Level 2 guys, will you level 3?

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For me probably if I can get a higher paying job. As it stands I'm still in high school, making minimum wage, and so I can barely afford a L2. It'll probably be something I do after college, unless I can get everything cheap.

No rush, man. You've got years ahead of you. Focus on the important things.
 
Ya, I'm doing an L935 in a 2.6" screech to 20k for my L2 and my senior project, but then it's probably just gonna be Hs and Is, and maybe the ocasional J or K motor. I will be happy at L2 for a while for sure. I also still love LPR, you can have a lot of fun with those and just launch them all day.
 
I was a happy L2 until I attended an "O" launch. The noise shook something deep inside me.

A year later and the M1890 was great. Now where do I find that 6 gr CTI 98mm case, oh and the reload to go with it!
 
I was a happy L2 until I attended an "O" launch. The noise shook something deep inside me.

A year later and the M1890 was great. Now where do I find that 6 gr CTI 98mm case, oh and the reload to go with it!

Great motor... Keep in mind you can use the Aerotech hardware... 75mm + RAS is a great deal if you can find one.
 
Ya, just a note, that was a cool launch of the crowd pleaser. I was at high skies in July. Love the sound of the big red lines.
 
I'm going to do my L3, but I haven't decided what rocket to build for it yet. I have some M-motor min-diameter things in mind though. :) We'll see!

The earliest I'd do it is next Memorial Day at Delamar Dry Lake, but it'll likely be after that.
 
I plan on it, in time. I'm enjoying L2 at the moment. I've had my eye on a few kits but haven't decided which one I want to use. I'm in no rush.
 
I was at a launch and saw an L820 and later a M1297. Could not for the life of me tell the difference between the two motors. Granted the 1297 is a baby M but really, in the right rocket it is plenty enough motor. The L820 is also plenty for me. At this point if I build a L3 I would be able to fly it once a year. To expensive for one flight. Would rather purchase three K motors for the price of ONE M! I am glad that I enjoy everything from F to L. L3 sounds good but I will watch and enjoy others fly the big money. I enjoy my smaller rockets and other people's big projects and I feel I have nothing to prove. Bottom line IF I had the money I doubt I would do it......to expensive! I like staying a L2.
 
Make some friends! :grin:

Funny, but true, story. When I launched my Formula 200 on an N motor, it came down about a mile away. I asked some friends to help me recover. We walked out, and came to a river that we couldn't cross. Meanwhile, I, being diabetic, got low blood sugar and needed to return to my van.

The other guys said they would get their truck and drive to the other side of the river. I walked back to the launch area and bought a Coke. I had to wait about 15 minutes before I was ready to go back out and join the recovery team.

While I was waiting, another MDRA guy asked me where my rocket was. I said it was out in the field and a crew of guys was recovering it. He said, "Why aren't you out there?"

I shrugged and said, "Well, you know ... I'm Level 3. I have guys that do that for me, now."

I had to grin to let him know I was joking. :grin:

(Epilogue: by the time I got out there, I was still on the wrong side of the river, and my guys were trudging along to the truck with it, complaining about the lead-infused epoxy I'd used. Thanks again, Nate, Gus, and Peter!)

It would have been a lot easier if there was a bridge across the ravine. Nothing like being able to see a rocket that's 50 yards away and have to go 1.5miles around obstacles to get it...

Still, Gus taught me how to make rocket Teepee's while we were walking toward it... Comes in handy on windy days.
 
I always knew I wanted to get my L3 and I always knew I wanted to build it 100% from scratch. L3 is a great learning experience. Take your time and enjoy the build process.
The Loki M1989 sparky was an amazing thing to see and hear. Talk about a throaty roar!
 
I got L1/L2 on the same day in...2002/2003ish. It accomplished my goal of being able to fly research motors. I waited until 2009 to do my L3, flying motor RATTWorks M900 hybrid. My motivation was wanting to fly larger research motors.

Edward
 
There’s a lot of fun to be had in L2 and I wasn’t planning on getting my L3. Then Wildman had a BS sale on the Wildman Drago XL and AT M1500. So I became an L3. I won’t fly L3 motors often because they’re costly but it’s nice to know I can if I want to. For instance, our club waiver is 18,000 feet. Highest I can go with my fleet and the biggest L2 motor is mid 15K feet. If I want to get close to 18K, I can do it with an M, and I will at some point. Plus I can feel the “I want to fling a rocket up as high and as fast as I can” building up. Launching an M a year will probably keep that itch scratched.
 
I'm hoping to attempt my L3 the moment I think I have the experience and knowledge base that's required. It's an achievement, and big projects/big motors rock. I tell anyone who will listen that amateur rocketry is a mix of cerebral and guttural - full scratch builds are proper rocket science, but there's no question there's a 'WHOA, BIG FIRE!' moment when a big candle gets lit. There's all kinds of fun with H/I/J, and I won't fly L3 birds regularly, but I have goals that require an L3...
 
I would like to one day, but I am in no hurry. I like the design and process for obtaining level 3. The price for flying the big motors is just really high. But I used to think a G was too expensive. Right now I simply don't have room for a rocket that big anyway.

There is a large range of motors to be flown in level 2. I have only flown the one J for my Level 2 flight. Now I can do research motors, which includes small single use 24's and bigger stuff in cloned hardware..translating to saving a tad bit of money. I am building just such a motor in 75mm 3grain. Will be able to fly a large range of motors just on this case.

There is just so much to do in the hobby rather than just flying bigger rockets and motors, though I do love the big ones. I like watching them, but to fly one of my own will be that much better. I am currently working on clusters and air-starts. And I can see that being even more fun than flying a big motor, and just as or more expensive than flying them as well.

So yeah, one day I will. But I am in no hurry.
 
There is just so much to do in the hobby rather than just flying bigger rockets and motors, though I do love the big ones. I like watching them, but to fly one of my own will be that much better. I am currently working on clusters and air-starts. And I can see that being even more fun than flying a big motor, and just as or more expensive than flying them as well.

This.

The way I see it, L3 is a body of knowledge including how to hold something together with L3 power, but also reasonable levels of success with clusters/air starts/staging. I know everyone doesn't see it like this, but to me they're prerequisites for asking to do your L3. You don't want to ask and have them say no - you want to ask and have them say 'yeah, based on what you've done you're ready'.
 
Working on L3 design now. Hopefully will fly later this year. My concern going forward is looking for a continuing area of interest, e.g. recovery techniques, avionics, ????
 
I was going to go up to lvl 3 but then I realized that with FAR/RRS in my neighborhood I don't really need to. On that note, I'm building a rough copy/upgraded version of a Contrail M1491 motor and launching it out there in 5 weeks. I'll try to post some pics in a thread when the build starts.
 
When I started down the HPR path, I earnestly told my wife that "this will not get too crazy, I'll not go beyond L1." We look back on that and chuckle once or twice a year. A year later, L2 became interesting when my club constantly had research flight days that an L1 could not fly in. I stayed an L2 for a long time, like 8 years. I decided to go after my L3 simply because I was loving rocketry, didn't want any more 'limits' motor wise and my rockets were getting big enough to need M and above power (damn the November sales!). Since getting the L3, I've only flown a few M/N commercial motors, but it is great to do even if once a year or so.

Unless you feel L2 is actually holding you back from accomplishing something you want to do, why L3 at all? I agree with the above post that J/K are the "sweet spot" for max fun per $$$ spent, but I would include 75/98mm L motors as well. There's a lot of rocket you can fly on the 75/3840 motor size while still staying fairly reasonable in cost (as compared to M and above). And, the assembly process is virtually the same as the 75/5120 motors that you can L3 with. Everyone seems to jump from K to M while missing out on a lot of L2 capability with L motors. Get comfortable with 75/98mm L motors before making the L3 jump, and enjoy the path more without rushing.
 
I have thought about getting my L3 at different times, but in the end I really don't feel the need. I like building big rockets, but prepping big motors and altimeters isn't much fun for me.

This is where the team approach to flying rockets becomes very appealing to me, it lets me focus on the parts that I enjoy and others can do their thing.
 
I have thought about getting my L3 at different times, but in the end I really don't feel the need. I like building big rockets, but prepping big motors and altimeters isn't much fun for me.

This is where the team approach to flying rockets becomes very appealing to me, it lets me focus on the parts that I enjoy and others can do their thing.

+1, while I like to fly rockets, I am much more a builder and modeler. I did L3 because the time was right and for the ability to fly whatever motors are available to me as opportunity provides.
 
I’m in the process of doing it because it’s there. Not a particularly exciting design or plan. The L3 isn’t so much the goal for me as I like the size rocket, 4”, and I want to easily put something around the upper end of our waiver that can comfortably carry a camera on the outside. It’s a simple equation that comes out to 4” rocket on a 76 5 grain. So for me the type of flight is the goal, not so much getting L3. I could get in the same ballpark with a 3” MD on a big L. But that didn’t feel as comfortable and stress free as just going up to a 4” airframe with all the space I’ll need. So I guess I went bigger in my plan so I could be lazier.

After I get there and do it, I don’t know what my interest level will be. I’ve been flying less and less each year, but trying to make each flight bigger/more interesting. I know I don’t have time/space/desire to fly bigger than 4” rockets, so this will cap off how large a motor I can fly without traveling, which is unlikely for several years. We’ll see when we get there I dispose.
 
I agree with the last couple posts. My flight missions dictate my Level, and I have couple more objectives that I can achieve with J-K-L. I got my L2 5 years ago, and I have yet to even sniff an L motor. I have no interest in launching a big, heavy, expensive rocket to a boringly-low altitude just to get an "easy" L3 at a local field. Plus, the wholly redundant electronics is a turn-off for me.
 
I will eventually go there. (L3 or L4 CAR) I don't get to fly often. Because of that, I feel like I need to gain more experience before I make the attempt. I started the process several years ago but thought it over and decided to fly more L2 rockets. J,K,L rockets have a lot to offer. I'm currently working on some 75mm and 98mm K-L stuff. My main reason for going to L3 is that I want to fly a rocket to the somewhere around 25,000 feet. In Canada, that requires CAR L4.
 
I want to get my L3 so I can launch minimum diameter M motors to reach the top of the call in waiver at NCR (35,000 feet). I want to get up to about 30k feet with an on-board camera. I plan to fly my 2.6" screech on an L935, which is simming to about 19,000 feet. I can hope for an extra 1,000 feet, but so far my sims have been higher then what the actual flight was.
 
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