What Rocket?

[greenrocketfish]

Hello,
Am new to this hobby - sport. Have checked with the local hobby store in Columbus but not a whole lot available and seemed to be even less interested in helping me get started. I can build about anything but do not know which one to begin with? Would like to scratch build as the progression goes along. Any help would be great! Are there any rocket clubs or people in the Columbus, GA - Manchester, GA area?
Thanks in advance!

 

[rockets2000]

You might consider starting with a couple of kits to get the basics of rocket design and construction down before tackling a scratch build. Apogee has a very good selection and tons of info to help you get started: https://www.apogeerockets.com/

 

[dedleytedley]

I would recommend you get an Estes Airshow launch set to begin. It comes with a launchpad and launcher. The build is very easy and the twin gliders perform well in a variety of flight conditions. I've found it to be fairly durable and a good value. Ted

 

[hedgie6]

Any of the Estes starter sets are nice because they come with the launching equipment. My favorite is the Launchables with 2 rockets, the Astron Outlaw, an E2X quick build kit, and the Black Diamond, a skill level 1 minimum diameter kit. Or, to just start with a kit, I was just reading about Balsa Machining Service's School Rocket and it sounds like a great kit to use for learning the basics of rocket construction.

Good luck!

 

[tbonerocketeer]

Hello,
Am new to this hobby - sport. Have checked with the local hobby store in Columbus but not a whole lot available and seemed to be even less interested in helping me get started. I can build about anything but do not know which one to begin with? Would like to scratch build as the progression goes along. Any help would be great! Are there any rocket clubs or people in the Columbus, GA - Manchester, GA area?
Thanks in advance!

Give me a call, I'll help get you set up with kits and a club as well. I am in Auburn Al, just right up the road from you.

 

[jflis]

greenrocketfish, First, welcome to TRF You're going to enjoy your time here.

Second, welcome to rocketry. You're going to love this hobby/sport!

If you don't already have launch equipment (pad/controller), a starter set would be a good start. If you DO like building things, you can build your own pad and controller. You can visit the NAR web site for plans for simple builds and even our web site at FlisKits.

As for rockets, I would recommend the following as good starters (of course, I'm rather biased...):

Thing-a-ma-Jig - Easy build, fun rocket that will make for a great introduction to this hobby.

Rhino - Great second rocket to teach the fine art of fin attachment. Model is large and features laser cut fins but no fancy jigs to attach them.

Avalear - Features "cut your own" fins that you trace from a pattern onto balsa fin stock. Simple fin shapes gives you a good introduction into cutting fins from conventional rocketry fin stock. Simple fin jig aids in getting them properly attached.

After that you can start to explore the higher skill level models to improve your skills and to help fire the imagination. Another track that I took in my younger days, as I started moving on to designing my own, was to "kit bash". That's where you purchase a kit and use the parts in that kit to design your own model.

It won't be long before you're looking to buy parts to build your own designs!

Good luck, have fun and don't be a stranger in these parts!

jim

 

[tibadoe]

Welcome to Model Rocketry. Like most have already mentioned get a launch set to get started with. Also there's some great web sites out there to get you going in the right direction including this one. Definately check out the NAR.org site. A web search for model rocketry will keep you busy for some time.

 

[powderburner]

Hey, greenrocketfish (you'll have to explain that one later)

Glad you decided to join in here with us.
Kinda hard to go wrong with any of the FlisKits recommendations. They are easy to assemble and will work very well as "beginner" rockets.

Also, you could go to your local Hobby Lobby this week with a coupon and pick out a skill-level 1 kit (skill level will be part of the labeling on the packaging), pretty much anything that you like the looks of. These kits are a bit easier to assemble, don't involve any complicated techniques or materials, and are fairly durable. You can print as many HobLob coupons as you want but you (supposedly) can only use one coupon per visit. Take a peek at:

https://www.hobbylobby.com/assets/dynamic/_weekly.coupon/2009_45_coupon.gif

They are good this week, through Saturday.

These 40%-off-one-item deals are about as good as it gets at HobLob. They usually stock items like the Estes Starter Specials, which will get you pretty well set up with a launch pad, an electrical launch controller, and a basic model rocket. Some Starter Specials include Ready-to-Fly (RTF) model rockets, and others include some modrocs where you have to do a little building. Some of the Starter Specials include a couple beginner motors but some do not, so you may want to make another visit to HobLob (with another coupon) to pick up some A or B motors or whatever is recommended for your particular kit (also part of the package labeling).

Hang on to those "beginner" rockets because after you become "advanced" you will still want to have a few test-launch birds for scouting weather conditions, and sometimes for doing demo launches. At the very least, after you get tired of them, before you throw them away, give them away to some excited little kid that comes out to watch you launch!

 

[hardinlw]

If you are going to be flying on your own and need the launch equipment, one of the Estes or comparable starter sets is a good investment. If you ALWAYS fly with a club, you won't need that stuff. Beyond that, the Fliskits are good beginner's kits.

 

[greenrocketfish]

Thanks to all for the welcome and the info. I have wanted to get into this hobby/sport for a while. We were in PA for 5 years and there was a club a couple of hours away that was building hugh rockets with motors they packed themselves. Never got to join in or hang with them because of the distance. Couple of hours is not bad unless it is 20 below with a couple of feet of snow on the ground. I will check into the kits and take the advice offered to get started. Will stay in touch and let you know how it goes.
Thanks, Lee