Your Interests and Why??

[ThreeJsDad]

I struggled with the title so I am sure I will stumble through the rest of this. FIRST and FOREMOST this is not meant to start arguments but simply as a fun discussion based on an observation I have made about what draws me to rocketry. Even more specifically what I like to build and watch fly.

I find myself more interested in Odd Rocks, saucers and goofy rockets these days. This may be because I love to build, design and sort out fabrication problems. They are never simple builds and most of the time there is no kit or even pre-made parts I can use.

I like to watch videos of club launches or large events. After about six K motors or my third O motor I start looking for Odd Rocks or kids flying their LPRs.

I believe this is because most of the action with the big HPRs happens before the pad and when the recovery system fires. I say this because for me the actually burn is really cool the first time I saw one or if I have not seen one for a while. However, all the details and work that goes into that launch prior to it going to the pad will always be impressive to me.

The attention to detail that is required to fly L2 rockets with DD and other systems such as staging is no joke. The folks who can scratch build something like that have put in some serious time and a lot of mental effort to get that right. I think if they showed more of the set-up and prep that goes into the more advanced HPR's they would be more interesting to me on the videos.

Then I have the issue of how far away all the action is. I like watching the whole launch from the pad all the way back to the ground. With those massive two stage beasts that simply is not possible in many cases. These rockets simply fly too high to "experience" the whole flight. Flying that high can also be cool in it's own right.

Now we have the kids, their enthusiasm for even a C motor gives me a huge smile. I was watching a video of a club in Australia. These were mostly HPR's and then they let a little kid push the button for his C powered rocket. He was literally bouncing with excitement when it launched. When the chute popped the level of excitement went even higher.

Most of the HPR's are are very traditional looking because they are optimized for speed and altitude. There are also some extreme forces involved that require certain materials and methods that can make Odd Rockets not really practical. I realize there are a few HPRs that are non traditional but there are not very many and I have not seen an kits for them.

I am still very much like the little kid. Every launch is cool but when I can watch the whole thing it's even more exciting.

 

[Speaknoevil]

There have been many high power odd rockets flown over the years, but the vast majority are custom built. Yard ornaments discounted after holidays are some of my favorite odd-rock options. Example is one I built years back here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/night-launch-odd-roc-build-thread.26333/page-2#post-235365.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

There have been many high power odd rockets flown over the years, but the vast majority are custom built. Yard ornaments discounted after holidays are some of my favorite odd-rock options. Example is one I built years back here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/night-launch-odd-roc-build-thread.26333/page-2#post-235365.

That is AWESOME !!!!

 

[jqavins]

For similar reasons I like watching the low and mid power better than most of the high power launches when they're someone else's. I'm attracted to the accomplishment of my own HPR launches, but I have only actually done one so far; I want to accomplish more.

I also very much enjoy designing with simulation. (I use RS, but OR would be just as good.) I'll build some of them, eventually. Building and flying are fun, and it's hard to say if designing is more fun exactly; it's more accessible; I can complete a "project" in a day or two and for free.

I like rockets that look like rockets rather than oddrocs like layn ornaments and port-a-potties, or airplane looking rockets. (This is not an absolute.) That said, I like to find a middle ground between what might maybe be called an oddroc and a plain 3FNC, so the sci-fi designs are attractive. The other side of that coin is they can be fiddly to build, and I'm something of a klutz, so I hesitate to take them on.

And I like discussing rockets and learning stuff, even if I haven't and may never put it to use. That's why I spend way more time here on TRF than I probably should.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

For similar reasons I like watching the low and mid power better than most of the high power launches when they're someone else's. I'm attracted to the accomplishment of my own HPR launches, but I have only actually done one so far; I want to accomplish more.

I also very much enjoy designing with simulation. (I use RS, but OR would be just as good.) I'll build some of them, eventually. Building and flying are fun, and it's hard to say if designing is more fun exactly; it's more accessible; I can complete a "project" in a day or two and for free.

I like rockets that look like rockets rather than oddrocs like layn ornaments and port-a-potties, or airplane looking rockets. (This is not an absolute.) That said, I like to find a middle ground between what might maybe be called an oddroc and a plain 3FNC, so the sci-fi designs are attractive. The other side of that coin is they can be fiddly to build, and I'm something of a klutz, so I hesitate to take them on.

And I like discussing rockets and learning stuff, even if I haven't and may never put it to use. That's why I spend way more time here on TRF than I probably should.

YUP, I am not sure Odd rocks is really the right term, I like Sci-Fi looking stuff and Saucer type rockets but the flying Porta John didn't do much for me. I liked Tim's Alien and I would put that more in the category with the Crayon Rockets.

 

[Antares JS]

I have three big interests.

The first and largest is in rockets that "do things" other than woosh-pop. Examples include dropping stages, deploying gliders, carrying onboard camera or other interesting payload, and dual-deployment. I have a long-term ambition to build a high power rocket that drops both strap-on boosters and a lower stage.

My second interest is in flying scale models. I see scale models with lots of detail that are capable of actually flying as exemplars of artistry and engineering, and it is amazing to watch them fly. The only problem with this is that when a flight goes badly on a very nice scale model, I could swear I actually feel physical pain, even if it's not my rocket.

My third interest is the thunderous cacophony produced by about K motors and larger, that you can feel as well as hear. This kind of leads into an interest in even the smaller low-thrust, long burn motors as well. With the rocket going a little slower and the burn lasting longer, that experience lasts longer. I may be in the minority here, but I am a big fan of the big Estes motors, the E12, E16, and F15, for the reason that the burn is 3 seconds or more. One of the most satisfying flights I ever did was an Estes Mammoth with the Pro Series II booster that staged an F15 to an E16, which came out to a good five or six seconds of thrusting.

 

[neil_w]

My focus is split between creating original designs (usually in OR) and building them. I stay in LPR because I find working with paper and balsa to be extremely satisfying, and I have limited storage space for larger rockets. I love building kits too but my scratchbuilds seem to take up most of my time so my kit builds are few and far between.

I don't get to many launches so by far my focus is on building rather than flying. But I love to launch when I can, and all new builds must be flown at least once. That is an unbreakable rule.

 

[grouch]

My main interest is RDF tracking. I absolutely love the hunt and hike. To get there, I enjoy models of sounding rockets with 29mm power. Pop the top at 4-5K? Yes please!

 

[NateB]

I enjoy making motors. Unfortunately, the propellants I am most experienced with and set up to make are not allowed by Tripoli. I still have the bug, so currently I am working on my Level 1 and eventually Level 2 in order to learn about the propellants that are allowed at these launches.

In the meantime, I'm flying commercial motors and learning about working with fiberglass and making some custom shapes for future builds.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

My focus is split between creating original designs (usually in OR) and building them. I stay in LPR because I find working with paper and balsa to be extremely satisfying, and I have limited storage space for larger rockets. I love building kits too but my scratchbuilds seem to take up most of my time so my kit builds are few and far between.

I don't get to many launches so by far my focus is on building rather than flying. But I love to launch when I can, and all new builds must be flown at least once. That is an unbreakable rule.

I can relate completely. I use a lot of composites for my tubes but cutting Birch ply on my scroll saw is fun.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

I enjoy making motors. Unfortunately, the propellants I am most experienced with and set up to make are not allowed by Tripoli. I still have the bug, so currently I am working on my Level 1 and eventually Level 2 in order to learn about the propellants that are allowed at these launches.

In the meantime, I'm flying commercial motors and learning about working with fiberglass and making some custom shapes for future builds.

Fiberglassing can be fun, if i had a buddy to build with I would get into doing some wicked molded projects. The motor building I will leave to you for now. I wanted to pursue that at one time but my home club doesn't do research launches so I fly commercial motors in crazy rockets.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

My main interest is RDF tracking. I absolutely love the hunt and hike. To get there, I enjoy models of sounding rockets with 29mm power. Pop the top at 4-5K? Yes please!

I am building a 24mm for someone that could do over 10K. The tracking would be cool until I found it way up in a really high tree, I would cry all the way home.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

I have three big interests.

The first and largest is in rockets that "do things" other than woosh-pop. Examples include dropping stages, deploying gliders, carrying onboard camera or other interesting payload, and dual-deployment. I have a long-term ambition to build a high power rocket that drops both strap-on boosters and a lower stage.

My second interest is in flying scale models. I see scale models with lots of detail that are capable of actually flying as exemplars of artistry and engineering, and it is amazing to watch them fly. The only problem with this is that when a flight goes badly on a very nice scale model, I could swear I actually feel physical pain, even if it's not my rocket.

My third interest is the thunderous cacophony produced by about K motors and larger, that you can feel as well as hear. This kind of leads into an interest in even the smaller low-thrust, long burn motors as well. With the rocket going a little slower and the burn lasting longer, that experience lasts longer. I may be in the minority here, but I am a big fan of the big Estes motors, the E12, E16, and F15, for the reason that the burn is 3 seconds or more. One of the most satisfying flights I ever did was an Estes Mammoth with the Pro Series II booster that staged an F15 to an E16, which came out to a good five or six seconds of thrusting.

There are some really slow burn RMS motors in the 24mm size that are really cool. I am not sure they are as slow as the Estes though.

 

[NateB]

I am have a bit to go before I can be in compliance of Tripoli research rules and will start with 38mm sugar motors, but that is still down the road. I'm not set up at all for APCP, so baby steps and no rush.

 

[jqavins]

There are some really slow burn RMS motors in the 24mm size that are really cool. I am not sure they are as slow as the Estes though.

Apogee F10. 29 mm. It has a 7.8 second burn.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

Apogee F10. 29 mm. It has a 7.8 second burn.

HOLY COW !!!!!!

 

[Steven]

By nature for whatever reasons unknown to me, I am a lazy builder of rockets. I have never even attempted to do my own thing as it were. On the other hand, I commonly make use of plans only to build RC aircraft including a 1/5th scale Stuka, 1/5th scale Zero, 1/5th scale P-38, 1/5th scale P-40 and a 1/9th scale B-17G with an 11'.5" wingspan. Rivets have come from using a pair of toe nail clippers to cut the heads off of pins to push into the skin of these models.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

By nature for whatever reasons unknown to me, I am a lazy builder of rockets. I have never even attempted to do my own thing as it were. On the other hand, I commonly make use of plans only to build RC aircraft including a 1/5th scale Stuka, 1/5th scale Zero, 1/5th scale P-38, 1/5th scale P-40 and a 1/9th scale B-17G with an 11'.5" wingspan. Rivets have come from using a pair of toe nail clippers to cut the heads off of pins to push into the skin of these models.

That's funny because I know how much work goes into scratch building an airplane.

 

[Steven]

The plans were Ziroli for all but the B-17G which is a Don Smith plan set.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

The plans were Ziroli for all but the B-17G which is a Don Smith plan set.

I have literally built hundreds of RC gliders and never once built a balsa airplane....LOL

 

[Steven]

The smell of nitro is fantastic. Ever since I was a kid in the 60's-70's. Models just gradually grew in size as the decades passed.

 

[John Taylor]

Even though I am lvl1 I really enjoy modding lower to medium power kits and scratch building. I'll purchase an Estes kit for cheap. Then I love to change the motor mount to a larger, sometimes way larger mount. Then I use the balsa fin cut out as a template and fabricate basswood or 1/8th " plywood fins and put them thru the wall. I also will slot the airframe below the fin slots so I can pull the fin can out after tacking the fin root edge onto the motor tube. Then I will filet the fins and centering rings. Reinstall the fin can and patch the slots. I learned this technique from Binder Design. I use epoxy exclusively in the build.
Throwing away the rubber band I substitute a long piece of nylon, tubular nylon or even kevlar for the shock cord. Throw away the plastic chute and replace it with a proper nylon one. I can usually use a much smaller chute because the rocket toughness is now capable of a much faster landing without damage= less walking. I also soak the airframe ends with ca. I then get the CP and if needed add nose weight to keep the CG forward of the CP.
Basically I overbuild like a HP rocket and raise the power of the motors usually using composites.
To me this is fun.

 

[John Taylor]

Typo, I'm level2.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

Even though I am lvl1 I really enjoy modding lower to medium power kits and scratch building. I'll purchase an Estes kit for cheap. Then I love to change the motor mount to a larger, sometimes way larger mount. Then I use the balsa fin cut out as a template and fabricate basswood or 1/8th " plywood fins and put them thru the wall. I also will slot the airframe below the fin slots so I can pull the fin can out after tacking the fin root edge onto the motor tube. Then I will filet the fins and centering rings. Reinstall the fin can and patch the slots. I learned this technique from Binder Design. I use epoxy exclusively in the build.
Throwing away the rubber band I substitute a long piece of nylon, tubular nylon or even kevlar for the shock cord. Throw away the plastic chute and replace it with a proper nylon one. I can usually use a much smaller chute because the rocket toughness is now capable of a much faster landing without damage= less walking. I also soak the airframe ends with ca. I then get the CP and if needed add nose weight to keep the CG forward of the CP.
Basically I overbuild like a HP rocket and raise the power of the motors usually using composites.
To me this is fun.

I understand completely. I build very light weight MPR's like they are HPR's with thru-wall fins, epoxy, Cabosil fillets, Birch Ply centering rings and bulk heads. You know what I mean.....

 

[PXR5]

Sci-Fi stuff

But I am gonna build a scale Saturn 5

 

[JPalmer621]

I am scale person. I stay mostly in low power. Over the years I have scratch built many different models including two stage space shuttles and a two stage Saturn V. I will buy a kit and I want more than just up and down that is where the scratch comes in.

 

[lakeroadster]

I like designing and then building. I used to build Hot Rods as a hobby (20's / 30's era Ford's with modern(ish) drive trains). That was fun, but the treasure and time was problematic.

I find designing and building LPR every bit as rewarding as the cars. And it's much more economical .

 

[Bat-mite]

Let me start with the "why" part.

I am a lousy model-builder. I have very little patience. I don't like to paint or sand. My fingers are short and stubby, and I have swollen knuckles from nearly 53 years of diabetes. I don't have the normal amount of feeling in my hands, either.

For these reasons, LPR and scale have no appeal for me. Detailed work is just not my thing.

I also am not very creative. I try to design things, but I always end up basically copying someone else's design if I try. I'm just not that "idea guy." So designing oddrocks, jet fighters, gliders, etc. is also not my thing. I'm just not creative.

That leaves me with building kits. LPR and even MPR kits were fun for me at first, as I learned how rockets work. They were inexpensive, and errors weren't very costly. Lose one? Oh, well. No biggie.

But as I got into club launching and saw big rockets, I knew immediately that that was my thing. Big rockets, big motors. Loud motors. And DD is an absolute must.

So here is what I like. I like to build big kits (see my avatar) that take a long time to build. If I can avoid paint, great! I love prepping the charges, testing the altimeters, wiring things up. I love buying bigger and bigger motor hardware, and bigger and bigger reloads.

I love having to work hard to get my birds transported to the launch site. I love having people stop at my work area and ask questions and volunteer to help. I make friends that way.

I love riding out to the away cells in a truck or trailer, needing a crew to get my rocket on the pad, climbing the tower and turning on my electronics. I love hearing the roar of the motor, that thrill of joy if my rocket flies straight up on its maiden flight. If it goes out of site, I love going on a "treasure hunt" for it, following my GPS tracker to see where it landed.

I love it when people clap and congratulate me on a successful flight, and then volunteer to go with me to recover it. And I love doing the same thing for other people.

That's my story.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

Let me start with the "why" part.

I am a lousy model-builder. I have very little patience. I don't like to paint or sand. My fingers are short and stubby, and I have swollen knuckles from nearly 53 years of diabetes. I don't have the normal amount of feeling in my hands, either.

For these reasons, LPR and scale have no appeal for me. Detailed work is just not my thing.

I also am not very creative. I try to design things, but I always end up basically copying someone else's design if I try. I'm just not that "idea guy." So designing oddrocks, jet fighters, gliders, etc. is also not my thing. I'm just not creative.

That leaves me with building kits. LPR and even MPR kits were fun for me at first, as I learned how rockets work. They were inexpensive, and errors weren't very costly. Lose one? Oh, well. No biggie.

But as I got into club launching and saw big rockets, I knew immediately that that was my thing. Big rockets, big motors. Loud motors. And DD is an absolute must.

So here is what I like. I like to build big kits (see my avatar) that take a long time to build. If I can avoid paint, great! I love prepping the charges, testing the altimeters, wiring things up. I love buying bigger and bigger motor hardware, and bigger and bigger reloads.

I love having to work hard to get my birds transported to the launch site. I love having people stop at my work area and ask questions and volunteer to help. I make friends that way.

I love riding out to the away cells in a truck or trailer, needing a crew to get my rocket on the pad, climbing the tower and turning on my electronics. I love hearing the roar of the motor, that thrill of joy if my rocket flies straight up on its maiden flight. If it goes out of site, I love going on a "treasure hunt" for it, following my GPS tracker to see where it landed.

I love it when people clap and congratulate me on a successful flight, and then volunteer to go with me to recover it. And I love doing the same thing for other people.

That's my story.

I can certainly relate to the stubby finger challenge. My family says I have sausage fingers. Mine is from abnormal muscle due to years of working with my hands. You do indeed build some very cool large rockets !! I too love DD and I am working on making it happen in smaller rockets.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

I like designing and then building. I used to build Hot Rods as a hobby (20's / 30's era Ford's with modern(ish) drive trains). That was fun, but the treasure and time was problematic.

I find designing and building LPR every bit as rewarding as the cars. And it's much more economical .

You definitely have an eye for design !!!