New Guy in Orlando

Hello all!

Eddie here in Dr. Phillips (Orlando) Florida. Always wanted to get into rocketry. Never knew where to begin. Glad I found a forum like this. Always like bouncing questions off veterans of anything.

Heading to the local hobby store here soon to grab a Tandem-X Model Rocket Launch Set. I'm sure this is not the best or others have different kits to begin with. Though we have a Hobby Lobby not far from us here and doing some research prior to posting, it seems this is a decent kit to start in the hobby.

Anyhow, looking forward to rocketry and reading/learning as much as I can from all the veteran here.

Welcome new guy...

You will find a lot...

Of nice folks here...

Willing to help you...

welcome

Thanks, guys!

The tandem rocket set I was speaking of was the Estes kit. Hopefully it's a good one to begin with. We'll see. I've been reading a lot on rocketry. Really looking forward to what all is involved.

Hi Eddie,
And welcome!
Come join us at the monthly Orlando R.O.C.K. launch.
https://www.r-o-c-k.org/
It's usually held the first Saturday of each month.
If there is too much rain the launch might be cancelled, check the website for updates.

Stop by my building blog and do a search under "Tips".
www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com

Thank you very much "Chris". I went to the that website actually before I found these forums. Tough right now as my job has me traveling on weekends. Though I do hope to get an off weekend where I can come out to a R.O.C.K. date in the near future.

And, I will definitely check out your blog. Thanks for the link!

Greetings! As a Veteran (US Airforce), I welcome you to the forums (from here in the People's Republic of China, Shandong Province, Yantai city).

Now, build rockets, take lots of photos, and share them with us. I'm living vicariously though other people's builds right now as I currently can't afford rockets here in China...

Pointy Side Up!
Jim

Welcome aboard! You'll find yourself sitting here for hours devouring a whole bunch of awesome stuff on this board. Thanks to all these folks, I obtained my L1 and L2 without an issue this year! Have fun!

Welcome. The Tandem-X is a pretty popular starter set. The Amazon is a nice size Almost Ready to Fly model that eats C6-5's all day long. I've seen many flights recover just fine on a 12 inch parachute as long your flying field is not a drought parched dry lake or a parking lot. The Crossfire has a nice conical nose cone and a stylish nozzle and requires more gluing/filling/sanding/painting. What is your history with the hobby ? First timer or BAR (Born Again Rocketeer) ? I think you'll find the effort needed to attend a club launch well worth your while.

hcmbanjo said:

Hi Eddie,
And welcome!
Come join us at the monthly Orlando R.O.C.K. launch.
https://www.r-o-c-k.org/
It's usually held the first Saturday of each month.
If there is too much rain the launch might be cancelled, check the website for updates.

Stop by my building blog and do a search under "Tips".
www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com

Click to expand...

Agreed! Chris is one of the most prominent model rocket bloggers around, and Jonrocket.com is based in Oviedo - it's a great source for supplies. You can surely buy directly from them without dealing with shipping if you can make it to a launch.

I used to live in Oviedo, but I wasn't doing rocketry at the time, and I think it was before Jonrocket existed. If I had been building rockets, and knew of Jonrocket and Chris, I'd have been a much happier camper there.

I did see a shuttle launch from my front yard, though, which was pretty awesome.

Also, Tandem X is a great set to start with. It gives you practically everything you need to start, except motors and wadding. It's awesome.

Welcome to the greatest money sucking hobby out there. I should know. I have been into many.

Whenever you can make it to a ROCK launch, do it. Everyone there is warm and welcoming. Chris is an amazing source of information, tips, and great stories. Get to know him, and your building skills will magically grow. Scotch tape for masking is worth talking to him just for that.

For vendors, we have two great ones. Roger, the owner of JonRocket is a great guy. Between my kids and me, we almost never make it out of there without buying something. There is also Tom from Tom's Rocket Gear. When you move past Estes kits and black powder motors into the wide world of composite motors and mid power rockets, Tom has what you need. He also carries New Way rockets, which are square and really nice kits.

If you have a family, bring them, too. Rocketry is a great family hobby. Even my wife is into it now.

I might as well give Daniel above a plug, while I am at it. Check out The Rocketry Show podcast he is a part of. It is very entertaining and informative.

Hope to see you at re field soon.

Steve