My son 12 years of age and a rocket??

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
some assembly required, batteries not included, but yes that would be the Alpha3 launch set. I would suggest following the recommendation for the 1st flight motors 200 - 400' may not sound like much...it is surprising how small the rocket appears at that distance :).
Rex

True dat. Kids (and adults :)) will often want to stuff the biggest motor they can; resist that urge, at least at the beginning.
 
I just gave that Alpha III Starter Set to my 9 year old nephew for Christmas, and the Alpha III was also my first rocket when I was 9, I'm now 45!

As a kid I was fortunate to have a large open field behind our house and friends who also build rockets. We'd often grab our gear and end up launching rockets together without adult supervision, and I have to say, I don't think any of us were very irresponsible at that time for our age. I also had a rocket club in the nearby city (Ft. Wayne, IN) that I ended up joining and learned a lot there.

Today High Power rocketry is much more commonplace than it was then, and it may be somewhat misleading to the newcomer. It's a progression to get to that level. Start small, build modeling skills, learn the sciences involved in successful model rocketry, and go from there.

Good luck to you and your son.

BTW, where do y'all live? That can be helpful in finding a club launch near you.
 
My 10 year old has been flying for a few years, and is now at the point where she's building fiberglass mid power rockets on her own (With my supervision). 12 is definitely fine, although you'll probably want to help them build and definitely help them launch.

I'd suggest getting them a small kit like an Estes, and build that together. Then find a local launch, take the Estes out there to launch with them, and let them also see the larger rockets that people will be launching. At that point, they'll probably either like it or not. If they do like it, talk to some of the people at the launch and see about joining the club for future launches. If they don't like it, you're out the cost of an Estes kit.

Good luck, and have fun. This is definitely a fun family hobby.

katie1.jpgkatie2.jpg

Here's video of her rocket launching. We launched it with a high power motor (Aerotech I205), so technically it was launched under my name, although she built almost the entire thing herself. According to the simulations, it went well over 1,000mph and up to several thousand feet. She was absolutely over the moon watching it launch, and even happier when we successfully recovered it.

Video of the launch that she took, you can hear how excited she is.
[video=youtube;s08_FB1Y3_c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s08_FB1Y3_c[/video]
 
Last edited:
My daughter, 12, was so excited at LDRS she is going to do the Tripoli Mentorship program too. She "made" me buy her a Loc Doorknob! She's been doing very well at building and using RocketPoxy so I believe with a little tutelage, she'll do just fine!
 
I envy the kids who did model rocketry. I was 40 when I got started, but I try and pass it on. I've taught model rocket camp for two years, and the age range is 11-14 years. Watching them witness their first launch is pretty great, even on little A motors.

Now I'm in a club, and there are lots of adults and children around. It's a great activity for all ages - safe for kids, but it never gets boring, even for longtime adult fliers.

My first launch of the season is in one week, and it's been too long! I know the OP was in January - I hope you managed to get your hands on some rocket kits and will be flying soon!
 
I was 9 and loved it... LOW altitude is the best way to go with youngsters. We were forced into low altitude as kids by the FAA... seems a commercial airline pilot didn't like my 1960s Scout zooming past his cockpit window. Wisdom comes from experience, and for children model rockets offer a true experience. As kids, our launch field was 3 mile off the approach end of a major airport. FAA set a very strict limit of NTE 1000' AGL. Estes helped us [thank-you] with proper engines and we flew the whole summer in peace, with no more visits from FAA.
Safety first... the rocket experience opened my eyes and my vision for the future. After 40 years in aviation industry, I look back and remember that summer with model rockets and how it led to my career. Now it's my turn, as my grandkids will start with rockets this summer, a Flying Colors for the girl and a Rookie for the boy. :)
 
I've done a build-fly with a class in northern Kentucky the past 2 years. Kids as young as 6. They all enjoy. Just have to meter your supervision based on their skills/experience.
 
I started around 10 years old with an Alpha III. My 8 year old daughter loves flying her Skywriter...

I've done build sessions with Cub Scouts - my Bear den (3rd grade) built Wizards a few years back. Took a bit of help and a lot of patience... but they had a blast flying those things. That same group built Alpha III kits in 5th grade.

Chris
 
I started back up again with my son 3 years ago. He was 8 and had enough patience for the Estes almost ready to fly kits like the Firestorm and Helios. He has since helped with an Aerotech Initiator and his favorite, the Mirage. This year he has started building on his own and just completed an Estes Der Red Max.
 
Any recommendations on chute attach for 6-8 year olds? Keeping the lines even while looping them through can be pretty frustrating even for me :)
 
Any recommendations on chute attach for 6-8 year olds? Keeping the lines even while looping them through can be pretty frustrating even for me :)

When I use parachutes attached to shock cords, I put the three loops over my wrist and then reach "over" the shock cord and grab the middle of the parachute. Then I just slip the lines off of my wrist and they should naturally knot on.

If the parachute is attached to an eyelet or some such thing, I feed the lines through, and then use the same technique. I usually end up pulling the edge of the parachute pretty much against the eyelet.

Does that help?
 
Back
Top