New guy just needs help starting

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Astrogopher

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1. 55 year old male.
2. Some experience in the late 70's with Estes simple to medium models (maybe 20 launches with A to C motors).
3. Forgot all about it for 40 years. :(
4. Kids both grown and wife will support any new hobby.
5. Would love to get back into model rocketry but in a purposeful direction.
6. Reasonable skill at model making and basic electronics.
7. Soooooo... I am not sure what to do next.

8. There seem to be two primary directions for me to concentrate on, (1) working up toward more powerful rockets. i.e. ultimately to Tripoli, or (2) staying low power but gradually building more complex scale rockets and launch pads. (for instance working crawler and LUT with lights, and Saturn V model rocket etc.)

Question then is: Would working through a guided program like Nartek Skills Program be useful in making that decision, or do I just start building stuff?

I know that is a very broad question without much context but I really want to do this well without making a lot of stupid mistakes that others have surely already made. Thanks is advance, Mark from South Carolina.

ps. It seems like there is much, much, much, great information and people on this forum, but if I am not careful, I will be sucked into this forum forever and never get out and never build anything, only read of others great adventures.
 
You’ve picked a great hobby! There’s so much information and so many resources it can be overwhelming but hang in there.

Build some stuff - some fairly simple 3/4FNC rockets, even a couple Estes or Quest E2X kits - and then fly them. The skills you gain from building and flying simpler, LPR rockets translate very well to building larger HPR rockets, or more complex scale rockets - achieving smooth finishes on body tubes and fins, getting motor mounts built square and clean, attaching fins and lugs straight, making smooth fillets, rigging strong recovery gear, getting reliable motor ignition.

Get copies of the Handbook of Model Rocketry, Make: Rockets: Down to Earth Rocket Science, or Make: High-Powered Rockets. Read Chris Michielssen’s Model Rocket Building blog and Daniel the Rocket N00b’S blog - both great resources. Read and watch all the great material on getting started and beginner building techniques on the Apogee Rocketry website.
 
Astrogopher said:
1. 55 year old male.
2. Some experience in the late 70's with Estes simple to medium models (maybe 20 launches with A to C motors).
3. Forgot all about it for 40 years. :(
4. Kids both grown and wife will support any new hobby.
5. Would love to get back into model rocketry but in a purposeful direction.
6. Reasonable skill at model making and basic electronics.
7. Soooooo... I am not sure what to do next.

8. There seem to be two primary directions for me to concentrate on, (1) working up toward more powerful rockets. i.e. ultimately to Tripoli, or (2) staying low power but gradually building more complex scale rockets and launch pads. (for instance working crawler and LUT with lights, and Saturn V model rocket etc.)

Question then is: Would working through a guided program like Nartek Skills Program be useful in making that decision, or do I just start building stuff?

I know that is a very broad question without much context but I really want to do this well without making a lot of stupid mistakes that others have surely already made. Thanks is advance, Mark from South Carolina.

ps. It seems like there is much, much, much, great information and people on this forum, but if I am not careful, I will be sucked into this forum forever and never get out and never build anything, only read of others great adventures.
Click to expand...

Either sounds fun. Or both. High power requires good access to a club, so start there. It’s no fun to build high power rockets and only have two or three chances to launch a year, traveling a couple of hours to get to the field.
 
Scott, I found Apogee's web the other day. I have been watching the videos for awhile. Seems to be a great company that loves its customers. I will look at the other resources you recommend.

Jmhepworth, There is one local HPR club called Rocketry South Carolina that flies about one hour from me. I have not made contact yet, however they have an active web page. It seem like an hour would be ok to drive...I hope.
 
If you can find a local NAR or Tripoli club to join they will be a great resource for your hobby. Most everyone involved in rocketry are fantastic folks more than happy to help.
Welcome and enjoy!!!
 
Astrogopher said:
There seem to be two primary directions for me to concentrate on, (1) working up toward more powerful rockets. i.e. ultimately to Tripoli, or (2) staying low power but gradually building more complex scale rockets and launch pads. (for instance working crawler and LUT with lights, and Saturn V model rocket etc.)

Question then is: Would working through a guided program like Nartek Skills Program be useful in making that decision, or do I just start building stuff?

ps. It seems like there is much, much, much, great information and people on this forum, but if I am not careful, I will be sucked into this forum forever and never get out and never build anything, only read of others great adventures.
Click to expand...

There is another option--you may be perfectly happy building and flying low- and mid-power rockets. Or you may decide you enjoy boost gliders.

The best way to learn what you like is to build and fly rockets. A guided program is good, but so is building whatever captures your fancy.

Sure, read the forum and get Handbook of Model Rocketry, but buy a couple of kits, build them, and fly them.
 
Astrogopher said:
(1) working up toward more powerful rockets. i.e. ultimately to Tripoli, or
(2) staying low power but gradually building more complex scale rockets and launch pads. (for instance working crawler and LUT with lights, and Saturn V model rocket etc.)
Click to expand...

I mostly watch online DIY rocket videos and buy increasingly complex rockets (level 1 to 5, and then whatever adds something I haven't done yet, e.g. a clustered, a 2-stage, a fiberglass, a different company, etc.). I don't see why I would make restrictions, but I'm really only attracted to scale kits, and tend to read the history of the real thing while the paint dries.

A gradual approach gets you to use the initial cheaper kits for practice, and build up your tool kit and work area, so you'll end up making better quality work on the later more expensive kits.
 
Astrogopher said:
Scott, I found Apogee's web the other day. I have been watching the videos for awhile. Seems to be a great company that loves its customers. I will look at the other resources you recommend.

Jmhepworth, There is one local HPR club called Rocketry South Carolina that flies about one hour from me. I have not made contact yet, however they have an active web page. It seem like an hour would be ok to drive...I hope.
Click to expand...
Go to the club launch! One hour is nothing to get to a launch for most of us. You will come away from that experience inspired and exhilarated.
 
Thanks all for your quick responses. Several responses back... my heart seems pointed towards scale models. I will visit the next launch of the local NAR. Finally, while I appreciate the extended answers, I think I will have to utilize Steve’s answer, “Buy and fly.” That is probably the path I will follow.
 
I am 54 and getting back into flying rockets after about a 8 year break. Back then I worked my way up to my L2 but still flew more MPR's and MMX than anything else. I am a scratch builder and love to build stuff that is unusual or really complicated. For that reason I am staying with the smaller stuff this time. I plan to focus on rockets that fly on E-G motors with some MMX tossed in. I like the E-F motors because I can build large enough to do some really interesting designs without the need of a magnifying glass.

How you proceed is 100% your choice. One of the great things about this hobby is the diversity. There is room for everyone, I had a buddy I flew with a LOT and he was really into paper rockets while I love building with composites. He introduced me to MMX and I got him to get his L1. Some folks like building scale stuff like V2 rockets and others like Sci-Fi, some like kits and others like to start with just the materials.

As for clubs, I still remember my first day at a club launch. My oldest daughter went with me and to this day we chat about it once in a while. I have never meat a more gracious fun loving and welcoming group of people. Find a club and go check them out.

paul
 
Astrogopher said:
Thanks all for your quick responses. Several responses back... my heart seems pointed towards scale models. I will visit the next launch of the local NAR. Finally, while I appreciate the extended answers, I think I will have to utilize Steve’s answer, “Buy and fly.” That is probably the path I will follow.
Click to expand...

I no longer hat it but one of my favorite rockets was a V-2 I built. I found a free paper model of the V-2, printed it in a tiny size, printed it and spent a weekend building it so I could fly it. It was MMX sized so it was 8-9" tall. That was a cool little model.
 
Hey bud. It'd be cool if you lived in Central Va. We have a lot in common.
Except I've got two young sons I'm doing it with now. My wife rolls her eyes at all of our rocket talk.
We had our first flight last weekend and went again today (and we're going tomorrow... we're hooked!)
We're driving to Northern Va. next weekend to join our local club if the launch doesn't get scrubbed again this month.
I'm glad we're sticking with level 2 Estes kits and using first launch recommended motors.
That's given me time to practice packing our gear out to the launch sight and getting set up without looking like a goofball. We're limited to a 500' x 700' park so I've cut the center hole out of the parachute. Hardly any drift.
Our next step is upgrading our launch lugs and using 1/4" launch rod.
Then we'll start moving up the power scale.
 
Welcome new guy ! Local options for rockets and motors are not what they used to be unfortunately. Hobby Lobby as a selection of discounted Estes kits and motors. If you have any other hobby shops around you you’re probably looking at full msrp for a limited selection. Several good online vendors have been mentioned. I’ll add one with some unique scale offerings- ASP https://www.asp-rocketry.com/
Definitely check out the local club, make it a family outing.
 
The Handbook is like the Bible of the hobby. I’d check for a copy at the library. The two Make: books by Mike Westerfield are very good and more up to date I think. And I’ll say it again, definitely check out a club launch.
 
Don’t overthink it. Start building and fly as much as you can. See what you like.

Better yet, find a club. You can experience a wide array of flights for free and go from there.
 
I am reliving my childhood that's for sure :)
I have been out of it for 45 years!!
I am building many of the kits I had as a child :)

Have fun :)
 
Above responses cover it all pretty well, but I'll put it in my own words just to pile on:

Buy some kits that strike your fancy, build and fly them. Go to a club launch. Let your own experience guide what you do next. Don't try to plan it all out in advance.

At some point you might come up with some specific goals, but in the beginning just do whatever seems fun. You never know what you might enjoy.

I certainly never expected or planned to focus almost exclusively on scratch building, but that's where I seem to have landed and I'm happy with it.
 
Last edited:
neil_w said:
Above responses cover it all pretty well, but I'll put it in my own words just to pile one:

Buy some kits that strike your fancy, build and fly them. Go to a club launch. Let your own experience guide what you do next. Don't try to plan it all out in advance.

At some point you might come up with some specific goals, but in the beginning just do whatever seems fun. You never know what you might enjoy.

I certainly never expected or planned to focus almost exclusively on scratch building, but that's where I seem to have landed and I'm happy with it.
Click to expand...

You are definitely a very good scratch builder !!! I am a builder by nature so this rocketry thing is perfect for me. There are not many hobbies that have such a huge focus on building and yet still have an active portion as well. I meant to drop you a note, can you offer some color ideas on my T'ORG?

To the OP, Like so many have said, Enjoy and follow where your smiles lead you. A good online source is Hobby Linc and I use Hobby Lobby coupons as well.
 
For some reason, the little stuff is attracting me :)
The MicroMaxx stuff.

I'm in no rush for anything, letting it come at it's own pace is best. Never let something burn you out.

At some point I will do the high power stuff :)
 
PXR5 said:
For some reason, the little stuff is attracting me :)
The MicroMaxx stuff.

I'm in no rush for anything, letting it come at it's own pace is best. Never let something burn you out.

At some point I will do the high power stuff :)
Click to expand...


When I was flying a few years back I flew a lot of MMX. Since I had my L2 I always put my MMX pad out on the HPR line. It was just like a HPR pad with a swivel and tilt....I made it to the big kids table and insisted on staying there.....LOL

A buddy of mine did a 2 stage MMX, it was pretty cool.
 
MicroMaxx definitely has an advantage in flying fields, since they don’t go that high you can often shoot from a big backyard! Lot easier on the wallet than high power! About the only thing you can’t to my knowledge do with micros is remote controlled boost glider.
 
BABAR said:
MicroMaxx definitely has an advantage in flying fields, since they don’t go that high you can often shoot from a big backyard! Lot easier on the wallet than high power! About the only thing you can’t to my knowledge do with micros is remote controlled boost glider.
Click to expand...

HMM a RC boost glider.....???
 
ThreeJsDad said:
When I was flying a few years back I flew a lot of MMX. Since I had my L2 I always put my MMX pad out on the HPR line. It was just like a HPR pad with a swivel and tilt....I made it to the big kids table and insisted on staying there.....LOL

A buddy of mine did a 2 stage MMX, it was pretty cool.
Click to expand...

A 2 stage MMX, that's something I would love to see :)
 

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