The Beta: I love this little gem, but I haven't been able to get T sized booster motors any more.

UPDATE: Estes is now making them again - I have some due to arrive shortly! Yea!!!!!

I think the small size of this rocket combined with its high-altitude capabilities is better off with a bright Mylar streamer instead of the 10" parachute.  This makes it easier to spot in the air and on the ground, and reduces drifting in the wind. This rocket was recently given my "Iris" modification, which extends the body tube about 5 inches above the streamer/parachute bay, and allows for a payload with an Altimeter One to measure altitudes.  The A-power booster and A-power sustainer really lift this Beta high, over 700 feet on just two A's!  I'd say that's pretty good proof that multi-stage rockets are more efficient with propellant, as the same mass of propellant made into a single B-motor would have topped-out at about 500 feet.

After a flight where the second stage did not light for unknown reasons, the Beta was badly damaged. It was repaired with a new and shorter payload section, and the body tube was lengthened to fix the worn-down top of the tube.  This rocket is now 19-7/8" long with both stages.

What's great about this kit is you can fly a two stage very economically, since T motors are cheaper than standard sizes.  (Iris is named after the Greek god of the rainbow. She is a messenger of the gods, linking the gods with humanity.) This rocket has flown higher than the Revel Casino Towers in Atlantic City, and the Met-Life Tower in NY, and could very easily fly over the St. Louis Gateway Arch.