Extreme Rocketry magazine closing

[sunward]

Now making the rounds:

https://www.extremerocketry.com/

Extreme Rocketry Closes Doors After 84 Issues

The September-October #84 Issue has been mailed to subscribers and retail locations. It is the last issue of Extreme Rocketry to be produced by RocketeerMedia.

Owner Brent McNeely stated, "It is with deep regret that I have been forced to close down my business. This decision was very painful for me to make--one I have struggled and lost much sleep over. However, at the strong encouragement of business consultants, and in the face of the harsh economic conditions this last year, I have been forced to face the reality that ER cannot continue. I am proud to have produced 84 issues of ER over the last nine years. I have put my heart and soul into each-and-every issue. I am pleased to have interviewed so many individuals who were responsible for building our rocket community. I love this publication and its loyal readers who have continually written and encouraged me over the years. You are simply amazing people. Thank you so much for your support and allowing me the opportunity to put my love for rocketry in a magazine. I hope you will cherish the issues you’ve received and have fond memories of Extreme Rocketry magazine during its brief existence in this world."

A letter to subscribers explaining the business closure has been included in the recent mailing​

Shame.

 

[troj]

Shame.

Agreed.

I have a copy of every issue (and dupes of about the first 30), and would've liked to see it continue.

-Kevin

 

[pcotcher]

Would have been nice to see it continue, but I have to say, with my subscription being good through issue 96, there are probably a few of us holding the proverbial "bag."

Nice publication. Hope he has some sort of refund strategy worked out.

 

[Green Arrow]

Major Bummer Man!

I finally signed up for the Rockets magazine when I renewed my Tripoli and I was going get the Extreme Rocketry magazine!

I wish Brent the best! Tough decision are not always the easiest!

 

[Viperfixr]

Was digital only not an option? I really hate to lose two of three rocketry magazines in less than a year! ER always made me smile when I saw a fresh issue in the mail.

 

[jimmyk]

In the new age of instant news, many magazines and newspapers are joining the shelves next to the dodo bird and horse-drawn carriages. Only publishers that can have a large online presence will survive. Sorry to see that an online option was not available...

 

[sailmike]

I've never bought the magazine, but I'd be happy to buy a few of the old issues if he has any sitting around. How do I contact him about that?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Brent]

Just got the latest issue in the mail today. There is a letter inside stating what we all know that Extreme Rocketry is calling it quits. What is not covered in the letter is what will happen to your remaining subscription. This was issue 84, my subscription was to end with issue 91. Even if an Extreme Rocketry store credit was offered that would be better than nothing.

 

[WillMarchant]

I really hate to lose two of three rocketry magazines in less than a year! ER always made me smile when I saw a fresh issue in the mail.

Two of *four* are down the tubes. Sport Rocketry is still going strong.

Yes, I too looked forward to getting ER in the mail.

 

[Green Arrow]

I thought it was a very well done magazine! I will miss it!

That is a good idea Viperfixr! What about a digital one version being available?

I think I am going to have to go on line ans order a few back ordered issues.

 

[Green Arrow]

Does anyone know how to get ahold of or order back issues of Extreme Rocketry? The website store just says it is closing its doors.....

 

[Apollo Leader]

As someone who has written two interviews (Kevin "Troj" Trojanowski and Earl Cagle Jr.) and contributed pictures for Brent's magazine and having been subscribed since issue #1, it is sad to see Extreme Rocketry head off into the sunset. Brent did a great job keeping the magazine coming out on a consistant and timely basis and my favorite part of it was the interviews. While High Power Rocketry magazine spiraled to its end, Extreme Rocketry filled that void. But with Rockets magazine becoming a more dominant publication, the fact that hobby rocketry is a niche hobby which 2 magazines probably suffice (NAR's Sport Rocketry and one high power focused magazine), the current economic/job environment, and that Extreme Rocketry was starting to skimp back further due to publication costs, it isn't too surprising that Brent came to the decision he made. I hope and pray the best for all of Brent McNeely's future endeavors.

For those wondering if they will be getting a refund, I sent Brent an e-mail expressing those concerns. I tried to call him, but his business number is no longer in use. If I find out anything I will pass the word along.

 

[Brent]

Has anyone heard of any refunds or anything for remaining issues in your subscriptions yet?

 

[n5wd]

Has anyone heard of any refunds or anything for remaining issues in your subscriptions yet?

If there was such a thing going to happen, we'd have probably heard by now.

 

[stickershock23]

I am not happy with this at all. I Had never subscribed because I got the magazine at work. when I quite I went ahead and subscribed. I paid my money and now this!!!!! I didnt even get one friggin issue! they had no problem taking my money. now......

I WANT MY MONEY BACK BRENT! THANKS FOR RIPPING ME OFF! THATS JUST UNCOOL rocket people are trustworthy, I expected way more from you.

 

[gerbs4me]

I enjoyed looking at ER so much, it was such a great magazine!

 

[BRC]

I am not happy with this at all. I Had never subscribed because I got the magazine at work. when I quite I went ahead and subscribed. I paid my money and now this!!!!! I didnt even get one friggin issue! they had no problem taking my money. now......

I WANT MY MONEY BACK BRENT! THANKS FOR RIPPING ME OFF! THATS JUST UNCOOL rocket people are trustworthy, I expected way more from you.

Call your credit card company and cancel the charge, it may not be too late...:eyepop:

 

[stickershock23]

Call your credit card company and cancel the charge, it may not be too late...:eyepop:

Yeah, But that should never have to happen in our little community.

 

[stickershock23]

Well guys, I guess my little tantrum got back to Brent.

I got a message from him, he said He is sorry, and he is goingto do whatever he can to make things right.

So Brent,I owe you an apology. I am sorry I guess I jumped the Gun a bit and didn't give you the time you needed to fix this.

I hope things work out, and thank you.

Mark

 

[Brent]

At least your bitching got a response.

 

[cwbullet]

I would take a DVD of the old issues. It would e a nice reference. Heck, I would pay for the DVD.

 

[bobkrech]

Deciding to close shop after you've been in business for a while is not easy. Most one man shops should do it long before they do to cut their personal losses, but they don't because they were hoping beyond hope that sales will turn around so they don't have to go out of business and impact their customer.

This rarely works. When things start to go bad, they first run their business on their profits, then their retained earning which when they're a one man shop means their own bank account. At some point the bleeding has to stop. The big looser is the owner, not the customers. The owner's loss for trying to be a nice guy is likely in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. If it really went on too long, folks have lost the homes, and their wife, when their business fails.

Many high power fliers think nothing of launching a $500 or $1000 rocket and are willing to accept the possibility of a total loss if the flight fails, but apparently some folks like to whine and moan because a great magazine fell on hard times and went under and they didn't get their magazines. Whine and moan if it makes you feel better, but in reality, your loss was a J reload. You'll loose even more next time you crash a rocket.

Bob

 

[luke strawwalker]

Deciding to close shop after you've been in business for a while is not easy. Most one man shops should do it long before they do to cut their personal losses, but they don't because they were hoping beyond hope that sales will turn around so they don't have to go out of business and impact their customer.

This rarely works. When things start to go bad, they first run their business on their profits, then their retained earning which when they're a one man shop means their own bank account. At some point the bleeding has to stop. The big looser is the owner, not the customers. The owner's loss for trying to be a nice guy is likely in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. If it really went on too long, folks have lost the homes, and their wife, when their business fails.

Many high power fliers think nothing of launching a $500 or $1000 rocket and are willing to accept the possibility of a total loss if the flight fails, but apparently some folks like to whine and moan because a great magazine fell on hard times and went under and they didn't get their magazines. Whine and moan if it makes you feel better, but in reality, your loss was a J reload. You'll loose even more next time you crash a rocket.

Bob

Point taken, but folks tend to get testy when they've held up their end of a transaction and the other side, for whatever reason, doesn't keep the faith on their end.

I'm a farmer and I've been in the custom haying business, sold hay, cattle, cotton, and grain, and dealt with other farmers and ag dealers from both sides of the table, as both a buyer and seller at different times. I know the difficulties of which you speak. I've had to make decisions and change what I've been doing several times over the years, in order to make it. I've had to increase prices I charge at times, that's true, but I've always made those changes BETWEEN JOBS; IE if I agreed to do a job for the guy up the road for $X amount, then that's what I do. If I have a breakdown and drop a $400 part, well, that's just part of the business, not his fault. Now, I HAVE backed out of a job before because I got in there and started damaging my equipment because the ground was rougher than I anticipated, and after a breakdown I let the guy know I wasn't coming back to cut more, but I followed through with what I HAD started and came back and raked and baled it for him, even though I got a little 'banged up' because I felt that was only the right thing to do, and I got paid for the work that I did. It was amicable to both of us.

Now I've seen some of these farmers around here run up a $40,000 or more chemical bill from some of the local suppliers and then just up and walk away from it, quit farming, go into custom picking or something like that instead of farming it themselves, whatever, and just leave the ag supply guy holding a bill with nothing to show for it. I was talking to a dealer who had been trying to collect $40,000 owed him, calling the guy for MONTHS to no avail, finally went to his house. Brand new $40,000 diesel pickup in the driveway, but can't pay his bill. He talked to the guy's wife, and she told him that her husband was down in the Valley hunting on some big lease-- one of those $5,000 a gun leases on some big ranch. The dealer was livid, and rightfully so-- "you mean to tell me he can't pay his bills, but he's got money for a brand new pickup and jaunting around on some big hunting ranch??" Yep, that's the type! Anyway, he had to go through bankruptcy because his chemical business was broke because of that jerk and another couple more besides, but he was lucky enough to be able to reorganize and restructure enough to keep his doors open. A lot of others haven't been so lucky! So, now, NOBODY gives in-house credit anymore, and I can see why-- I don't either. I had guys welching on me, wouldn't pay, delay, delay, delay, and still come by or call wanting me to deliver more hay. After getting two payments behind I told the guy "No, I can't afford it. Pay what you owe and then I'll deliver more." He finally paid me off and I said, "I can't finance your operation anymore-- if you want hay, come pay for it and I'll deliver it when you want it. If you need money, you'll have to borrow it from the bank, because I can't afford to have hay already delivered to you that someone else is willing to come by and pay cash money for, but I don't have the hay or the money." He bought for another few months and that was that.

I know how tough it can be, I've been there, still am there, but still... I know which ever side of the table I'm on, I DO expect goods/services for payments rendered... It may only be a "J" motor reload loss, but it's still a loss nonetheless... If a $500 rocket crashes and burns, well, who's fault is that?? But, being shorted on something is another animal altogether... Sorry, but right is right...

JMHO! OL JR

EDIT: PS... I've seen some farmers hit hard times and go belly up, and leave a dealer with a big bill they couldn't pay, and whatever equipment they didn't have mortgaged, they delivered to the dealer for him to sell to whittle down his losses. That's how my seed dealer ended up with an old planter, disk, 7700 Deere combine, a grain head, and corn head for said combine. They weren't worth a whole lot, not even enough to cover the bill, but at least the guy TRIED to do the right thing, did SOMETHING to make it right, well, as right as he could make it. The bank/Farm Credit got the tractors and other equipment, but the planter and combine and heads and disk he owned outright, but he delivered them to the dealer to try to make it right. If the guy was a crook, he COULD have just sold them himself, pocketed the money, and walked away and left the dealer to twist in the wind, but he DID try to make it right.

That's pretty decent for a guy who just lost his livelyhood and had to go take a job in town... OL JR

 

[MaxQ]

Does anyone know how to get ahold of or order back issues of Extreme Rocketry? The website store just says it is closing its doors.....

I'd like to knw the answer to that myself...if things were that bad, maybe a sell off of back issues would recou somemoney...I'd like quite a few back issues...

 

[Brent]

While cleaning out email folders I ran across this.

Order Confirmation from Extreme Rocketry

Brent Bierstedt

Thanks for shopping with us today!
The following are the details of your order.
------------------------------------------------------
Order Number: 103
Date Ordered: Friday 01 May, 2009
Detailed Invoice:
https://www.extremerocketry.com/index.php?main_page=account_history_info&order_id=103

Subscription expires with issue #82

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x US Bulk Rate Subscription (9 Issues) (BUL9) = $39.95
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $39.95
FREE SHIPPING! (Free Shipping Only): $0.00
Total: $39.95

This means I got a whopping 2 issues for 39.95. Hey what a deal.

 

[sam_midkiff]

While cleaning out email folders I ran across this.

<snip>
------------------------------------------------------
1 x US Bulk Rate Subscription (9 Issues) (BUL9) = $39.95
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $39.95
FREE SHIPPING! (Free Shipping Only): $0.00
Total: $39.95

This means I got a whopping 2 issues for 39.95. Hey what a deal.

But at least the shipping was free ...:roll:

 

[Brent]

I never thought of it that way.:y: Actually I wish I would have thought about looking at my emails when they canceled. Maybe I could have gotten some sort of refund on the credit card.

 

[cfoster3448]

I guess asking about how to get back issues, or a digital version of all the published issues on CD/DVD to purchase is moot? I've only ever seen cover shots on here, and discussions about ER; and NOBODY has them on ebay or anywhere else that I do a G00gle or DDG search on that will return any ER results.

 

[grillsjosephbus]

PM me for information about issues of ER (Non-digital)

 

[cwbullet]

It is too bad they closed up shop. A digital presence could have been informative and lucrative.