Xyla's Fifi rocket

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I wear a Belly Shirt just like this when I build rockets.
Pics please.

Hey, what ever works! I'm glad the rocket community is more inclusive and we need more women, no matter what their sartorial choices are, in our sport. If you watch her videos, she is an awesome engineer, builder and rocketeer. This anthropology major is quite jealous.
+1. I'm very pleased to see the enthusiasm for rocketry in the younger folk. The fact that they had a airbnb full of young rocket nerds working on their projects is awesome. Hotnozzlesummer is arguably the best hashtag of 2021, and jockets are now a thing. All of these things are good developments imo.


Interesting build
Agreed. The woodwork was amazing, I've never even considered something like that. I've also never done a layup on a leading edge of a fin like she did but I guess if I flew with chonky wood fins I might consider it. I do wish they'd (the younger youtube rocketry folk) do more wet sanding though for their own sake. Seeing all of that dry FG hand sanding concerns me.
 
I recently watched this video after I realized she was there launching rockets with Joe Barnard and his Lumineer project. The few videos/projects she's posted are very good (I want to build a cedar strip canoe someday!), and her enthusiasm is infectious. I really like the unique finish on her rocket, as I feel it's difficult to come up with creative, non-bland paint schemes for rockets. The only thing I wasn't a fan of is the rushed nature of the project. Obviously everything worked out successfully, but I would never want to be finishing up things the day I'd be leaving for the launch site. To each their own I guess!
 
That was an amazing video. incredible woodwork. I don't do fiberglass so it was interesting to see what was involved, and this was a pretty detailed video about that. Enough to know I'm probably not interested in glassing a cardboard tube.
So, she could have saved herself a lot of work with an fg tube?
 
Good interview with Xyla on the latest episode of The Rocketry Show. Most of the obvious questions about this build are answered.

https://www.therocketryshow.com/110/

Crazy the attention this is getting, I agree it’s neat and unique, because it is cool! But man, only launching 2 rockets ever and everyone including the rocket show wants to talk about it

Can’t help but feel this is mostly due to middle aged dudes going ‘omg hey look a girl building a rocket‘ type situation. If it were a new-to-the-hobby 45yr old guy building this same rocket, with the same spunk, same enthusiasm, and same belly shirt, he would barely Get a second look 😂

That said, I encourage the diversity within the hobby
 
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Well, this young lady has given me the confidence to try fiberglassing for the first time. She made it look fun and easy. I watched that part several times and now have everything I need, including a belly shirt, to glass my current project.
 
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I'd actually been subscribed to her channel several months before her L2 build. She has made some beautiful strip canoes. There were a few things I cringed at during her L2 build but if it's successful, then who am I to question it?
 
Crazy the attention this is getting

True, but it's all good!

If it were a new-to-the-hobby 45yr old guy building this same rocket, with the same spunk, same enthusiasm, and same belly shirt, he would barely Get a second look 😂

If you succeed in finding a 45yr old guy who can demonstrate the same spunk, enthusiasm (about rocketry!), and pull-off belly shirt look, do share!
 
True, but it's all good!



If you succeed in finding a 45yr old guy who can demonstrate the same spunk, enthusiasm (about rocketry!), and pull-off belly shirt look, do share!
Well, you found one. And I’m about to start a new rocket this week. See my post above. Since she inspired me to take on fiberglassing, i will pay homage in the build thread pics and vids by wearing the exact same outfit while glassing. Stay tuned!
 
Well, you found one. And I’m about to start a new rocket this week. See my post above. Since she inspired me to take on fiberglassing, i will pay homage in the build thread pics and vids by wearing the exact same outfit while glassing. Stay tuned!
Please spare us. If I want to see that I can just got to Walmart... 😂
 
I think the main reason she has gotten so much attention is because, well, the rest of us are pretty boring. I definitely include me in that description*. I think that when there's someone who is engaging, who does stuff a bit differently than everyone else, and is demonstrating both good build technique and good range safety technique, they're going to get a lot of attention. Sure, there's stuff I'd do differently, and yes I would like to see more gloves when working with epoxy, but I've long since realized that I'm an old man shouting at clouds in that regard. :D

* Long ago, I did an interview for Deadliest Catch (I do engineering work for the Alaska fishing fleet, among others), but they never aired it because I was too low key.
 
I think the main reason she has gotten so much attention is because, well, the rest of us are pretty boring.
We certainly are, at least in comparison to Xyla. Look, the fact that she's a young attractive female in a hobby dominated by old men obviously draws disproportionate attention.

But it's also an unusual and interesting build, and even more important is that she's also a Youtuber with connection to a young audience who knows how to make good videos. There are precious few equivalent examples of that out there in the rocketry community. Joe Barnard is another standout in this area, albeit with less than half as many subscribers. The Dude Perfect videos were notable in that regard as well.

So, as far as I'm concerned, that video is worth the attention. I hope she makes more rocketry videos in the future.

(BTW the recently posted "Final Cut" flight video posted by @Rocketjunkie was also extraordinarily well done, and worthy of a podcast interview IMHO.)
 
We certainly are, at least in comparison to Xyla. Look, the fact that she's a young attractive female in a hobby dominated by old men obviously draws disproportionate attention.

But it's also an unusual and interesting build, and even more important is that she's also a Youtuber with connection to a young audience who knows how to make good videos. There are precious few equivalent examples of that out there in the rocketry community. Joe Barnard is another standout in this area, albeit with less than half as many subscribers. The Dude Perfect videos were notable in that regard as well.

So, as far as I'm concerned, that video is worth the attention. I hope she makes more rocketry videos in the future.

(BTW the recently posted "Final Cut" flight video posted by @Rocketjunkie was also extraordinarily well done, and worthy of a podcast interview IMHO.)
Xyla's rocket was named Fifi (the french maid duster from Beauty and the Beast) and Joe's was named Lumiere (the French candlabra from Beauty and the Beast) and they both launched at the same event. Joe's was his L3 and Xyla's was her L2. I don't know how many people picked up on that.
 
But it's also an unusual and interesting build, and even more important is that she's also a Youtuber with connection to a young audience who knows how to make good videos. There are precious few equivalent examples of that out there in the rocketry community. Joe Barnard is another standout in this area, albeit with less than half as many subscribers. The Dude Perfect videos were notable in that regard as well.

So, as far as I'm concerned, that video is worth the attention. I hope she makes more rocketry videos in the future.
This is my perspective as well. There are very few (if any) videos on youtube that show an end-to-end HPR build that are as well presented and edited as Xyla's. Not to mention the unique methods she deploys in her build. I've not once seen anyone in the hobby wrap a rocket with a wood laminate veneer. I think she's deserving of the attention she's getting and I think in the long run the benefit of young people showing public enthusiasm for the hobby is critical for sustaining and expanding the hobby.
 
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