Yeggman
New Member
Hello all! I'm new to this Forum but not new to rocketry. I've been launching rockets now since the 70's. Anyway, I made a discovery the other day that was a head slap moment. About 10 years ago I was very involved with my 2 sons with Boy Scouts, was a Scout Master, and then became a Unit Commissioner. As Commissioner, I was involved with 15 Units (Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) and spent a lot of time with all of them. Well to make a long story short, many Fathers have become overly involved with the "Pinewood Derby" to the point that the boys have sometimes had really very little to do with it. The Dads naturally look for performance enhancing techniques which include the use of graphite powder. After conducting a test launch of a new rocket the other day, I was confused about the rockets poor performance. It weathercocked, and its altitude was poor. Checking the launch rod I discovered a fair amount of corrosion. After sanding it down some, I then had the wild idea of using graphite powder on it. The next day its performance with the same engine was incredible!