50 launches before age 5

[Dr.Zooch]

Today- October 11, 2008 my little daughter Akie reached her first big goal in life... 50 launches before reaching age 5. Up to about age 2 she was scared by the noise of rocket launches, then she started to really get into it. She went with me to a few MDRA monthly launches and soon wanted her own rocket, which Daddy built from spare parts and she named "GO-GO." The GoGo was designed to be high drag, high stability and strong. By Feb. 07, I could not leave for anything on a weekend with out her asking if I was going to a rocket launch- tears if I didn't take her with me. She soon got to the point where she was taking up her own flight cards and selecting a pad. One day I asked her if she needed help as she walked away from the RSO table and she said "Nope... I'm on 6." and away she went to pad 6... where she waited for daddy to put the rocket on the rod (couldn't reach). Anyhow- my wife decided that it would be cool if Akie could get 50 launches before she turned age 5 (later this month). Of course she came up with the idea in May. I went to the MDRA records and saw that she had credit for a total of 18 launches already. To make the numbers- daddy had to build some more SPEVs.

At the May launch we were in heavy rain squals, but since there were almost no 18mms flying on the A rack that day, we went out between showers and shot all of her rockets in a drag race. So, we were doing pretty good until we missed the June launch due to a wedding out of state and in July she lost intrest after just one launch. Intrest regained the next month and with the help of the MDRA rocket bucket and engines we did a couple of drag races in Sept and were up to a total of 42 today.

Again with a lot of help from MDRA we raided the rocket bucket and, after expedited paperwork, put a combined total of 7 rockets on the A rack at one time and they all fired! Then I gave Akie the pick of any rocket to be number 50... did she take one of Daddy's rockets? Nooooo. Did she select one of her own rockets? Noooo. Perhaps correctly, she went again to the MDRA rocket bucket and selected an MDRA Big Bertha for the launch. She got to push the button and then took a bow... they let her keep the Big Bertha- she says she's taking it to pre-school to show it off and it's in her room tonight (smell and all).

50 launches before age 5... a totally contrived goal... but then again, aren't they all.

Photo of the Go-Go by Dave Chance

 

[Chrisn]

I don't even think ive done 50 launches myself!

 

[JAL3]

Congrats on the "contrived goal" and, more importantly, on your best design project of all: Akie.

 

[Fred]

Well done Wes to you and your Daughter She sure sounds like a chip off the old block
Cheers
fred

 

[Medaforce649]

Nice name, 32 launches must have been hard to fit into a few months

 

[skycopp]

Well done. Another example its not a guys only club. People get surprised when I tell them that Women and girls get into the hobby too.

 

[skycopp]

By the way, I think there is a photo of this over at sojars.org in the photo of the month gallery.

 

[kelltym88]

Well done. Another example its not a guys only club. People get surprised when I tell them that Women and girls get into the hobby too.

Yeah, but not very many. It would be cool if it was like NASCAR.



That's cool Dr.Z that your daughter has such an interest, and a neat goal as well. My youngest is the same way.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

By the way, I think there is a photo of this over at sojars.org in the photo of the month gallery.

THAT IS SO SUPER!!

She got up this morning and the first thing I did was call up the page and show her- She's totally thrilled, shouting "That's me and my rocket!"

Many thanks to sojars.org and Daniel McCauley for posting the shot! You made a soon-to-be 5 year old little girl VERY happy.

Thanks too to all the TRF'ers here for their good words.

 

[Solomoriah]

Which picture is it? (link?)

And... what's a "rocket bucket?"

... sounds like what I carry some of mine home in after bad flights ...

 

[spacecadet]

We call that 'bin bag recovery'.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

what's a "rocket bucket?"

... sounds like what I carry some of mine home in after bad flights ...

At MDRA launches, members donate or the club buys simple 18 mm rockets that are later fully constructed and placed into two big buckets- there's also a stock of engines and dog barf and assorted igniters. Any kid attending a launch is welcome to go up and get a rocket, and an MDRA person- (normally Kathy the goddess of pink rockets) will help them rig and make ready the rocket for launch- even take them out to the rack and set it up on the rod. Then the kid does their paperwork and gets to see "their" rocket launched. It is a great way to intro new people to model rocketry.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

The Big Bertha that flew the 50th flight went to pre-school yesterday... it was a HUGE hit! In fact the teachers and parents have requested a field trip to the local soccer fields for a launch event.

 

[skycopp]

The Big Bertha that flew the 50th flight went to pre-school yesterday... it was a HUGE hit! In fact the teachers and parents have requested a field trip to the local soccer fields for a launch event.

That is awesome news. Hopefully it will get some kids excited to try out the hobby.

 

[Pantherjon]

That is so cool!

 

[luke strawalker]

Hey congrats Doc to both you and Akie!!! That is SO cool!!! Tell her she's in the big leagues now!! That's a LOT of launches, especially in such a short time! Glad to hear her rocket was a hit in school and hope yall have fun at the soccer field, and get some more interested folks into rocketry!

Keira, my soon to be 4 year old (just before Christmas) just came in here by the computer and I told her about Akie launching 50 rockets before she was five and she said "THAT'S TERRIFFIC!!! REALLY REALLY COOL!" end quote! Keira and her 3 week younger cousin Ian launched their 'air rocket' (paper tube with a check valve on one end, with a telescoping plastic tube inside it with a handle that shoots a foam rocket off the top by air pressure) at the Challenger 498 club launch last weekend and had a lot of fun. She also joined the recovery crew (some slightly older kids who came to the launch with their Dad) and ran all over the farm recovering rockets, and Keira also took over the club's controller to launch my Kriegsmarine stretched V-2 so I could videotape the flight. She's gotten pretty good at that! She also had a blast recovering some of Mikus's "Parachuting Ninja's of Doom" that ejected from his Bailout!

Next stop, her own rocket... OL JR

 

[GoBang]

...One day I asked her if she needed help as she walked away from the RSO table and she said "Nope... I'm on 6." and away she went to pad 6...

That is just priceless. Reminds me of my own son at an MC2 launch a couple of years ago. Congratulations to Akie! :five:

 

[Atlantis v2.0]

(smell and all).

love the smell of burnt black powder, smells like victory.

 

[gpoehlein]

That's fantastic, Doc! I think we need a picture here of Akie and her rocket - please post one so we can all celebrate her milestone!

 

[Super Sabre]

arty: Congratulations, very impressive. arty:

 

[MondoRoc]

I don't have any kids of my own, but some of my brothers do. Every once in a while I wonder how their daughters got my brothers so wrapped around their itty bitty fingers. Then I read stuff like this thread.:cry:

(I also happened to watch the "Daddy Rocket" video on the Dr. Zooch site yesterday).

 

[Dr.Zooch]

This is Akie and her rocket

 

[Boosterdude]

Awesome