FlisKits: Birthday celebration 2004!

[jflis]

Come celebrate with FlisKits!

FlisKits 2nd anniversary (birthday) is rapidly approaching. Join us in a month long celebration with free kits, new announcements and even cake at a special FlisKits sponsored launch in Tewksbury mass with CMASS (check https://www.cmass.org/ for details of the launch)

We're announcing stuff, we're making stuff, we're giving stuff away!

WHY???

To thank YOU for helping us get to this point! Come to our web site and see what all the buzz is about!

Starting September 7th, FlisKits will be giving away one rocket kit a day, starting with our lowest cost kit, the Overdrive, then moving up the list according to cost, untill we give away a Richter Recker. One of each of our kits and THEN, we're going to give away a new Triskelion AND a yet to be announced Alien8 kit!

Find out how by clicking here and following the links to our birthday celebration!

we're gonna have a party, party, we're gonna have a party, party...

Seriously, thank you to everyone who has helped us grow and succeed. You are all a part of something *wonderful*. Now let's have some fun!

 

[jetra2]

Congrats on two years Jim...now it's time for the 'Terrible Two's'!

WHAT? No Fly-off at 6:00pm? Beef!

Mmmm....free kits...droool...

I like your birthday message. Especially the part where it talk about me!

GO FLISKITS!

Jason

 

[n3tjm]

And they are not doing free shipping this year....

 

[eugenefl]

Originally posted by n3tjm
And they are not doing free shipping this year....

...but if you think about it, the cost to FlisKits was probably greater last year. 100 sales times $5 shipping a head and you've got yourself an expensive party tab. I think this year's promotion is just as good, if not better.

Jim, a *HUGE* congratulations to you and Brian on your successes. You guys have made some great business decisions and taken FlisKits a long way in such a short amount of time. I am personally excited about the September promotions and look forward to participating.

As for the Tour de Deuce, it has truly been a labor of love. We have had some great volunteers step up and carry the load for us at times. For them we are really appreciative. State #50 will truly be a golden moment. I am looking forward to seeing you again in your home state.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday to FlisKits!

(Oh yeah, being mentioned was really cool too! Thanks! )

 

[rstaff3]

Can't believe its been two years. Time flies when you are having fun!

 

[jflis]

Time flies when yer workin' yer butt off too LOL

We were thinking about doing free shipping, but wanted to try something different (that promotion last year cost us 2 grand!) but it did bring in a LOT of new customers.

We hope this years promotion will. We've already started receiving birthday wishes from new folks who have never purchased from us, so this is good.

More than anything, if you like what we are doing up here in New Hampshire, go tell your friends, your local clubs and schools and your local hobby shops.

I said this when we first opened, repeated it a year ago and say it still today. This is *your* rocket company. Make it work and it will work for you.

We're in a unique time for something like this. I am sure that *many* of us "old farts" were instrumental in making Estes the rocketeer household name that it is, but due to the era we will never really know.

Well, let me tell each and every one of you that you *are* intrumental in the success at FlisKits. It is my hope that years from now you can look back, along with me, and say "wow" (heck, I say "wow" already )

Thank you for all the well wishes. I hope many of you can make it to Tewksbury!

jim

 

[eugenefl]

Originally posted by jflis
Time flies when yer workin' yer butt off too LOL

We were thinking about doing free shipping, but wanted to try something different (that promotion last year cost us 2 grand!) but it did bring in a LOT of new customers.

Whoa! My example of 100 orders times $5 was just to illustrate how out of hand that promotion could get. Wow - $2k! Did you send a free beer with every kit? Sheesh!

 

[jflis]

Congratulations to John Pinette for being the first winner in our daily birthday drawing. John wins a FlisKits Overdrive kit.

Tomorrow we will be having a drawing for the popular Tumbleweed kit!

jim

 

[jflis]

Congratulations to Doug Gardei for being the second winner in our daily birthday drawing. Doug wins a FlisKits Tumbleweed kit.

Tomorrow we will be having a drawing for the popular Flea kit!

jim

 

[arthur dent]

Happy birthday to all at fliskits..out of all the rockets i fly the deuces wild is the best crowd pleaser and most requested.Keep up the great work.

 

[illini]

Okay, you've covered New England...you're moving toward the mid-Atlantic now, right???

 

[BobH48]

Okay, you've covered New England...you're moving toward the mid-Atlantic now, right???

It's alright if he moves that way now as long as he heads back this way for the Alien 8 giveaway.

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by illini868891
Okay, you've covered New England...you're moving toward the mid-Atlantic now, right???

I *knew* that was going to happen....

I am going to have to check to see what I have for Maine, Vermont and Conn... LOL

Hey, it's a random number generator that's pickin'em!

 

[illini]

Originally posted by jflis
I *knew* that was going to happen....

I am going to have to check to see what I have for Maine, Vermont and Conn... LOL

Hey, it's a random number generator that's pickin'em!

Gaussian distribution with mean in New Hampshire and a 1 state standard deviation right? May I respectfully request you consider a uniform distribution??

 

[slim_t]

Congrats to Doug and John.
Hey Doug, I want to see a pic of that Tumbleweed next to the Super Glotova.

hmm, hmm, ok Jim, here's what I don't have yet:

Flea, Sep. 9
Pheord X150, Sep. 10
Cougar 440, Sep. 11
Triple Threat, Sep. 13
Long Overdue, Sep. 15
Cheetah, Sep. 16
Drake, Sep. 23
USS Grissom, Sep. 27
Triskelion, Sep. 29
Alien 8, Sep. 30

So any of those will be fine for me, although I really want a Grissom to go with my Farscape.
Oh, and if I get another Deuce, or Tres, or Stingray, or anything else, that'll be fine too.

And if I don't win something I'm not ordering another thing, well at least not until my birthday, which is Oct. 1, so there.

Tim

 

[jflis]

I am having a BALL with this giveaway just wish *I* could win something

Congratulations to Alex Fahrenbruch of Colorado for being the third winner in our daily birthday drawing. Alex wins a FlisKits Flea kit.

A point of note about Alex. I was contacted by his mom last year (Alex is 13). It seems that Alex is a member of the 4H clubs of America and he is in their rocketry program. The stage he is at requires him to build a "Skill Level 4" kit. Now SL4 kits are hard to find and they stumbled across the USS Grissom. She wrote to ask several questions to verify that it was indeed a skill level 4 and would qualify. I assured her that the Grissom would certainly qualify and off they went.

2 years earlier, when he was 11, he took Grand Champion with a Skill Level 2 model.

Well, this skilled 13 year old boy did such a find job on the USS Grissom that he took Champion ribbon at the El Paso County Fair in Calhan Colorado and that qualified him for the State Fair wherein he won yet again.

I am proud and excited for all of our winners and all of our customers, but I am *extra* proud of Alex! Great job!

Tomorrow we will be having a drawing for the redneck Pheord X150 kit!

jim

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by jflis
I am having a BALL with this giveaway just wish *I* could win something

Congratulations to Alex Fahrenbruch of Colorado for being the third winner in our daily birthday drawing. Alex wins a FlisKits Flea kit.

A point of note about Alex. I was contacted by his mom last year (Alex is 13). It seems that Alex is a member of the 4H clubs of America and he is in their rocketry program. The stage he is at requires him to build a "Skill Level 4" kit. Now SL4 kits are hard to find and they stumbled across the USS Grissom. She wrote to ask several questions to verify that it was indeed a skill level 4 and would qualify. I assured her that the Grissom would certainly qualify and off they went....

KICK BUTT Alex! Great Story Jim! And Alex, GREAT JOB!

Dave

 

[eugenefl]

That's a great story Jim. Thanks for posting that. You are fortunate to be in touch with so many people!

Alrighty - if I don't win a FlisKits celebration giveaway I'll take that as a sign that a bigger prize is on its way - THE FLORIDA LOTTERY!

 

[slim_t]

That is a nice story.
I take back everything I said earlier. I'd rather people like Eric win.
Except the part about wanting a Grissom. I still want a Grissom.

Tim

 

[jflis]

Well, we're *back* to New Hampshire...

Congratulations to Mollie Gardner of New Hampshire (right here in Merrimack, actually!). She has won a Pheord X150 model rocket kit!

Next up is the Cougar 440 competition streamer model!

 

[eugenefl]

Here's an idea for the next FlisKits big giveaway - "Residents of the State of New Hampshire are not eligible to win." :kill: That's alright Jim. If in my lifetime I never win the "small" giveaways I'll preserve my odds for bigger things - like the lottery!

 

[n3tjm]

I was about ready to say the same thing... but I think I will be a bit bias... I WON one to .

Interesting thing is I already have a tumbleweed. You can see it in the begining of Fliskits - The Movie....

Now don't say now I have a spare in case I loose mine. Ain't gonna happen . Jim knows that I have been trying to loose it... Flying it on A motors... and IT ALWAYS comes back .

 

[DJ Delorie]

"Residents of the State of New Hampshire are not eligible to win."

The thing is, Jim gets out of his house a LOT and contributes his rocket lore to the community (schools, scouts, clubs, etc). A lot of locals know him, so it's likely that there's a high proportion of entries from NH.

 

[rdbones]

Happy Birthday FlisKits !

Jim make me a winner (my birthday is tommrow !)

Anyways, your kits are great, and I cant wait to see more - keep up the great work, and community involvement !

 

[jflis]

Roy,

I haven't received a "birthday wish" from you to enter you into our contest!!! Get crackin' son! Send a note with your name and address to [email protected] to be automatically entered!


jim

 

[jflis]

Off to the West coast!

Congratulations to Craig Cline of California, He has won a Cougar 440 model rocket kit!

Next up is the Cougar 660 competition streamer model!

 

[jflis]

...and back East!

Congratulations to Joe Slossar of Connecticut, He has won a Cougar 660 model rocket kit!

Next up is the Triple Threat (three 13mm flying saucers in one) model!

 

[gregzo]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Residents of the State of New Hampshire are not eligible to win."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come on guys - how can you pick on a 5 year old??
Yes - Mollie is my 5 year daughter who is getting an early start.
And yes we live in the same town as Jim. The only difference between me and you guys is that when I want to buy (yes I said buy - no special treatment) a FlisKits rocket - I can meet Jim locally to pick it up.

I would also like to thank Jim Flis and Bobby B. from Hangar 11 for sponsoring a Make It -Take It at the CTRA_Narconn 10th annual Invitational this past weekend in Cobleskill, NY. Mollie got to build another creation there with a parts donation from FlisKits and supplies and workspace from Hangar 11. All the 16 and under participants had a great time. We all had to duck on a few flights - but it was wonderful to see everyone getting involved.
Thanks Jim

(Mollie is the older one hugging her Dad's PML Tethys)

 

[eugenefl]

DJ Delorie/Gregzo, please read below:

Originally posted by DJ Delorie
The thing is, Jim gets out of his house a LOT and contributes his rocket lore to the community (schools, scouts, clubs, etc). A lot of locals know him, so it's likely that there's a high proportion of entries from NH.

DJ Delorie,

I completely understand your point and couldn't agree further.

As a co-originator of the Tour de Deuce, an all-volunteer an unsolicited project (not asked by Jim or Brian), it is my belief that this project is in large a very big marketing opportunity to get the FlisKits name to many people - in every state as a matter of fact. In part, this is a small reward to the company already doing its part in the community.

In the early days of committing to such a large project we initially saw the headlines of this hobby bombarded with the uncertainty of its future. They said that adults would leave the hobby and that their kids would never be introduced. Jason Toft saw this as an opportunity to try and make a difference. He asked me if I'd help and I said "Sure! It's an awesome idea!" FlisKits and the "Deuces Wild!" was the perfect avenue to "get rocketry out there." Excitement about the dual-canted motor mount rocket had already started to explode on this forum. Why not send it around the U.S.? Although I had previously never met or spoken with Jim, his presence and contributions to the rocketry community had already been noted. There were many vendors and many rockets that could have been selected to "tour" the U.S. with, but FlisKits and the Deuce were a great match.

In my humble opinion, FlisKits will undoubtedly continue to participate in the community whether by donations, demonstration flights, educational programs, or by any other means possible so long as it is economically viable and the time is available. I find this to be selfless in this day and age of e-profits and quick turnaround.

Even if the rest of the kits went to a winner in NH - although odd and highly unlikely - I wouldn't speculate or question the integrity of a company with nothing but an absolute reputation for "taking care of the rocketeer."

Originally posted by Gregzo
Come on guys - how can you pick on a 5 year old??
Yes - Mollie is my 5 year daughter who is getting an early start.
And yes we live in the same town as Jim. The only difference between me and you guys is that when I want to buy (yes I said buy - no special treatment) a FlisKits rocket - I can meet Jim locally to pick it up.

Gregzo, as a moderator, servant to my fellow human being, and frequent contributor to this forum (+2000 posts, always looking to help out) I apologize that my remarks - a pale attempt at humor - were taken out of context. To point out the discernable, it was completely impossible for me to know that the recipient of a FlisKits promotional prize went to a 5 year old, let alone your daughter. I imagine - with a specific amount of certainty - that the promotional department at FlisKits could have known any different either (unless the statistics of ages are gathered or Jim himself knew Mollie).

Moreso, I constantly forget that the text displayed on the pages of the internet can be interpreted differently by many people. This community that TRF has become, generally lends itself to being lighthearted, humorous, and overall a comfortable place to "unwind." I spend the bulk of my day addressing the co-workers and clients I interact with an unwavering level of professionalism. At times, posting on TRF in other-than-straightforward text is relieving.

Although I would certainly continue to joke that my run-with-luck isn't always the greatest, I think I've already found all the reward I need online with a great group of rocketeers and in my local community. FlisKits model rockets will always be at my disposal. (Hey, the "Add to Cart" button certainly makes it feel that way! ) Perhaps I might find a surprise in my mailbox sometime before this promotion is over, but I think the better reward is knowing that a 5 year old has "got the goods" on that new rocket more than I do.

Phew. That was a mindful. Sure I could have said "Guys, relax. I was just joking", but how productive would *that* be?

 

[jflis]

Ok, someone take Eugenio's moderator hat, he needs a time-out for gettin' too serious! LOL

Just teasin'!

Will be doing the next drawing later this evening (git'cher names in!), but wanted to say that it is very exciting and rewarding for me to be able to send out a congratulatory email every evening. It makes even the roughest days end better

Now I gotta hope the weather holds out for this weekend.... ugh!