I am a 13 year old boy new to Model Rocketry. Which rocket should I buy?

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Hey guys. Finally had a successful flight today on my best friend's rocket. (She lent me her Estes Sundancer, A8-3 Engine, igniters and pad).

I have run into another huge problem here-Bullies.

Today the bullies tried to run-off with our launch-pad. Thank God for my old phone (I threatened to call their parents).
 
Oh by the way, what does B-2, A-6,etc mean??

The motor code is pretty simple. The letter basically tells you how powerful the motor is. Each letter is twice its predecessor, with 1/8A being the lowest available (these are called Micromaxx and are 1/4" diameter and 1" long). While the letter tells you the total power (or impulse, as we say in the hobby), the first number indicates the peak power - the larger the number, the bigger the "spike" in thrust at the beginning of the burn. Lower numbers indicate a longer burn with a lower initial thrust. So a B4 will burn longer that a B6, but will not have as large an initial thrust. Thus, B4s are better for things like boosted gliders, while a B6 will push a bit more initial weight. The final number is the delay in seconds. This is the period between the end of thrust and the ejection. This allows the rocket to coast to its apogee, which is its highest point in flight and its slowest speed. Think of the St Louis Arch - rocket flight is a lot like that with the apogee where the rocket stops going up and start coming back down. So you want to choose your delay carefully based on the rocket - draggy models like gliders, short and fat rockets, etc. need the slowest delay, while rockets built for speed and altitude (longer, thinner and more streamlined) use the longer delays. A "0" delay means there is no delay and the motor is meant as the booster motor for rockets with 2 or more stages.

While it is tempting to put the largest motor you can find in the rocket to make it go really high, remember that once the parachute comes out, it will drift with the wind. Generally, the higher it goes, the farther it will drift. So while higher powered, high flying rockets may seem more exciting, getting it back and flying it multiple times is actually more fun. If you spend several hours building a rocket, do you really want to "fire and forget" for a quick thrill and then it's gone? So start with the lowest power motor suggested for that rocket.
 
Hey guys. Finally had a successful flight today on my best friend's rocket. (She lent me her Estes Sundancer, A8-3 Engine, igniters and pad).

I have run into another huge problem here-Bullies.

Today the bullies tried to run-off with our launch-pad. Thank God for my old phone (I threatened to call their parents).
That's really disappointing... I'm a nerdy teen rocketeer as well but I've never run into that issue.

The simple (but really expensive) solution? Get a Loki G80, case, and a rocket and pad that can take it... You can hear echoes for several seconds after the burn... No bully's gonna mess with that!

Much more reasonable solution- find yourself an NAR section. I seem to recall a group near Pittsburgh that you could look up- don't remember what it's called but if you search for "Pittsburgh nar rocketry" or look on the NAR website it shouldn't be too hard to find.

Sent from my LGL44VL using Rocketry Forum mobile app
 
Attending a club launch is the way to go. Apart from being just plain fun, you'll learn a ton and meet other friendly and like-minded folks. There's no better way to get yourself started in the hobby, and you don't have to worry about launch pads or controllers or anything. Just get a rocket and some motors and head over to a launch.
 
Thanks a lot to everyone here. I really wasn't expecting to receive this much help. May the Rockets keep Flying!!!!
 
I wouldn't worry too much, I haven't seen any orders from PA this week or last, so I don't think anything is on order, and usually I query folks to find out if they really understand what they are getting into with one of my RC RG kits.

Frank


I'd definitely second this suggestion. You're coming in with a pretty advanced technical foundation compared to the average hobby rocketeer, so it's awful tempting to try to scale Mount Everest in the first couple weeks.
 
Hey guys. Finally had a successful flight today on my best friend's rocket. (She lent me her Estes Sundancer, A8-3 Engine, igniters and pad).

I have run into another huge problem here-Bullies.

Today the bullies tried to run-off with our launch-pad. Thank God for my old phone (I threatened to call their parents).


1. I see bullies suck just as they did when I was 13, uhhhmmmm...... quite a few years ago. :rant:
 
Welcome to the zoo!
A8-3, B6-4, andD12-5, etc are engine designations referring to class, power, and delay charge.
I applaud your enthusiasm to jump in with 3D printing and stuff, but heed the advice to start with simple stuff.
As previously said, get Stine’s “Handbook of Model Rocketry”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471472425/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It is a great read, will answer a lot of your questions, and more than pay for itself in keeping you from making a lot of mistakes as well as save you time. It will help not only with basics but also cover designing your own stuff.

Estes Tandem x starter kit has one ready to fly rocket and one very popular build kit. Very reasonable at Hobby Lobby or Michaels, especially with 40% off coupon.

May not have it at hobby lobby, but Estes sells a Blast Off flight pack with 24 engines perfect for the Tandem X rockets AND INCLUDES wadding and 30 starters. Given the new starters are not as reliable as the old igniters were, you will be glad to have the extras.

Have fun!
 
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Welcome to the zoo!
A8-3, B6-4, andD12-5, etc are engine designations referring to class, power, and delay charge.
I applaud your enthusiasm to jump in with 3D printing and stuff, but heed the advice to start with simple stuff.
As previously said, get Stine’s “Handbook of Model Rocketry”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471472425/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It is a great read, will answer a lot of your questions, and more than pay for itself in keeping you from making a lot of mistakes as well as save you time. It will help not only with basics but also cover designing your own stuff.

Estes Tandem x starter kit has one ready to fly rocket and one very popular build kit. Very reasonable at Hobby Lobby or Michaels, especially with 40% off coupon.

May not have it at hobby lobby, but Estes sells a Blast Off flight pack with 24 engines perfect for the Tandem X rockets AND INCLUDES wadding and 30 starters. Given the new starters are not as reliable as the old igniters were, you will be glad to have the extras.

Have fun!
+1 on the Blastoff Pack! I'm on my third one...

For the igniters, they work fine with a 6V controller but you need really fresh batteries or they won't light. A 2S Lipo should be a drop in replacement if you want a bit more reliability... The best option is a 12 volt gel cell- aka sealed lead acid battery. Those will require you to build a custom controller though, so not exactly a beginner project.

For perspective on the lead acid controller, I once accidentally shorted between the igniter leads on an E2X rocket. The wires got hot enough to melt a slot in the tailcone...

Sent from my LGL44VL using Rocketry Forum mobile app
 
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+1 on the Blastoff Pack! I'm on my third one...

For the igniters, they work fine with a 6V controller but you need really fresh batteries or they won't light. A 2S Lipo should be a drop in replacement if you want a bit more reliability... The best option is a 12 volt gel cell- aka sealed lead acid battery. Those will require you to build a custom controller though, so not exactly a beginner project.

For perspective on the lead acid controller, I once accidentally shorted between the igniter leads on an E2X rocket. The wires got hot enough to melt a slot in the tailcone...

Sent from my LGL44VL using Rocketry Forum mobile app
Will a 6s Li-Po do?? I have many for my RC Planes and Helis??
 
Will a 6s Li-Po do?? I have many for my RC Planes and Helis??
I have run 4s equivalent ( four 14500 in series ) in a standard Estes controller on both black powder and midpower composites with good results. My ~17V was fine, your ~25V may be fine as well.

If you already have several working 6s, why not perform some basic testing ( with appropriate permission & supervision ) and write up the results?
 
Zarvan,

You have several good options to look into.

1. SHARK is a new local NAR club, they do not have a waiver and only fly low power near Finleyville
2. Pittsburgh Space Command is an old established NAR club, they also have a 8,700' waiver and do low, Mid, & high power flying in Grove City
3. Tripoli Pittsburgh, we have a 14,000' waiver and fly low, mid, and high power in Republic. We have a large box of low power rockets and boxes of A, B, C, & D motors that are available for kids and first timers to use for free. Our season is now over but we will begin flying again in May.

You can always PM me if you need anything.
 
Wiring up a new launch controller is definitely an area in which your previous experience with RC aircraft should come in handy; you're used to working with wires, circuits, etc etc. so patching together a launch controller shouldn't be too tough.

As several others have already suggested, get ahold of a copy of The Handbook of Model Rocketry. It's not hard to find on Amazon and more than likely some library in your area has a copy -- possibly of an earlier edition. The most recent edition I believe is 2004 and before that there was one in 1994 (and four editions before that). While SOME of the technical sections have been outdated, most of the hands-on stuff about building and flying rockets and ground support equipment is still perfectly valid.

I have a copy of the First Edition from 1965, and I bet 70% of the how-to rocket-building stuff is still perfectly fine. But probably a 5th or 6th Edition is your best bet.
 
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