After a long absence, wondering about the state of the hobby these days? ( Intro)

[RocketMike]

Hi folks,
Name here is Michael and I'm 49 years old. I used to fly low power model rockets (Estes, Centuri) from when I was teenager up until I was in my twenties. Back in those days we launched at a nearby school field, we would lug an old 12 V car battery up there to power the launch system! I kind of got away from the hobby for awhile with just an occasional foray into it here and there over the last 25 years or so. I would occasionally "stick a toe back in the water" when I saw Estes kits at Wal-mart or when I would go into a hobby shop looking for stuff for my trains or RC hobbies. I still have the Porta pad and AA battery powered launch controller I acquired during those brief forays back into the hobby but any rockets I ever had are long gone. During my time away, I would still peek at the rockets in the hobby store or take an occasional look at the rocket forum over on RCGroups and I would see things about high power rockets here and there but honestly, it seemed like to me that the hobby, at least as I knew it, was dying.
Fast forward to yesterday. I was in the Athens Georgia Hobby Lobby with my wife and kids. I was trying to give my wife a break to look at all her artsy decorator stuff and hokey nick knacks so I had my 23 year old autistic son and 10 year old daughter with me over in the hobby aisle looking at train stuff. My daughter spotted the section of Estes rockets and said "Daddy, don't you have the stuff to launch these? I think I saw it somewhere once." I answered that I did have a launch pad but that I just didn't fool with "that stuff" anymore. Because of a tight hobby budget, I had already had to give up RC and I mostly just concentrated on my trains. I certainly wasn't looking to get back into rocketry but my daughter had other ideas. I won't bore you guys with the dynamics of a father daughter conversation but suffice to say Emma definitely knows how to work on Dad to get what she wants...LOL! Besides, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been sneaking peeks over at the rocket kits! One had actually caught my eye. I had always wanted an Estes Red Max back in the day and never gotten around to getting one. There was a "Mini Max" hanging over on the rack and it was calling my name.
Next thing I know, I'm walking out of the store with the kit, engines and recovery wadding and explaining to my lovely wife how " this will be a good hobby for me to share with the kids since they have no interest in my trains."
So with that little story out of the way, how is the hobby doing these days? Last night after everyone else was long tucked away in bed, I was up flying high on Starbucks coffee and doing research. My first stop was the NAR website which led me here and some other places. I got to say that things look a little bit better to me than they did. Maybe the hobby looks in better shape than it did several years ago but I have questions and reservations. I wonder are high powered rockets the main part of the hobby these days or are the "little guys" like I'm accustomed to flying still a viable part of things? Are people like me and my kids considered a "joke" by the high power guys or are we accepted as equals? I got to say I was a little surprised about how expensive NAR membership has become. The fact that the "join" links all seem to be broken and that their appears to be no facility for " joining online" gives me pause. So, just wondering how are things these days?

Michael

 

[RWmarlow]

Welcome Back!....My daughter can do the same thing to ol' dad...Are you in the Athens Area?

 

[Supersonic Whatchyamaclli]

I'm new to the hobby and have been to launches sponsored by Kloudbusters in Kansas for the last four years. I've always been treated great no matter what silly questions I have asked anyone. I''ve always been treated respectfully by everyone. Never seen any attitude from high power folks towards lower tier flyers, just the opposite. I know nothing about Nar but Tripoli has been great to me, for what it's worth.

 

[Jiffycoil]

Hi Michael,
Welcome back. I would say that rocketry is stronger than ever and from my experience here at the Orangeburg SC launches low power is just as welcome as high power. I do build high powered rockets but like many others I still enjoy building and flying low and mid powered rockets. Have fun.

 

[RocketMike]

Welcome Back!....My daughter can do the same thing to ol' dad...Are you in the Athens Area?

I'm in Eatonton Georgia on Lake Sinclair. It's not too bad a drive for me to come up that way. I used to fly RC planes out at the Sandpit outside of Watkinsville.
Michael

 

[Rocketbuilder]

I'd say the hobby's doing pretty well, actually. It seems there are more manufacturers and vendors than ever, and this forum has been my #1 resource in the few months that I've been into rockets. At the club launches I've been to, the LPR and HPR fliers seem to get along real well.
As for national organization memberships, if you're only flying low power it's not really necessary. The main reason a lot of people join is to get insurance, which is good to have if you're flying larger, potentially more dangerous rockets.
Good luck, and have fun! As I'm sure you'll soon find out, rocketry is a hobby that can fit in with pretty much any budget.

 

[Zeus-cat]

At my club we encourage all sizes of rockets. The high power stuff gets more "respect" because of safety concerns. We want people paying attention when one of the big ones goes up just in case something goes wrong. I would guess at least two thirds of the launches at my club are not high power.

My personal numbers for this year are below. As you can see, less than 10% of my launches are high power.

A 7
B 5
C 28
D 8
E 0
F 0
G 0
H 3
I 1

 

[NJRick]

welcome back! I am kinda in your boat...I got back into rocketry last year...I am a low power guy and from what I can see....I think the hobby may be even better than when I was a kid...certainly seems to be a lot of manufacturers that are making really neat kits!! there seem to be lots of really good people on this board who are more than willing to give a newbie like me tips and pointers...just follow the build threads....amazing talent on this board! but we love pictures so when you finish your kit post some for us!

 

[Marc_G]

Mike-

One note of caution about retrieving your rocket, to consider based on the "norms" of your area. There have been several threads recently where school officials disallow rocketry on school grounds when our activities are brought to their attention. Depending on the local laws and ordinances, they may or may not be fully within their rights to do so, but it never pays to disobey them.

So just understand that when you ask for help getting to the roof the retrieve your rocket, whether or not they help you retrieve it, there is a good chance they will tell you not to fly there anymore. Of course, I'm assuming you launched from the schoolground.

Many of us who fly within the rules nonetheless try not to bring the hobby onto the radar of those with the power to change the rules to our detriment.

I believe it's best to fly with explicity consent, but I wanted to share the concern with you for your own consideration.

Marc

PS: Welcome back to the hobby! Beware, it's a slippery slope. I started with an RTF in 2010, and now my basement is literally full of rockets!

 

[RoyAtl]

Michael,
Check us out at https://soarrocketry.org . We have launches twice a month, usually in the north suburbs of Atlanta (though yesterday we had a launch near Lilly and Byromville, about 45 minutes south of Macon).

 

[RWmarlow]

I'm over In Southern Oglethorpe Co. 40 miles or so....Cab you Remember if HL in athens had any Pro Series stuff?...wife's been talking About a trip to trader joe's...

 

[Disaster_Guy]

Your story is like mine and many more here I am sure that were lured back in by our kids. It certainly is a great way to spend time with them building and flying together. Regardless if you are interested in flying nothing but smaller Estes kits, building 4" long MicroMaxx, or end up heading for the largest high power projects there is a place for everything in the hobby and many in the hobby build and fly everything mentioned above.

As for membership in NAR, Tripoli, or any other organization it certainly isn't cheap... It is important to ask yourself what you intend to get out of the membership. The club that I fly with the most is not affiliated with either NAR or Tripoli and I carry those memberships only to maintain high power certification.

 

[Wayco]

Hi Michael, and welcome back!
I think this hobby is making a comeback from earlier days. Mainly because of the increase in shared information within the forums. More and more people are helping others to make the right decisions on what is the best stuff available and where to get it. We used to have to rely on the instructions in a kit almost exclusively. Now we can share ideas and show our plans here and get excellent advise from others that have "been there, done that".
I also think we benefit from manufacturers that listen to what we want and supply it with quality materials and kits. The latest move by Estes and their new Pro Series II stuff is a good example.
I became a member of NAR when I decided to get into high power rockets. I chose NAR over Tripoli because their local club fit my style of flying better. Most of my flights are mid-power D and E motors, but I'm gradually trending toward G and H motors. We now have a great selection of bigger motors to choose from, and I like to fly the bigger rockets because they are easier to keep track of and get back.
Anyway, just fair warning, this hobby can be addictive!

 

[qquake2k]

Hi Michael, and welcome! Like you, I flew rockets as a kid, and dabbled in it here and there as an adult. Unfortunately my son (nor my ex-wife) ever got into rockets, so it was mostly an activity I'd do on my own. A couple of years ago I attended a club launch and got hooked. Now I'm a member of the NAR, and of two local clubs. Both clubs are high power, but both encourage low and mid power as well. They're very family and kid oriented. I'd say a typical launch is 50% LPR, 30% MPR, and 20% HPR.

I started by building a few LPR and a couple MPR kits, then got hooked on scratch built MPR rockets. I never planned on getting my Level 1 cert, but one thing led to another, and here I am. But I still build and fly LPR and MPR, with the vast majority being MPR. The main reason I joined the NAR, was to get the club membership discounts. It ended up being cheaper in the long run than paying the daily launch fees. Of course if you ever do want to get your cert, you'll need to join either NAR or Tripoli first. I think the NAR membership is worth the price, because of the insurance and magazine.

Welcome back, and show us pics of your Mini Max!

 

[jflis]

Welcome to TRF and welcome back to rocketry

Some have called the current moment of rocketry "the golden years" as there is now so much more variety than ever before. By that gauge you could say rocketry is doing well.

As for MODEL VTRs High Power rocketry, they are just different aspects of the same love of rockets, aerospace a d design challenges. I, personally, have never explored high power yet have never felt "out of place" on any rocketry field or group.

If you get a chance check out my photo albums for a good indication of the state of the hobby . I think you will like what you see. Check them out here: https://fliskits.com/photo_album/photo_albums.htm

Enjoy your return and share your experiences!
Jim

 

[DM1975]

Welcome back. I tend to think this is the real golden age of rocketry. Their is so much available and so much information out there. We have so many vendors to choose from with a whole host of motors from as small as you could think of to as large as your wallet will allow. Have fun with it and enjoy...

As for the low power stuff, it is awesome. Even though I enjoy high power, the low power rockets fill a lot of my time building and flying. I think you will find that with the majority of high power flyers that they enjoy the low power rockets just as much.

As for the NAR membership, that is our support. They are the ones who lobby for us, who provide grants to kids, who support TARC and the World Spacemodeling Contest. They provide insurance for us and help us gain acceptance where needed. To me, it is worth every penny.

 

[RocketMike]

WOW!! I appreciate the warm welcome from everyone. it this thread is any indication, I'd say the health of the hobby is just fine!! After writing my post, I made my way up to my storage building to see if I could find my old field box and launch pad. I have this quality I got from late Father which is good and bad. It's the fact that I don't tend to throw too much stuff away. Today it was a good quality because not only did I find my old field box but I also found not one but two Estes Porta pads and not one but three Estes "Electron beam" launch controllers!! In addition, I had a small bag full of assorted rocket parts, some unused parachutes, several unopened packages of various sized engines and last but not least an Estes "Bullpup 12D" kit that I had forgotten all about! I don't know what the shelf life of engines is so they may not be much good anymore but it was extremely cool to find the kit and the extra launch pads and controllers I didn't know I had.
BTW, as I mentioned I live on a lake out in the country. I don't live near any school fields anymore but there is a boat launching area across the road from my place. It's a decent sized clear area and stays pretty much deserted most of the time. I've flown small RC planes over there in the past and figure it will accommodate small rockets up to about an A or possibly B size. Other than that I will probably have to try and hook up with some clubs to do anything much bigger. Atlanta might do once in awhile, it's a good drive from here though. The Macon and Athens areas are also possibilities and I did see an NAR affiliated club in Madison Georgia which is not too bad a drive from here at all.
Michael

 

[Disaster_Guy]

Good launch sites are hard to find and when you find a club that has one it is worth its weight in gold. I drive about two hours to the launch sites for the club that I fly with. I find it much more enjoyable to fly at those sites where the recovery room and extra sets of eyes significantly increases the chances of recovering your rockets. Even for low power stuff with my kids we normally wait to launch until going to a club launch rather than using some of the local ball fields.

One thing worth mentioning as you begin to play with different kits... If you desire the ability to hone your building skills on some very interesting kits that range from very simple to quite challenging, I recommend that after you are done checking out Jim's photo album that he linked above you also spend some time looking at the kits that he offers. They are wonderful kits that are a nice departure from the mass produced kits that Estes offers. They build methods and imagination required remind me of the Estes kits of years passed. 75% of all my 11 year old daughter's rockets are Fliskits.

 

[dave carver]

Welcome back I don't really care what sized rocket I'm flying and don't listen to any comments from anyone about what I fly. I'll launch an I motor then follow it with an A flight. I go to fly rockets and rockets are rockets so I fly anything I feel like

 

[LW Bercini]

Hi Michael,
Welcome back. I would say that rocketry is stronger than ever and from my experience here at the Orangeburg SC launches low power is just as welcome as high power. I do build high powered rockets but like many others I still enjoy building and flying low and mid powered rockets. Have fun.

I'm glad to hear you say that. Up until now I was getting nervous about showing up at the Freedom Launch for the first time and having only low power stuff to fly.

 

[LW Bercini]

Michael,
Check us out at https://soarrocketry.org . We have launches twice a month, usually in the north suburbs of Atlanta (though yesterday we had a launch near Lilly and Byromville, about 45 minutes south of Macon).

Roy,
Do we have a date for our next Lily launch? I'd bet Michael would L-O-V-E that field!

 

[RocketMike]

I'm over In Southern Oglethorpe Co. 40 miles or so....Cab you Remember if HL in athens had any Pro Series stuff?...wife's been talking About a trip to trader joe's...

I do not recall seeing any of the pro series stuff there. I did see an "E" launch controller and a few rather large engines but I've been away so long, I have no idea if they were something common place or more specialized.
Michael

 

[Jiffycoil]

Hey LW,
I look forward to meeting you at Freedom Launch. I will have all my Estes with me. I'll also be going for my L2 if all goes well. You will feel right at home and be amazed how many low and mid powered rockets are launched.

 

[GuyNoir]

As a rocketeer since 1966 and an NAR member since 1970, the hobby and the NAR have never been in better shape. The NAR, as others have pointed out, has more members, clubs and resources than ever in its history. The cottage industry supporting the hobby is outstanding, with tons of vendors showing product from kits, to decals to electronics to custom made parts. My advice is to ask questions here, then find your local NAR Section and get connected.

 

[hornet driver]

Welcome home RM, Feel free to use and abuse all of us , that's what we live for. Don't even worry about the LP/MP/HP thing, we just do what we do ! Don't worry about the learning curve either--it's shallow and you'll blend right in. By the way, Ga. born and I miss her. Oh Yea, post pics, we love those things. Why not start with this one?---H

 

[aditat2]

A very sincere Welcome to you. I too have just recently returned to the hobby after some years away from it. It is amazing how much the hobby has grown. I have had to decide whether to spend my "hobby money" on model RR stuff or rocket stuff as well - and guess what - rockets won out. LPR, MPR, doesn't really matter. It's ROCKETS man!!! And to be quite honest - a lot more fun than watching a train go around a track and picking up cars, dropping them off, then starting all over again.:grin:

 

[Zaphod]

Welcome back! You're in the same boat as me. I started back about two months ago after many years away, and in that time I've built five rockets, lost two, and put together my own launch pad. Be careful, it's addictive!

 

[DM1975]

Which brings me to an afterthought for ya. Check out all of the scratchbuilt equipment people make. Look on here and EMRR and other websites. Their are great articles on launch pads, controllers, locators, trackers, retention devices, and just about anything you could think up. All scratch built and easy to build out of common items. Do some good research, I'm sure you will find a ton of good stuff to keep you busy for years to come.

 

[Rocketbuilder]

Today it was a good quality because not only did I find my old field box but I also found not one but two Estes Porta pads and not one but three Estes "Electron beam" launch controllers!! In addition, I had a small bag full of assorted rocket parts, some unused parachutes, several unopened packages of various sized engines and last but not least an Estes "Bullpup 12D" kit that I had forgotten all about! I don't know what the shelf life of engines is so they may not be much good anymore but it was extremely cool to find the kit and the extra launch pads and controllers I didn't know I had.

That's cool! I love finding stuff in storage I didn't know I had; it's like Christmas! Sounds like you're pretty well set on launch equipment, and the Bullpup's one of my favorite sport-scale rockets. I would be pretty careful about using those engines, though. Really what determines their shelf life is A), whether or not they were exposed to moisture, and B), whether or not they have been exposed to temperature cycling. (i.e., gone from freezing in the winter to hot in the summer. I think the rule of thumb is that if they have been cycled through more than a 70-80˚ temperature range, put 'em in a cardstock rocket and launch from a safe distance! Or, if you are absolutely certain they have been severely temperature cycled, follow the instructions on safely destroying them. :sad: If I'm wrong on any of this, please, somebody correct me.)

 

[RoyAtl]

Roy,
Do we have a date for our next Lily launch? I'd bet Michael would L-O-V-E that field!

It is in November. The 17th and 18th.

Do you think there is any possibility that Leonard would have the third-Saturday GAMMA launches there in September and October? I didn't get down there this past weekend so don't know what the situation is there.