Newb.. Sorta..

[Monstermanhbf]

Hello Rocketry Forum members..

Kinda a newb from Long Island. Now don't think I am totally new I have had many ESTES rockets in my lifetime, as a kid growing up and also an adult. Its Winter here on Long Island and I cant get out to play with my radio control toys so I figured why not have a go at Rocketry again?? I don't want a little toyish rocket, I want something bigger than what you can just pick up at the local hobby shop, craft store etc..

Just wondering if some of you guys could share some advice on whats to big and what would be something good to start off with not only size wise but also the build aspect of it and also getting to actually use it without worrying about breaking any sort of laws??

Also any links to some reputable on line stores??



Thanks and glad I found this forum

 

[GaryT]

The 4 below will have the size kit your looking for. All have great kits.

https://www.madcowrocketry.com/default.asp
https://www.locprecision.com/
https://www.kandsrockets.com/
https://www.binderdesign.com/

 

[fyrwrxz]

Chris- Welcome to TRF! You come to da right place, baby! Try finding the LIARS club in your area. Red Arrow Hobbies is great for online shopping and have a pretty good collection of bits for you to peruse. There are tons of vendors here so just watcher the scrolling header for more links. If you want impressive, try an Estes "Big Daddy" or even bigger, an Aerotech "G Force" (but you'll have to go with AP in it) It really depends on what area you have to fly (and recover!) in and I'm sure some of the other chaps here have thier own recomendations for you. Sad for you guys back East but hey! It's rockets so it's all good. Clear skies, straight smoke and good chutes! Welcome back to the fold.

 

[Slickwilly]

I carry low to mid kits that are at a fair price and are designed to take a beating.

 

[samb]

Welcome Chris,

Sounds like you want to fly what many of us still call mid-power rockets (E,F,G impulse) and I like to call "big-boy" rockets (since you must be 18 to buy composite motors). As far as governing bodies like the NFPA and FAA are concerned, you are free to fly class 1 rockets without special notification:

Class 1 Model Rocket means an amateur rocket that:

1.Uses no more than 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of propellant;
2.Uses a slow-burning propellant;
3.Is made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic;
4.Contains no substantial metal parts; and
5.Weighs no more than 1,500 grams (53 ounces), including the propellant.

Landowner permission is key, (mostly) gone are the days when you could wake up one fine morning, gauge the wind, and cart a few rockets down to the park and fly all day. If the cops don't get you the irate soccer coaches will ! YMMV in your part of the world.

One of the best moves I made when I came back was to find a local club; flying is a communal activity now and very enjoyable on many more levels: www.nar.org and www.tripoli.org are the places to look.

Besides the links aready mentioned I'd check out:

Estes pro series - https://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/pro-series

Aerotech - https://www.aerotech-rocketry.com/



Reputable online vendors I have used:

The Squirrel Works - https://squirrel-works.com/

Red River Rocketry - https://redriverrocketry.com/

Semroc - https://www.semroc.com/Store/Scripts/default.asp

Sirius Rocketry - https://www.siriusrocketry.com/sirius00.htm

BRS Hobbies - https://www.brshobbies.com/catalog.php/BRSHobbies/ct820/Model_Rocket_Kits

 

[JordanT]

All of the above recommendations are great. A tip: nobody will sell you an engine that is "too big" at any normal vendor you can find online, so there are no worries about that. Everything you can buy without having a "certification" by either the National Association of Rocketry or the Tripoli Rocketry Association (the two national hobby / amateur clubs) will fall under the 4.4oz/slow burning propellant. If it's marked "high power" (mostly H and up) you can skip it for now - if you're used to Estes rockets of old, an F or G engine has what you're looking for.

Smaller Public Missiles (PML) kits are nice, as are Aerotech, for "beginners" and "re-beginners". I mention those two because the kits I've gotten from them have most everything you need to fly, like parachutes, shock cords, quick links, and things that make motor mounting easier. I only mention this because as you get to larger "kits" some manufacturers assume you've been flying for a while and have spare parts (like parachutes) lying around extra. It's frustrating to get a kit and then realize you've got another $30+ worth of "stuff" to order.

Where to fly? I live further south, and everybody here goes to church on Sunday morning...which means that all of the soccer fields are empty until after noon or later. I take that as the good Lord providing me a prime opportunity for worshiping the heavens in my own special way. You'll find your own "special" times. Just watch out for local airports...they can get testy about putting up the bigger (but still legal) rockets anywhere near their glide path. Going to an organized launch by a local club is a great way to fly, since you won't need a launcher. If you hang around a bit here and at organized launches, you'll find ways to make your own for less than the commercial sets for when you want to go fly solo.

 

[Zeus-cat]

I also recommend that you join a club. The people in my club are nice, helpful and fun to hang around with.

The bigger the rocket and motor the more space you need for recovery. Again, a club is a great way to find a nice field.

For smaller fields I recommend checking out Fliskits for some amazing designs in the low power range. I think every rocketeer should have a Fliskits ACME Spitfire in their arsenal.

 

[Monstermanhbf]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes, info and advice guys man this place is awesome.. I have tons of useful info to get started, wow I'll be doing a lot of reading here in the next few days.
Thanks again everyone!

 

[jflis]

Let's not forget https://fliskits.com/

Check us out and see if anything strikes your fancy!

 

[qquake2k]

+1 on finding a club. I never knew rocketry could be so fun until I joined one! My first "true" mid power kit was the Mercury Engineering Hijacker. Fun build and a great flying rocket!

 

[Monstermanhbf]

Yeah I will look into local clubs here on Long Island, I am already a current member of a couple of the Radio Control Clubs here locally so I am sure there are some Rocketry Clubs as well.

Thanks everyone

 

[webtech]

+1 on finding a local club
+1 on LOC and Mad Cow kits

I would like to recommand Cesaroni Motors Nice place to start is with the Pro 29..
CTI is way easier to reload than an AeroTech, but they cost abit more per load.

I enjoy building and launching Mid Power to High Power kits..

I really enjoy watching someone else lauch off a Full K motor or bigger :y:

Last recommandation, have fun and be safe.. that is where the local clubs come in to play.

 

[davewilton94]

Welcome to the site!