Do you get really bummed when you lose a rocket?

[berlinetta]

I'll get bummed out for the remainder of the launch. I have others to build or it can be used as an excuse to buy another rocket.

 

[Zeus-cat]

I HATE losing rockets. I would rather see one of my rockets destroyed than actually losing it.

 

[smstachwick]

Once you press the button and the motor lights*, it's not yours anymore.

(or chuffs, or CATOs)

It’s firmly in the hands of the rocket gods at that point, and they’ll return it to you if they’re satisfied with the craftsmanship and skill put into the offering.

 

[Antares JS]

I HATE losing rockets. I would rather see one of my rockets destroyed than actually losing it.

Agreed. If a rocket is destroyed, you at least get closure and some of the parts may be recoverable. No uncertainty along the lines of "Maybe I could have found it if I looked for ten more minutes."

 

[Orien]

I was conducting a blind search for my 3" Exocet after a big flight on a K740 and was very frustrated that BOTH tracking devices seem to have failed. My ever-patient girlfriend (who had never been to a launch) said, "I think it went all the way to heaven." Perhaps it did, luv. Perhaps it did.

 

[Hobie1dog]

(Philosophical/Sentimental Reply)

In Spanish, the word for "hobby" is "el pasatiempo" which literally translates as "to pass the time." I have to remind myself every moment I spend on this forum, shopping for new kits/supplies, designing/building, going to a field to fly, etc. as a means of choosing how I want to "pass the time" and spend my energy. So what is a hobby? As with anything else in life, it is a consumption of energy/resources wrapped up in feelings and emotions. Time + Money + Excitement/Anticipation = Living Life. When a rocket is lost/destroyed I engage in the common cycle of rationlizing the loss and then questioning whether the hobby is worth continuing.

I find it interesting to read through the comments in this thread and see the responses include the shared pain of some variable loss of "resource" attached to the hobby. Some have left the hobby and others forge ahead. I've probably re-BAR'd 3-4 times now since 1990 and I'm 43. I've experienced all sorts of rocketry losses that cut deep, and sometimes job losses fuel the desire to leave the hobby, until I find that next great opportunity. This latest re-engagement in the hobby though has me remembering one thing that I will never regret: the time I spent making friends, sharing laughs/heartbreak, and being a part of a community. Each time I've restarted dabbling in collecting, building, flying, etc. I ALWAYS find myself reaching out to local rocketeers, going to club launches, finding neighborhood kids to spread excitement, etc.

I have been a part of this forum since 2001 (and at one point even briefly had controlling ownership of TRF). My earliest rocketry memories (and what I find myself doing yet again) ALL include some form of connection to people: family, friends, classmates, or strangers that pulled over to watch us launch rockets. Here I am 20 years later with a desk full of parts, kits in progress, kits stashed in boxes, and dates aligned to go fly some rockets, but most importantly, looking for opportunities to "pass the time" with other people that also want to share this common experience or maybe even discover the hobby for the first time.

How each of us chooses to "pass our time" and utilize these resources is up to each one of us. In the grand scheme of life, all of "it" and the resources we generated and consumed are "lost" when our time comes. I just hope someone I met along the way was positively impacted or has a greater enjoyment of the hobby (or life) because of some influence I had.

Losing rockets is such an irrational tailspin emotion, but as others have mentioned, is all a part of the hobby. Sorry you had a maiden flight loss. That's happened to me several times with kits that I had invested more time or money than I could afford (at the time). All the best. -E

I nominate this for "Post of the Year"

 

[les]

It depends. Some rockets it is understood as just part of the hobby.
Others it is a major "OH NOOOOoooooo......"
There are still a few I think of and miss...

 

[ksaves2]

Well, I didn't have the adverse luck to lose a tracked rocket. Lost a few modrocs though which was no big deal to me. One memorable one was an Estes Eliminator that went AWOL and next season I found it looking for another rocket. Cardboard tube had "melted" but I got the nosecone, fincan and the nylon parachute was o.k. Found the just launched rocket too. Kurt

 

[Tractionengines]

Kids and I loose a few a year to trees. Start the day with conservative motors with safe recoveries on our small fields. Then keep bumping up the motors / altitudes.... then oops "thats really drifting", or "that chute caught a thermal" or "the wind changed, " ... Tree or Corn Field.

I try to keep it conservative on some rockets. But sometimes...

 

[Wayco]

I have lost very few rockets over the years, mostly paper Estes kits with no tracker, and those were years ago. The one that hurt, was my scratch built level 2 certification rocket, "Energizer Bunny". It was a fiberglass (almost) minimum diameter 54mm rocket with an Acme fincan.
After my certification flight, I took it to the Lucerne dry lake and flew it with ROC at ROCstock 37. First flight using a CSI tracker and a borrowed CSI receiver from Jack G. "What's Up Hobbies":


Later that year, I lost that rocket learning how to use my own CSI receiver, flying the bunny on a K300. There was an anomaly under boost, and all we found later was a part of the liner, floating down shortly after it attained warp speed and left this dimension.
Several days of searching and even a $100 reward that prompted several others to search for it netted zero results. Still might be out there on the playa....
The trauma from that event might be why I have two GPS trackers and a CSI button tracker in all my rockets that can fly over 10k ft.

 

[BABAR]

I don’t mind (as much) having a rocket lost or destroyed (usually lawn dart) so long as I learn something, like “what did I do wrong or what did I fail to check.”. knock wood I haven’t had any Catos. The frustrating ones are where I lose or destroy a rocket and I can’t figure out what went wrong. so I don’t know if I rebuild it if it will happen again.

I have learned that for me, the probability I will lose a rocket seems directly proportional to the amount of time finishing it. So most of my scratchers are engineering challenges (helicopters, intentional simulated CATO recovery, airbrakes, horizontal spin, gliders, break-away, and other recoveries.) I am much more interested in creating original designs that fly than ones that look good, but much of that is that I lack either the talent or patience or both to do great finishing jobs! My hats are off to the craftsmen and craftswomen in the group that can do both.

I DID build an Interceptor E with the Pursley (Dark Blue) Union vinyls skin. That one took a good bit of finishing, and I was pretty proud of it, although it was far from perfect. I flew it once, and now it’ll probably stay a ”hanger queen.” It was a picture perfect flight and landed (in the grass, although there was plenty of asphalt around) with no damage.

people can and should do whatever they want, as long as it is safe. I tend to think you ought to fly it once, just to prove it is a rocket. I believe I remember an article on one of the Estes designers or builders (before John Boren @JumpJet ) who built the static display models, and if I remember it right he (they?) used basswood instead of balsa either because it was sturdier or easier to finish (or both) and the static models were never intended to fly. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, except that it seems like if you start with the plan that it is never going to fly, why make all the compromises that go into FLYING model designs (lightweight materials, lighter glues, worrying about CG and CP.) It’s kind of like building a kit or scratch RC aircraft that’s never gonna fly, you can save yourself a lot of hassle just buying a non-flying kit or planning the scratch model without worrying at all about flight characteristics.

as I said, I was fortunate with my Interceptor E

Skin

More pics here post 79 for those interested.
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...-50-or-1250-gallery.16804/page-3#post-2073498

 

[Daddyisabar]

At least on the rocket range you don't have golf clubs you can smash things up with or throw at the flag pole. Just a lot of swearing at catos, stomping around after a crash, or watching aimlessly as the seperated nose cone and parachute drift beyond the horizon. Returning after hours of searching with only bloody stumps, having worn your feet away walking on the Prairie or traversing Rocky canyons. Grown men crying in the cab of their truck, bullet proofing their next builds because they can't take the damage. PTSD on wind conditions blowing towards a tree. Kneeling over the burning pile of goo that was, just seconds ago, your pride and joy rocket. Yes, these are all perils to consider before pressing that button.

 

[J Blatz]

It depends on how it goes down.

My favorite lost rocket was a scratch built 3” “minimum diameter” named Long Gone. The airframe was a thick cardboard carpet tube. Nose cone hardwood, made by my brother. A close to full L Ex motor (Using Everclear which me and my bro formulated) , single use, graphite nozzle and hand made fiberglass casing by Jim G. Timer for ejection.

So much handmade.

It flew great. Ejected at apogee. Landed way out on the north (?) side of the lakebed, in the brush. Never found it.

That was some hardcore rocketry there y’all. Losing it didn’t matter because the flight was perfect.

 

[J Blatz]

Proof I was once happy. Oh, and Long Gone.

 

[4regt4]

It depends on how it goes down.

My favorite lost rocket was a scratch built 3” “minimum diameter” named Long Gone. The airframe was a thick cardboard carpet tube. Nose cone hardwood, made by my brother. A close to full L Ex motor (Using Everclear which me and my bro formulated) , single use, graphite nozzle and hand made fiberglass casing by Jim G. Timer for ejection.

So much handmade.

It flew great. Ejected at apogee. Landed way out on the north (?) side of the lakebed, in the brush. Never found it.

That was some hardcore rocketry there y’all. Losing it didn’t matter because the flight was perfect.

Sounds like the movie "October Sky"

Hans.

 

[ksaves2]

It depends on how it goes down.

My favorite lost rocket was a scratch built 3” “minimum diameter” named Long Gone. The airframe was a thick cardboard carpet tube. Nose cone hardwood, made by my brother. A close to full L Ex motor (Using Everclear which me and my bro formulated) , single use, graphite nozzle and hand made fiberglass casing by Jim G. Timer for ejection.

So much handmade.

It flew great. Ejected at apogee. Landed way out on the north (?) side of the lakebed, in the brush. Never found it.

That was some hardcore rocketry there y’all. Losing it didn’t matter because the flight was perfect.

The only thing that would have made it better was if you were able to find the remains some time later. The cardboard tube might have melted with rain (though if it was in a desert, might not have had to deal with much rain) but would have been able to recover bits and pieces that could be useful for a future project! Yeah, thick cardboard carpet tube might have been able to stand up to rain for a time but if soaked, I doubt the rocket would have been able to fly again. Like I said, if one can get back "bits n' pieces" makes it a little less traumatic for the initial loss. I hate when this type of loss happens. Wide open spaces, tracker failure and can't find it. Stinks!
Kurt

 

[Woody's Workshop]

45 to 50 years ago it hurt a lot. But I've ever flown Low Power. I built a bat rock of my own design and a custom pearl paint job, and decided to put a C-67 in it for it's first flight. It did a 90 about 100' off the pad. Didn't even bother to go look for it. The kids I was launching for seemed really hurt buy that. I simple said it's common to loose at least one rocket at a launch. Loosing only one is a good thing.
Before I was 20 I built quick and fast to get the rocket to fly. They looked like crap, and flew no better. Since then I've built everything really tough and do the best I can to paint it up really nice since I was an auto body tech and did custom painting. And even with all that time involved, I've learned loosing a rocket isn't that big a deal for me. My flight area is in mid lower Michigan, small fields, lots of trees and hills and streams and ponds. It's just a fact of life for me.
The only good thing about that is there is usually mid to high grass in the fields so it's a soft landing and the chute stays on top of the grass for easy finding.
I would like to launch in wide open area some day, as long as it's not the desert with concrete like landings. I hate concrete landings, it always results in repairs!

 

[teepot]

45 to 50 years ago it hurt a lot. But I've ever flown Low Power. I built a bat rock of my own design and a custom pearl paint job, and decided to put a C-67 in it for it's first flight. It did a 90 about 100' off the pad. Didn't even bother to go look for it. The kids I was launching for seemed really hurt buy that. I simple said it's common to loose at least one rocket at a launch. Loosing only one is a good thing.
Before I was 20 I built quick and fast to get the rocket to fly. They looked like crap, and flew no better. Since then I've built everything really tough and do the best I can to paint it up really nice since I was an auto body tech and did custom painting. And even with all that time involved, I've learned loosing a rocket isn't that big a deal for me. My flight area is in mid lower Michigan, small fields, lots of trees and hills and streams and ponds. It's just a fact of life for me.
The only good thing about that is there is usually mid to high grass in the fields so it's a soft landing and the chute stays on top of the grass for easy finding.
I would like to launch in wide open area some day, as long as it's not the desert with concrete like landings. I hate concrete landings, it always results in repairs!

Ever hear of Pinckney? Near Ann Arbor, Howell and Brighton. Grew up there. We had 5 acers of treeless grass around the house. Never lost one there. All the desert isn't as hard as the dry lakes. Every time I fly with the club something breaks no matter how slow it comes down. Around my house the desert is soft.

 

[milehigh]

Not bummed but mildly irritated.
The worst loss of my BAR era was a scratch-built FlatCat B/G that was thermaled away on its maiden flight. I've since built another that performs equally well and has flown twice.
Oddly, a rocket that I lost last year, and was a bit disappointed about was a Mosquito. I was trying for a most-recovered-Mosquio-flights record. The success streak ended on its 13th launch.

 

[fyrwrxz]

I have lost very few rockets over the years, mostly paper Estes kits with no tracker, and those were years ago. The one that hurt, was my scratch built level 2 certification rocket, "Energizer Bunny". It was a fiberglass (almost) minimum diameter 54mm rocket with an Acme fincan.
After my certification flight, I took it to the Lucerne dry lake and flew it with ROC at ROCstock 37. First flight using a CSI tracker and a borrowed CSI receiver from Jack G. "What's Up Hobbies":
View attachment 517730

Later that year, I lost that rocket learning how to use my own CSI receiver, flying the bunny on a K300. There was an anomaly under boost, and all we found later was a part of the liner, floating down shortly after it attained warp speed and left this dimension.
Several days of searching and even a $100 reward that prompted several others to search for it netted zero results. Still might be out there on the playa....
The trauma from that event might be why I have two GPS trackers and a CSI button tracker in all my rockets that can fly over 10k ft.

I really miss Jack! Will miss you too at LDRS 40! Give Sharon a hug and Chris says hi!

 

[3stoogesrocketry]

In the late 90's I was at Nypower in Geneseeo NY and flew a extended magnum on a AT K700 . The case / clouser's we're brand new thank you Ken . Two brand new perfect flight Mawds , brand new R12 and R3 as a drouge . 80 feet of 1/4 inch kevlar . Long story short the mains appeared way to early and it floated across the river . By the time we back tracked and got across the road , we saw a blue dodge driving away . We ( my father and I ) assumed they saw it came down and stopped . Well they did . But they also picked the rocket up and left with it asit was no longer in the field it landed in . That was a 1000 dollar flight. I was definitely bummed after that one.

 

[teepot]

^ That's what worries me. I can rebuild the rocket. But the electronics getting lost would really hurt.

 

[cbwho]

This used to bother me more but then I realized I'm pretty lucky to have recoverable rockets. Every Saturn V rocket was a single use rocket!!

 

[brockrwood]

Not bummed but mildly irritated.

Precisely. The losses that irritate most are the ones where I could SWEAR I saw where it landed, but when I walk there - nothing.

Then there are the “no hope of recovery” lost rockets that are miraculously found. I lost a Quest Brighthawk with a ridiculous blue, purple, and red paint job. It had sentimental value. It was the first rocket I had built as an old guy BAR. It had survived many hard landings. I launched it at night with some strap on LED’s.

The LED’s popped off at ejection. I found them. The Brighthawk was lost in the night. I went back to the local park the next day and looked and looked. I had given up and was walking back to my car when, bam, there it was in some tall grass.

I look around and saw the city grass mowing guys taking a break and drinking sodas about 20 feet away. Their next piece of park to mow? Right where the rocket had come down. Phew! Close call!

 

[msjohnso]

Not bummed but mildly irritated.
The worst loss of my BAR era was a scratch-built FlatCat B/G that was thermaled away on its maiden flight. I've since built another that performs equally well and has flown twice.
Oddly, a rocket that I lost last year, and was a bit disappointed about was a Mosquito. I was trying for a most-recovered-Mosquio-flights record. The success streak ended on its 13th launch.

There is an old saying in this hobby: The good ones fly away, the dogs keep coming back forever. Entirely too true in my experience.

 

[Stretch]

Just gives me something to do when I get home. Build another one. But a rocket is nothing, I fly RC jets, in the blink of an eye my F-18C Blue Angels #6 crashed in front of 10,000 people. Loss was about 12 grand

Wanna see a grown man cry..........=° l

 

[David Schwantz]

I must have been because on the trip home I got pulled over for speeding and the Officer let me go with just a warning

 

[Stretch]

I've lost quite a few of them over the years. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. It's going to happen.
The one that broke my heart was the upscale Astron Starlight that I built with my kids. We were in an office supplies store where my daughter spotted a big shipping tube and said that would make a great rocket. Not being anything close to a standard size body tube I machined a nose cone from a big piece of balsa we had and it was on. To make a long story short it turned out fantastic. It was a nice model of the Starlight except this one had four D Motors, and was about 4 feet tall. Went with traditional colors and it was the perfect park flyer. Had to reinforce the main fin tips because they tended to get damaged on landing, but after that flight after perfect flight. Nice slow liftoff, always weather cocked into the wind, bout 5/600 foot flight, and then road a 36" chute almost right back to the launch pad. It was even featured several times in the SOLAR news letter.
On the last flight the chute separated from the body tube and it came in straight down and it came in hot. Got about a 9" core sample before it turned into an accordion. On a positive note we got the nose cone and the chute back. Somewhere around here I have a DVD of the "Death of the Starlight". If I can dig it up I'll have to post it here and then you can all cry with me.........= )

 

[Pem Tech]

I lost a few growing up, but wasn't really bothered by it. Mommy or daddy would just buy me another one if I wanted. But more importantly, I had much more free time as a child than I do as an adult.

We weren't that lucky.
If I had a rocket it was because I got it for my Birthday, Yule or when I could scrape together sufficient rolls of coins that our grandparents gave us for holidays.
When the Centuri Screaming Eagle hung in a tall surly tree monster we tried to shoot it down. You can guess how bad that went. I was shattered, gutted, flayed.... The crying went on for a while. There there was the Andromeda! It was the first kit I ever bought, and I was so proud.
Unfortunately, the 11 year old me didn't have a sufficient grasp of engine performance or delay elements. I flew her on the only engines I had, a C6-5.
It is still with me, the thrill of ignition, excitement as she started to climb and wonder as that black beauty sailed into the sky. After apogee all that changed.
She continued to arc over, no chute.
She picked up speed. Come on chute!
Then there was the *thud* as it stuck in the mud. The *crumble* as it broke in half and *splat* as the rear portion fell into a puddle. I was devastated, and cried for days. One of my brothers even straightened out the BT and wrapped it in masking tape. But that was the end of Andromeda. I still have the nosecone from that kit.

 

[PDawg]

I don't mind too much but it's frustrating when you watch it hit the ground and can't find it afterwards. I lost a rocket recently at the Bong Rec area launch site. Saw it hit the ground a few hundred feet away but gave up after half an hour. I did find a same sized nose cone from someone else's rocket which I will use and a rebuildable Cessaroni reuseable engine case and a fin section with some broken fiberglass fins. The guy who lost that rocket lost more money than the last 10 rockets I lost combined. Unfortunately I have no use for a 24mm Reusable motor but maybe I'll give/trade it to someone someday. I wished it had contact info on it.