The Beginning of Model Rocketry

[GregGleason]

In case you haven't had the opportunity to read G. Harry Stine's memoir on how model rocketry began, here it is:

https://www.questaerospace.com/imag..._rocket_museum\Stine_Memoirs\Stine_Memoir.pdf

Greg

 

[fyrwrxz]

Thanks Greg! I didn't realize how lucky I was to be living in Denver at that time. I'd have a lot more money in the bank if I'd lived in Road Narrows, Utah. What a long, strange trip it's been! (cue the music...)

 

[10fttall]

Interesting story. I was just curious how the 5 cent royalty was the undoing of MMI. How did that work? It seems like he tied the "problem" to the cheaper Estes motors becoming available. If MMI's cost dropped from .13 to .05 per motor, and they had to shell out a constant .05 royalty for every one...wouldn't the Estes switch mean they still had to shell out .08 LESS per motor than before? Why was it a hardship?

 

[James Duffy]

In case you haven't had the opportunity to read G. Harry Stine's memoir on how model rocketry began, here it is:

https://www.questaerospace.com/imag..._rocket_museum\Stine_Memoirs\Stine_Memoir.pdf

Here's a video that provides some visual context for Harry's memoirs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdgxbv3ONU8

James

 

[GregGleason]

Here's a video that provides some visual context for Harry's memoirs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdgxbv3ONU8

James

Thanks for posting that James, and for taking the time to preserve and important part of rocket history for all to see.

Well done, sir! :clap:

Greg

 

[boomtube]

Ah!! The “Good old days” back when we had to chase the Mastodons off our launch fields.

 

[Rex R]

it were those grubby little mammals that were my bane .
rex

 

[kpklein]

Harry was also into mataphysical wowo stuff too, bigtime.

 

[RocketT.Coyote]

The days when we used flat rocks as blast deflectors and used model airplane dope to paint our primitive rockets...