Things you wish you knew when you first got into rocketry...

Onebadhawk
madcow rocketry
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I wish that I had learned about sealing the inside of tubes with super thin CA.
Most of my heavily flown models I had as a kid were eventually just worn out from the black powder residue build up. It would absorb moisture and soften the tubes to the point where just looking at them wrong would dent or crease them.
Now, any tube that is going to be exposed to ejection gas gets sealed with either the Super Thin CA or finishing epoxy.
It's funny because I don't buy the bulk packs of motors anymore, so my nowadays models don't even get that much use.
 
Checklists are good.

If something doesn't feel right, go back and recheck your work. This goes triple if you're tired. (I lost a gorgeous rocket to a cato by neglecting this...)

The biggest one though? You don't need to rush, or hold yourself to deadlines, or worry about doing things right away. If you buy something because you'll need it "at some point", it might not get used for quite a while. Taking breaks from rocketry is okay.
 
What did I wish I knew?

It would take over my life :p

Nate
 
That I shouldn't have given away my vintage 1969 Space Plane on my first failed attempt to exit the hobby.
 
llickteig1 said:
Don't wast your money on 29mm high power RMS motor cases, go straight to 38mm.
Click to expand...

I started with 29, and then 38. I see your point, but there are some rockets I have that work great on 29 mm stuff. I also really enjoy the AT H180 and H220.
 
1) use a checklist when prepping rockets.

2) keep a log of you flights

3) do not use elastic for a recovery harness in any rocket.

4) because a launch site has a 10000' waiver does not mean it really supports recovery from the top portions of the waiver well. To put it another way, Bong Recreation Area is my home field, and unless there is no wind or the wind is in a really good direction I personally will not go much above 6-7k there.

5) stop go fever. AKA if you have doubts there may be a good reason for it.

6) every mid and high power rocket does not need dual deploy. I was doing that for a few years. I finally built a few simple rockets that are fun to just stick a motor in and fly
 
I wish that I had photocopied (scanners weren't available at the time) all my decals, fin sheets, and instructions before I cut them up (better still not cut the instructions up). I also wish I had noted body tube lengths before beginning the projects.
 
K'Tesh,

All of my older instruction sheets have cut outs for tube marking guides and shock cord mounts. Some of the pages have dried up glue, paint and check marks. Now I make copies and keep the originals organized in folders. I only write in pencil, the completion dates on the upper left corners above the Estes logo. I keep notes of paint brands and colors with each rockets instructions for color matching for touch up or reference if I like how the color looks or holds up over time.
I also keep a flight log for each rocket which I regret not doing in the past.
 
JERRYR708 said:
K'Tesh,

All of my older instruction sheets have cut outs for tube marking guides and shock cord mounts. Some of the pages have dried up glue, paint and check marks. Now I make copies and keep the originals organized in folders. I only write in pencil, the completion dates on the upper left corners above the Estes logo. I keep notes of paint brands and colors with each rockets instructions for color matching for touch up or reference if I like how the color looks or holds up over time.
I also keep a flight log for each rocket which I regret not doing in the past.
Click to expand...

All of that would have been useful to know. Thanks for sharing those tips.

And Thanks to everyone else for your tips.

I hope that some newbie will find this stuff useful someday.

Pointy Side Up!
Jim
 
Gary Byrum said:
I suppose my earliest memory comes as, not everything should be flown with a C6-5.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is why they make H128 motors :tongue:

Also, that painting rockets is a good idea, especially if you want them to look at least semi-presentable years later.
 
jjwb22101 said:
Yes, that is why they make H128 motors :tongue:

Also, that painting rockets is a good idea, especially if you want them to look at least semi-presentable years later.
Click to expand...

H motors weren't even thought of in my early years. We were still drooling over the new D motors. Painting skills came way later.
 
jjwb22101

You are right. I've been painting rockets for years and they are barely semi-presentable. My painting experience after all these years are just starting to pay off..:)
 
Gary Byrum,

I just discovered E and F motors available in stores last year. Never knew they even existed. I still have not flown anything over D. When I get the D rockets on the pad, I feel like I really did something to brag about. I guess it's because when I was a kid, most of my rockets were A-C size. I had a Cherokee-D once and it flew so high that it just disappeared. I was disappointed. I found it years later in a tree and put it in my rocket museum. So yeah, I also drool over them D's..:-;
 
markkoelsch said:
I started with 29, and then 38. I see your point, but there are some rockets I have that work great on 29 mm stuff. I also really enjoy the AT H180 and H220.
Click to expand...


I started with a 38/600 AT case and 2 I284 loads and have never regretted the choice. 3" 5# loaded rocket needs a 38mm. I have all the 29's and 38's now with actually 2 sets of 29's...I case I want to cluster 2 29's with a 38 ;)
 
Raketenolli said:
1. Don't fly 2 oz models with a D12 on a soccer field surrounded by trees and houses. Actually, don't fly 4 oz models there either...
Click to expand...

along these lines- it is important to check the width of the launch field (east-west) in addition to the length (north-south), especially if the wind usually blows to the east or west. The rocket will not see that there is ample room to drift north and compensate.

I honestly wish I'd remembered how much fun this was from my youth. I would have resumed this hobby years ago. Even so, glad I found it when I did.
 
What I wish I'd known then:
  • Take your time and follow the instructions carefully. You can decide to deviate after you've build a few, but you don't know anything yet today, so just do it like they told you to.
  • It's OK if it's hard. It's supposed to be challenging, keep going, you'll get it.
I first started when I was about 10 or so, and those are things it would have helped me to know about a lot of stuff. That's why I gave up on the hobby and never came back to it until my mid forties.

And finally:
  • Invest in sand paper.
 
I wish... I wish... I wish...

I knew that my really expensive hobby, with $300 motors, and $500+ trackers/ electronics, would actually over the year, cost me LESS than some of my friends are spending down at the bar every Friday night.

... and compared to Golf.... this is a cheap hobby.
 
This is a great thread. As a returning member, I can appreciate the wisdom collective experience affords us all.

My input: If you are going to take a break from the hobby, do yourself a favor and hang on to your altimeters, TAC-1 and TAC-9 parachutes and HP motor cases. It sucks repurchasing those items when you inevitably return.......
 
llickteig1 said:
Don't wast your money on 29mm high power RMS motor cases, go straight to 38mm.
Click to expand...

I too see your point, however if you don't have a field vendor who sells AT, the 29mm stuff with no hazard shipping is great. also, the new thin wall fiberglass kits fly really well on 29mm RMS motors.
 
I'm with you on that Riley, I like the MPR+ space...have a small collection of Madcow and WM minis to build.

@TopRamen the TF2 Sniper mantra is "Be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet!" (I know, I used to play a lot of TF2...as spy backstabbing the snipers...)
 
I would not change a thing... I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have learned coming up through rocketry. Either way, I much more still to learn.
 
Scratch building with new materials and processes is far more rewarding than building kits.
 
KenECoyote said:
How much time I'd be spending on this forum. :wink:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought that if I got back into rocketry, it would help me to get up off my butt, away from the T.V. Now I'm just trading places from the T.V. to the computer monitor. It's easy to get caught up into complacency. As long as it relates to rocketry and learning something new, I don't always have to be building and launching.
Some rockets take a decade of research before a maiden launch. So if one of mine take a month or two to build and launch, I'm happy.
 

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