
Send your email order to Verna at: vernarockets@hotmail.com with BOOK as the subject.
List each dedication separately and clearly. Be sure to include the full shipping address.
Verna will reply with how to send in your money order. Sorry, money orders only.
If you have any questions PLEASE email us: vernarockets@hotmail.com
Above you see a rare photo of Dave Miller, appropriately dressed in black as owner of the clandestine black ops organization
known as Sirius Rocketry! What does he do in his spare time? He reads Rocket Babe, what else?
That's a nice looking Cestris Fighter he's holding too! Get yours from https://www.siriusrocketry.com
Verna Starr Cestris Fighter!
This is our favorite Sirius kit, the Cestris.
The kit is intended to fly on a single engine but it was easily modified to a 3 engine cluster complete with Verna Starr fighter
decals, also available from Sirius.
Randy
Just click the BLUE link below the banner!
She'll go with you anywhere! Kevin, owner and moderator at the Alien Soup sci-fi
forum, enjoys Rocket Babe - Dust Storm between innings at a recent ballgame!
If you look around this website it doesn't
take a genius to see we love Sirius and their rocket kit, S.S. Cestris. When I found the one you see here built and finished
by Bruce McGreevy, on the Model Rocketry Fanatics, Facebook page, I knew I had to feature it.
Bruce's Cestris is obviously well built and I'm hoping he posts some launch photos
soon.
The stand may say Estes but this one is
Sirius all the way. The Cestris kit comes with several sets of decals to allow you to dress it many ways and while I've never
seen one with most if not all the decals on it, I like what Bruce has done with his.
If you want to build the Verna Starr version, that's yet another set of decals you can get by special
request for a few dollars more. Clustering it is up to you.
Randy
Bones says...
"Nolite Timere! Get a
copy for all your friends!"
Verna & Randy's Rockets is proud to have been featured by:
April 2006 Finishing
Touches
And Virally In Ezines Like:
