Model Rockets

[punkncat]

The only area I had nearby to set these off had trees and a creek that most often claimed anything on a chute. Had really good luck with the lite type that fell with no chute...A sized engines?
Being dumb kids we set a few big engines off outside of a rocket and see who would stand in "the circle" the longest. Those things will not only knock the shit out of you, but will put one hell of a burn on you as well...we were so stupid.

And YES on the line controlled models. I kept the circle on my street tied up a lot with various flyers. We had a park nearby that did the combat stuff with them, streamer off the back of the plane. SUPER fun stuff. I attempted to move into radio controlled airplanes and later helicopters. Where I do fine with the tiny Tyco-like drone indoor types I have a wicked way of finding trees and such with outdoor machines.

[Falcon16]

Lost many a rocket to trees as a youngster. Now I go use a friend's unused farm field for my rocketry adventures. 50 Acres so very little risk of not finding a relatively expensive large rocket. On the control line models my dad was huge into them and still has a couple of them that he'll bring out every once in a while. Me I get dizzy just looking at him spinning around in circles flying them.

[JasperStout]

ha when I was into these things I was probably playing outlaw paintball with my friends using spyder compacts and vl200s. Then we’d go to a legit field and get slaughtered by older players with impulses and cockers.

always loved those rockets though it’s good to hear they’re still popular with kids

[flyweightnate]

I'm going to start rocket-whoring at the pace I used to gun-whore. I picked up a Mosquito (little 3-inch thing with no recovery system that uses the T size engines) and a High-Flyer (footlong with a streamer). The Mosquito is going to get some rattle-can, while I'm going to leave the fins on the High-Flyer shellacked balsa. Either this evening or later this week, we're going to launch all three in an evening. Should be fun!

Also, I envision rocket engines are going to be tracked on the budget before long. Honestly, what else to do with the kids when it's 100F outside.

Edit: it begins...

http://rocketry.gatech.edu/files/slides/Model_Rocket_Aerodynamics.pdf

Time to start solving Barrowman equations and designing a glide-recovered rocket. I wonder if I can make it look like a Vulcan bomber.

[LUKE]

I built a couple dozen Estes rockets as a kid and the forest claimed probably a third of them. Got my first kit from an uncle, and went to a couple meetings one of the local clubs held at a nearby library to learn the basics. Had a “Wizard” that suffered many crashes and was rebuilt several times. Favorite was the Estes UFO, just because it was so different. Engines were always a little pricy, but would occasionally pick them up on sale at the annual hobby shop tent sales.

Have thought about getting back into it with my son...anyone have a good online source with deals on engines?

[SirWaffleBox]

I remember when I first played with model rockets, I was really young. My dad had taken me to a park near where I currently live and for tiny child me it was pretty awesome. Sadly we never did it again after that, I don't think there was a particular reason

Many years later when I was in high school, I took a pre-engineering class. Once we hit the aerospace /aeronautical section we got to design and make our own rockets. It was honestly pretty fun watching something we made actually, well sometimes work, when they weren't flying back at us.

I still have mine. I hope to get it repaired someday and maybe fly again.

[Tarsun2]

as a kid from the mid 80's i remember building these with my father.

We used to cut the circle out of the center of the parachute. it would come down allot faster and run a higher risk of breaking a fin but at least we got it back more times than not and was able to easily repair it.

When my 1st son was born, we did a rocket reveal. replaced the parachute with a long blue streamer. Allot of trial and error on what to use, rocket size and numbers, packaging, and weight. We had a great time experimenting and had dozens of successful and un-successful launches. had to go on a roof a few times and climb a few trees. We bought 2 of the same, one for R&D and the other was kept nice for the reveal.

[Seajay]

I did these a lot when I was little. The last rocket I did had a "stealth" glider. The rocket took C engines, so it was always an adrenaline rush if recovery would be successful or not, lol.
I didn't have the biggest field, the school soccer field, surrounded by a neighborhood. I lost all kind of rockets to trees behind fences, little rockets, sparkly rockets, burning rockets lol.

So, the stealth fighter on its' last mission had a successful launch. I trimmed the model to rotate left and glide down in a circle. Well something happened and that sucker hit a warm draft, turned 20 degrees left then straightened out. It took off out over the neighborhood. I searched for 2 weeks, never found the thing lol.

[Falcon16]

I started messing with rockets when I was 10. Had one of the RTF boxes first off then bought an Estes Mongoose that can launch either single or dual stage. Had a few of the rockets that use the smaller 1/2 A size engines and then when I was older i had the Estes mean machine and a model V2 powered with 4 D size engines (talk about eye wateringly expensive to use)

[lew]

I messed with rockets on a few occasions as a kid, but the Desert Southwest will catch alight if you look at it wrong, so no-go here.

[DalyPB]

I lost a "Big Bertha" rocket as a kid in the 80s. Best was my friend who spent ages working on a 2-stager, apparently put the second stage engine in reverse by accident, it blew up about 10 yards above the ground, fell back and set the grass on fire (we stamped it out). Hilarious.

[flyweightnate]

I launched a few this morning, and a 6" chute is plenty big to safely land the 3 ounce kiddo rockets. The "Mosquito" featherweight, that's supposed to eject the engine then slowly drift down, just straight up vanished, though.

2 for 3 recoveries is a pretty good day. Time to get a C engine for the Hi-Flier and see just how high is high.

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[gabe]

I launched a few this morning, and a 6" chute is plenty big to safely land the 3 ounce kiddo rockets. The "Mosquito" featherweight, that's supposed to eject the engine then slowly drift down, just straight up vanished, though.

Me and my brother built probably 4 of those as kids and recovered only one and just once. Those things like to re-kit themselves sometimes or maybe just get abducted by aliens. We would do search pattern sweeps of the field we launched at and come up empty handed every time.

[un2xs]

Just curious: Do any of you make your own engines?

[Seajay]

Boom!

https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks/how-to-make-estes-model-rocket-engines

[Rainmaker]

Man Seajay , I just spent like an hour o n that link learning how to make blackpowder and fireworks. So interesting...

[SignOfZeta]

I launched a few this morning, and a 6" chute is plenty big to safely land the 3 ounce kiddo rockets. The "Mosquito" featherweight, that's supposed to eject the engine then slowly drift down, just straight up vanished, though.

2 for 3 recoveries is a pretty good day. Time to get a C engine for the Hi-Flier and see just how high is high.

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The Mosquito has that issue. I recommend using metallic tape and contrasting hivi triangles. Zebra tape over school bus yellow is pretty good.

I think the most times I’ve flown a single Mosquito was seven. On the seventh trip the engine got stuck and instead of it ejecting the motor for tumble recovery it just blew the nose out (which was balsa then, plastic now.). When it hit the ground it broke all three fins off, I wrote it off. For a $1.50 it owed me nothing.

Btw, I think someone mentioned it, buying engines. Due to the way the post office works shipping engines can be expensive. The best place to buy them is from whatever hobby shop in your area sells them to the school kids. The vast vast majority of rockets flown today are done with elementary schools. There you won’t have to pay shipping or anything.

Also, many chain stores carry rockets for Xmas or for the beginning of summer and then they clearance them out for nothing between those times. Because of this you can get B-6 engines really cheap. I think it’s B-6, maybe B-4.