Greetings, Everyone!

[katinthebox]

Thought I'd introduce myself; this seems like the appropriate place, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

My name is Kat. I recently got back into model rocketry. I was nuts about it growing up, but somewhere around my sophomore year of highschool, I guess I started being more interested in other things. I've wanted to start building and launching again for years, but lived in the inner city and never had the space in an apartment to build or easy access to a field until now.

My husband and I recently moved to the country- to a house (not an apartment! An actual house with a staircase inside the front door!) that's right next to a big field. Perfect!

Like I said, rocketry was one of my favorite things from about age 9-15. A local math and science center ran a two week summer program, and I was hooked before I finished my first Viking. My folks were a bit iffy on it, so I was never allowed to launch anything above a B motor, and they weren't wild about using spray paint... but now I'm in my 30s and this field is large enough for a D. I was so excited about launching when I was growing up that- this probably sounds horrific- I never bothered painting a single rocket I built, but nobody's around to tell me I can't use paint these days!

How did everyone here get started? What's your favorite thing about rocketry? What do you find most difficult?

 

[tsmmiller]

Welcome back! You are in the midst of lots of enablers! Paint? Don't paint? Entirely up to you.
Some fly "naked" until the rocket has earned its colors. Other endless hours on a mirror finish.
My preference is 30 ft at 90 degrees is acceptable! I enjoy the builds more than the paints.
Launching low power local is good if you have the place, move up to mid and high power you may find you drive for hours, like most everyone here. Your preference.
Enjoy the trip and I will be the first to say, Post lots of pictures! We live for pics!

 

[neil_w]

Welcome!

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Indeed, the more the merrier..! I got into the hobby as a kid in Puerto Rico, again in my teens in Illinois, my mid twenties in Virginia, then nothing for years until I officially became a BAR around ten years ago, still in VA...

 

[katinthebox]

Indeed, the more the merrier..! I got into the hobby as a kid in Puerto Rico, again in my teens in Illinois, my mid twenties in Virginia, then nothing for years until I officially became a BAR around ten years ago, still in VA...

I'm in VA, too! What part?

 

[Marc_G]

Welcome @katinthebox ! You are among friends and fellow addicts.

Most of us are returnees to the hobby after some period of non rocketry.

One of my favorite things to do when I got back into it was to revisit the rockets of my youth. Perhaps the same will bring you joy too. While many of the models you built as a kid will no longer be in production, search up the JimZ Rocket Plans site that has almost every plan ever made. I've cloned a few of my childhood favorites that way.

Have fun exploring and ask lots of questions. The only rule here is "pics, or it didn't happen."

 

[Wally Ferrer]

As it says on my nameplate(?), I'm in Manassas, which is in Northern VA... thirty-ish miles outside of D.C....

 

[samb]

Welcome back to the party Kat. Congrats on the new home and rocket range !
I got started when a science teacher who worked for my Dad during summer break gifted me with an Estes starter set. I came back after a 30-something year hiatus when my wife left me alone one weekend without a honey-do list. A rare slip on her part. Like alot of forum dwellers I'm a BAR and you will be too when you launch your next rocket. Born Again Rocketeer, loud and proud !
Favorite part ? Hard to pick one, how about top 3 ?
3 - flying with a club - spending a Saturday with my friends and 50+ or more flights is some fun
2 - flying with kids - I get to relive the excitement of pushing the button for the first time
1 - a whiff of black powder is like the fountain of youth


p.s. Spend as much or as little time as you want but... paint your rocket !!!

 

[katinthebox]

As it says on my nameplate(?), I'm in Manassas, which is in Northern VA... thirty-ish miles outside of D.C....

Ah, didn't see that, still getting used to the layout. Good to know there's someone not too too far. Not having much luck turning up any groups near me that aren't strictly for kids, unfortunately.

 

[boatgeek]

Welcome!

I guess the most important thing is that there's no wrong way to do this, unless you're not having fun. Some people are speed demons, some people like low and slow, some people put a lot of effort into gorgeous paint jobs, some people whack on some spray paint and call it good.

Personally, I like to scratch build weird stuff (square, wooden, oddrocs, etc.), often with designs based on animals.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Ah, didn't see that, still getting used to the layout. Good to know there's someone not too too far. Not having much luck turning up any groups near me that aren't strictly for kids, unfortunately.

Okay, your turn- where is 'near' you..? I'm a member of NOVAAR, we launch at Great Meadow...

 

[katinthebox]

Okay, your turn- where is 'near' you..? I'm a member of NOVAAR, we launch at Great Meadow...

Ashland, King's Dominion... lotta woods, lotta fields

 

[ThePlmbr]

Welcome Kat. Enjoy your rocket flights. Greg Olson

 

[jqavins]

My name is Kat.

Hi, Kat.

I recently got back into model rocketry. I was nuts about it growing up, but somewhere around my sophomore year of highschool, I guess I started being more interested in other things. I've wanted to start building and launching again for years, but lived in the inner city and never had the space in an apartment to build or easy access to a field until now.

All that makes you fairly typical around here. You're what's called a Born Again Rocketeer (BAR) and there are lots of us.

Like I said, rocketry was one of my favorite things from about age 9-15. A local math and science center ran a two week summer program, and I was hooked before I finished my first Viking.

Also pretty typical for this crowd.

My folks were a bit iffy on it, so I was never allowed to launch anything above a B motor, and they weren't wild about using spray paint

Sadly, not too uncommon. The good part is that you won't be so leery when it it's your kids', if any, that become interested.

How did everyone here get started? What's your favorite thing about rocketry? What do you find most difficult?

I like to call myself a BAR who was stillborn the first time. I got started with an Estes Big Bertha that my parents gave me. I messed it all up an it was never flight worthy, and I became discouraged and didn't try again. For about 30 years. Then I discovered the free demo version of a program called RockSim* and did a few designs, just for the fun of it, before deciding to get off my fat backside and build something.

I think I'd say that what I like best is learning new skills and techniques, taking my builds and designs in new directions and into more advanced stuff. What I find most difficult, ironically, is pushing past my anxiety over screwing it up so that I can do just that very thing that I like best. Don't be like me. If you wanna do it, do it.

I'm an engineer by trade and a physicist at heart. So it will be no surprise that a close second for what I like is learning the science and the craft together.

Find and join a local club. They'll have like minded people with more experience than either you or I have, and they'll have organized launches at large fields. The NAR and TRA have lists of local sections (NAR) and prefectures (TRA) that will be helpful in that.

Remember, if you ask a question of ten experienced rocketeers, you'll get fifteen answers, and they're probably all correct. Take it all as advice then go your own way.

And finally, I tend to be long winded to a fault. Sorry if I'm chewing your ear off.

* RockSim (RS) is a commercial design and simulation tool from a company called Apogee Components. It's got a free counterpart called OpenRocket (OR). I can't recommend strongly enough that you get one or the other of those and learn to use it. Try out both (the RS demo is still free) and decide which you like better and, if you like RS better, if it's worth the price. I use RS because when I started it was what I knew about, and when I tried OR a little bit later it seemed really lacking, immature. OR has grown a lot since then, and I'd probably be using it if I were starting today. RS still does some things that OR hasn't caught up to, but not enough for me to want to pay the price were I in your shoes now.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Just a short hop up I95 and US 17 to Great Meadow- depending on traffic, maybe an hour, hour and a half? We're close to Dulles, so only a 4,000ft or so ceiling, but more than enough if you want to go L1 or L2. I love flying C and D, going E and bigger really starts to tickle my WOW factor...

 

[katinthebox]

I'm an engineer by trade and a physicist at heart. So it will be no surprise that a close second for what I like is learning the science and the craft together.

* RockSim (RS) is a commercial design and simulation tool from a company called Apogee Components. It's got a free counterpart called OpenRocket (OR). I can't recommend strongly enough that you get one or the other of those and learn to use it. Try out both (the RS demo is still free) and decide which you like better and, if you like RS better, if it's worth the price. I use RS because when I started it was what I knew about, and when I tried OR a little bit later it seemed really lacking, immature. OR has grown a lot since then, and I'd probably be using it if I were starting today. RS still does some things that OR hasn't caught up to, but not enough for me to want to pay the price were I in your shoes now.

Also an engineer. Been thinking about playing with Solidworks flow simulations or even seeing what the physics engine in UE4 would do (you might be surprised how helpful a videogame engine can be for some things!) since I'm already well versed in both, but I'll give RS a go too, because what kind of engineer would I be if I wasn't in the middle of teaching myself yet another piece of software?

 

[neil_w]

Also an engineer. Been thinking about playing with Solidworks flow simulations or even seeing what the physics engine in UE4 would do (you might be surprised how helpful a videogame engine can be for some things!) since I'm already well versed in both, but I'll give RS a go too, because what kind of engineer would I be if I wasn't in the middle of teaching myself yet another piece of software?

Personally I would recommend trying OpenRocket first. Start here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...d-mac-to-solve-all-your-java-problems.143540/

 

[jqavins]

As I said, I'd recommend trying both, long enough to get a bit of a feel for them. In which order? Doesn't matter.

 

[kuririn]

Welcome to the nuthouse.

 

[dr wogz]

Bienvenue! M. Kat.

yes, this is a bit of a nut house, but a friendly one. (Watch out for squirrels though! and a Llama.. )

Ask away! And be sure to post something at least once a day..

 

[Spitfire222]

Welcome! I'm located in Richmond, and mostly launch from a local middle school. You're more than welcome to join, but the school grounds are probably best for C-D motors max, so not much of an improvement from your field!

There are a few clubs within 1-2 hours of driving that have larger fields. NOVAAR, as mentioned earlier. But also SEVRA, and Battlepark to the West. Unfortunately, the Viking Rocket Society that was apparently based in Richmond appears to be defunct due to loss of launch field.

Send me a PM if you want to discuss more.

PS: Engineer here as well, so you're in good company.

 

[jqavins]

(Watch out for squirrels though! and a Llama.. )

Oh, that raises an important point no one's mentioned yet.

How's your Python? Your not allowed here if you can't get a majority of the references and make one of your own at least once a month.

Sorry, I don't make the rules.

 

[cwbullet]

Howdy!

 

[dhbarr]

Welcome back!

 

[Bat-mite]

If you can make the 1:40 drive to Culpepper once a month or so, there is a club there. Next launch is this Saturday at 10:00 AM.

http://battlepark.org/

 

[dr wogz]

the real question is.. what kind of engineer?! (Mech designer myself!)


I remember asking my dad what he does when I was young. I was, 5, or there abouts.

"I'm an engineer" he replied.

"Cool, can you take me to see your train one day?" I eagerly asked.

"I'm not that kind of engineer. I'm an electrical engineer." he replied

"OK, can you take me to see your electric train then?!"

 

[katinthebox]

Oh, that raises an important point no one's mentioned yet.

How's your Python? Your not allowed here if you can't get a majority of the references and make one of your own at least once a month.

Sorry, I don't make the rules.

I'm about to start writing the UI for a script I wrote to maintain and search an index of a massive file directory at work because browsing through 20 results at a time on Sharepoint got real old real fast, but I'm also 100% self taught, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it could probably be a lot better. Sure wish it was easier to make people comfortable with running something from the command prompt, but what are you gonna do (apparently play around with tkinter, kivy, pyqt, etc quite a bit).

 

[dhbarr]

I'm about to start writing the UI for a script I wrote to maintain and search an index of a massive file directory at work because browsing through 20 results at a time on Sharepoint got real old real fast, but I'm also 100% self taught, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it could probably be a lot better. Sure wish it was easier to make people comfortable with running something from the command prompt, but what are you gonna do (apparently play around with tkinter, kivy, pyqt, etc quite a bit).

Ha!

 

[boatgeek]

I'm about to start writing the UI for a script I wrote to maintain and search an index of a massive file directory at work because browsing through 20 results at a time on Sharepoint got real old real fast, but I'm also 100% self taught, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it could probably be a lot better. Sure wish it was easier to make people comfortable with running something from the command prompt, but what are you gonna do (apparently play around with tkinter, kivy, pyqt, etc quite a bit).

Way back when I was in school in 1996, the maker of one of the pieces of software I use professionally came out on their big newsletter and clearly said that GUIs were a passing fad and command line was the way of the future. They haven't really updated all that much since, though they also have market dominance in a small market.

(Also an engineer, I design boats)

 

[K'Tesh]

Sorry I missed your intro Kat.... I work weekends, and I'm usually pretty wiped out on Sunday evenings and Mondays.

Nice thing about OR is it's free and opensource. It's pretty intuitive, and there's tons of support for it. If you ever run into any problems, feel free to ask on the forums. Someone will quite likely be able to help you.

And again...
Welcome!