New, where to begin? New used? hpr

First.

I got interested here and there a few years ago. I have when I was young (I'm 31) done the Estes stuff a bit.

I'm mostly an RC plane person (40% etc) and helis.

I have an above average understanding of rocketry in general from interest, and he's like KSP. And random research online from interest. Most just some terminology and designation like motor classes etc. Still very limited.


A friend of mine who was in the Navy with me is on here and told me to come on here.

I want to skip the small stuff and go to HPR. Maybe getting my level 1 in the future. But staying at higher G sizes and multistage.

I had a person near me who's selling a rocket that's got an extra stage, is set up with avionics bay. Even has canted fins and is fiberglass. Extremely strong not standard glass. The fins he claimed has been buried from. Landing with chute failure. And still solid. (Idk how much I believe that) but the type of glass is extremely thick.

It's a 38mm. Also has another 38mm that's a bit fatter but shorter and lighter.

There's a club near me where I fly RC that launch every other Saturday. I'm going to go there this Saturday maybe with something maybe without as I heard you CAN launch even level 2 or so stuff under someone who is cert. Although I'm not expecting to launch anything more than H at least esp this early on.


Anyways, I am wondering the best place to start? On here with a run down of terms products and procedure and etiquette etc.

Also is there a classified section?

Also where can I find what to look for when buying something used or is that unheard of in this hobby unlike RC? Obv with rc you look for damage, working servos etc etc.

What about here? Basic common sense stuff? I'm sure there's stuff someone not versed here would know to check for. Nozzles etc.

Also is openrocket something to wait on, or can I mess around in there for anything? Or is something like that far off? I'm assuming it's basically a phys sim for designing rockets etc?


Thanks for the input.

Get OpenRocket, don't buy used ( yet ), grab you something like a Star Orbiter and some e16's or whatever is recommended from your local hobby or craft store.

This ought to let you scratch that itch right away, good odds to get the rocket back, and you can plop a G or baby H motor in there if you want.

Just my opinion.

Hi NavyGuy,

I recommend going to the launch on Saturday, asking a lot of questions, and deciding if High Power Rocketry is something that really peaks your interest. The launch is a great place to start.

I can't recommend buying someone's "already-built" rocket. You might get a great deal, or not - no real way to guide you. Also please understand, If you buy an "already-built" rocket, you can't certify for High-Power with it. You must certify with a rocket that you build yourself.

First steps - https://www.nar.org/ and https://www.tripoli.org/ for information.

Welcome. Have a look for the book Modern High Power Rocketry" by Canepa. Lots of good info.

I would suggest you find a club, as reading can only get you so far. Then build your own bird, perhaps for your Level 1, as your entry to HPR.

You could even try a kit and run it on an F or G to kick off your journey. It would be good experience and mostly the skills are applicable to the larger rockets, or a good introduction anyway. No certification needed at that level.

Fly safe and have fun!

Wildman, Mach 1 Rocketry, Marcie all have quality kits and some sell motors. Definitely join NAR or Tripoli and download open rocket. You’ve found the right forum.

Do scale missiles interest you any? Here’s a Wildman RB-05A Sport I have L1’d on. Fiberglass is tough stuff it’ll take a hard long fall. Since your a navy guy you can easily find a RIM66.

Ceasroni, Aerotech, and Loki all have good quality motors and hardware. For a 38mm motor mount rocket under four pounds I recommend a Aerotech RMS 38/240 casing with hazmat free H130W reloads for starters. Go see a launch site for certain and download open rocket and play with it. You can easily L1 under $300. In my humble opinion you don’t need mid power experience to be successful but please start a build thread on here when you do jump into high power and that way experienced people can assist you.

Search on here for some build threads for some of the rocket kits that I told you about, that'll help give you an idea of what's required to actually build one (and maybe a little idea of how to evaluate a used one).

Never would I EVER buy a rocket from someone who claimed that it was buried to the fins due to recovery failure for anything other than a wall hanger. Too much danger of hidden structural damage, and since you didn't build it, you have NO WAY of knowing if it's been built to a standard that you would accept the safety aspects required.

Remember that Open Rocket is a GUIDE. It can be a powerful planning tool, or a tool to 'justify' a Willie Coyote chasing the Road Runner bad plan. Even the BEST Open Rocket planning can result in a failed event due to the nature of the hobby and forces beyond your control. Garbage in, garbage out. Luckily, we haven't left anything up in the sky....yet.

Go to the local launch. I sent you the links to TRA and NAR, both have a club locator. Ask lots of questions.

Certification is predicated on being a member in good standing of NAR or TRA. Membership is your insurance, like the AMA membership that you're used to.

No reason that you can't BAR (Born Again Rocketeer) with a L1 rocket.....but as has already been noted, part of the certification process requires that YOU build the rocket. That's the spirit and the letter of the law, since it's an individual certification. "The member attempting certification must build the rocket that they wish to use for their certification attempt."

This detail is often glossed over, but it's an important requirement, too: "During the safety inspection the modeler will be expected to provide oral answers to technical questions related to the safety and construction of his model. The questions may include (but not limited to) identification of the model’s center of gravity and center of pressure, methods used to determine model stability, and interpretation of the rocket motor’s designation."

https://www.nar.org/high-power-rocketry-info/level-1-hpr-certification/


And I'm just going to say it before anyone else does: There's either been a growing trend, or my growing awareness of, guys doing their L1/L2 on day 1 with something like a LOC Warlock pop-n-drop, which is perfectly valid, but then day 2 (having only ever built one rocket and a few flights) going L3CC/TAP shopping. Usually doesn't work out too well. There's a necessary learning curve, for the safety of all concerned.

Welcome! Where are you located?

Jon

Reading, adsorbing and learning here on the forum and at launches will illuminate your own path.

Hands on building will not only teach you skills but allows for a knowledge brain soak in rocketing.

Enjoy the trip as your destination could be never ending until the ...Last Flight

Fly right, fly high and always fly safe

I wouldn't completely write off the "small stuff." It's not impossible to go straight to high power but smaller rockets are cheaper and faster. You will absolutely learn something on your first build and want to do it differently the next time. That is generally true of every build...

I like the 1.6" size for someone who already has basic building & hobby skills. The LOC Park Flyer series is really nice. The basic construction is in family with the bigger models and you can get a bunch of flights in on D-F motors and get past the steep part of the learning curve quickly. The more you fly, the faster you'll learn. Big models are just slower for most.

No matter what you pick, join the local club and post here! That is the biggest step towards success.

OverTheTop said:

Welcome. Have a look for the book Modern High Power Rocketry" by Canepa. Lots of good info.

I would suggest you find a club, as reading can only get you so far. Then build your own bird, perhaps for your Level 1, as your entry to HPR.

You could even try a kit and run it on an F or G to kick off your journey. It would be good experience and mostly the skills are applicable to the larger rockets, or a good introduction anyway. No certification needed at that level.

Fly safe and have fun!

Click to expand...

Another book recommendation: MAKE: High Power Rockets by Mike Westerfeld will give you an idea of what you need to scratch build rockets for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 certification.

Navyguy330 said:

First.

I have an above average understanding of rocketry in general from interest, and he's like KSP. And random research online from interest. Most just some terminology and designation like motor classes etc. Still very limited.

Click to expand...

A little hard to parse that. I am guessing KPS = Kerbal Space Program.

Navyguy330 said:

I want to skip the small stuff and go to HPR. Maybe getting my level 1 in the future. But staying at higher G sizes and multistage.

Click to expand...

Check the NRA and TRA sties for definitions: HPR starts with H motors. You will need to be certified Level 1 to buy those. Until you certify you can get some pretty exciting flights on F and G motors.

Navyguy330 said:

I had a person near me who's selling a rocket that's got an extra stage, is set up with avionics bay. Even has canted fins and is fiberglass. Extremely strong not standard glass. The fins he claimed has been buried from. Landing with chute failure. And still solid. (Idk how much I believe that) but the type of glass is extremely thick.

Click to expand...

"Stronger" (tougher, more damage resistant, etc) isn't necessarily better. It is a somewhat controversial topic here, but building a rocket to survive a catastrophic failure is discouraged by the NAR and TRA safety codes. Lots of fliers build from fiberglass or other tough materials so that the rocket will be better able to survive the trip to and from the field. Cardboard and plywood can stand-up just fine to the stresses encountered when launching on high power motors.

https://locprecision.com

Navyguy330 said:

There's a club near me where I fly RC that launch every other Saturday. I'm going to go there this Saturday maybe with something maybe without as I heard you CAN launch even level 2 or so stuff under someone who is cert. Although I'm not expecting to launch anything more than H at least esp this early on.

Click to expand...

Yes. Go to the club launch and talk to people IRL. You can't buy L1 or L2 motors until your are certified.

Navyguy330 said:

Anyways, I am wondering the best place to start? On here with a run down of terms products and procedure and etiquette etc.

Click to expand...

https://www.rocketreviews.com/glossary.html

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Tech/Terminology

Navyguy330 said:

What about here? Basic common sense stuff? I'm sure there's stuff someone not versed here would know to check for. Nozzles etc.

Click to expand...

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket-Motor-Basics-Quick-Start-Guide?m=quickside

Navyguy330 said:

Also is openrocket something to wait on, or can I mess around in there for anything? Or is something like that far off? I'm assuming it's basically a phys sim for designing rockets etc?

Click to expand...

It free, try it out.

As someone who has definitely fallen prey to the "gotta go big and fast and loud first" fallacy, I personally wish that I had taken more time time to learn what I have with smaller, less expensive kits.

As an example, I can't recommend things like the Estes Star Orbiter, or Pro series II kits enough. They are cheap enough that if you lose/crash them it's not a big waste of money and many of the finer details that you will need to be successful in HPR later can be applied at that scale.

That being said those "Finer Details" (like building techniques, matching airframes to appropriately sized motors or even just knowing how you want to enjoy the hobby) only come from going to launches and chatting with people who have been doing this for a long time. You can certainly chat here on the forum, but there's no substitute for launch day

Good luck, Have fun, Enjoy finding what makes you happiest in the hobby, and be safe!

You mention a rocket with an extra stage. Staged flights are quite complex and I suggest you start with single-stage to keep things safe.