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Kframe

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
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Location
Minnesota, USA
Hi all, I’m in my 40s and was into model rocketry when I was in my early teens but then drifted away from it like a chute caught in a thermal.
Last year I got back into it with my then ten year old son.
I now have a fleet of about a dozen with more in progress.
Joined the MN rocketry club and will likely join NAR soon.
Knowing my general trajectory with hobbies it wouldn’t surprise me if I started thinking about Level 1 certification soon. 😄
-Kris
 
Welcome, Kris. Have you been to a club launch yet?
Yes! A week ago my son and I drove over an hour to get to our first club launch - had fun, met some great people!
We brought along our Big Bertha, Bullpup, Vapor, ESAM and a couple others.
I don’t have a large field available nearby so I’ve only ever launched rockets with 18mm BP motors. The club launch was the first time I’d sent one, the Vapor, up on D’s and E’s. Wow!! So fun.
 
Yes! A week ago my son and I drove over an hour to get to our first club launch - had fun, met some great people!
We brought along our Big Bertha, Bullpup, Vapor, ESAM and a couple others.
I don’t have a large field available nearby so I’ve only ever launched rockets with 18mm BP motors. The club launch was the first time I’d sent one, the Vapor, up on D’s and E’s. Wow!! So fun.
It‘a not specifically recommended, but you can buy 24mm C11 motors from Estes that will take the Vapor to 200-300 ft. I can’t recommend them enough for keeping hot rods under control on smaller fields.
 
It‘a not specifically recommended, but you can buy 24mm C11 motors from Estes that will take the Vapor to 200-300 ft. I can’t recommend them enough for keeping hot rods under control on smaller fields.
Good to know! Thank you.
I’ve heard of C11s but hadn’t thought about using them in place of a D.
Would they still have enough oomph to get the rocket fast enough to fin stabilize right off the rod?
 
Hey Kris! Welcome to Rocketry! If you’re ever in the Bloomington MN area, give me a call! 612-599-2292, we have a private musuem full of rockets that you’ll be absolutely amazed by, we actually live on Rocketman Road! Would love to give you and your son a tour, you’ll no doubt be inspired.
 
Hey Kris! Welcome to Rocketry! If you’re ever in the Bloomington MN area, give me a call! 612-599-2292, we have a private musuem full of rockets that you’ll be absolutely amazed by, we actually live on Rocketman Road! Would love to give you and your son a tour, you’ll no doubt be inspired.
Wow, that would be fantastic!
I work in Edina and live south of the Cities so I’m thru Bloomington all the time.
I’ll definitely take you up on that offer, I’ll touch base by phone tomorrow so we can discuss it more. 👍
 
Good to know! Thank you.
I’ve heard of C11s but hadn’t thought about using them in place of a D.
Would they still have enough oomph to get the rocket fast enough to fin stabilize right off the rod?
For most 24mm rockets they’ll work fine. I’ve flown them in much heavier, lower-flying rockets without creating hazard. One deployed perfectly at 181 ft and only crashed because of my shoddy parachute packing.

Here are the thrust curves for the Estes Cs compared to the Estes D. You can get an idea of their liftoff capacities relative to one another from the peak of thrust that occurs in the first quarter of a second. Estes rockets are designed and built with a good deal of redundancy so C11 should do nicely.

547C5C3A-C3C0-45DD-AE31-79539B989B36.jpeg
Knowing your motor options and your rockets’ capabilities will help you get a lot more satisfaction out of your flying. You may be surprised by what’s out there.
 
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