Has your Model Rocket

[AKPilot]

Am just curious to see if over the past year or so if your, individual, habits have changed towards model rocketry. This can either be an increase or decrease in your activities (e.g. launching, building, posting, etc.)

This could also be due to the recession, decreases in income, increase in job responsibilities, lack of discretionary time, etc.

Feel free to answer the poll, then provide an explanation in the thread.

 

[Atlantis]

Decrease, Why?
College, even though I do have the Dr. Zooch Saturn 1 up here with me. I sometimes wonder if I can launch from Campus or from Space Camp's field across the street.

 

[Peartree]

This year just seems busier. Oddly, we're making it to our local soccer field LESS often but trying to get to club launches MORE often (and we went to NARAM which ought to count in some direction). My normally slow building pace has slowed even more and is down to almost nothing except for a couple builds I am trying out for our scout troop.

There's lots of back story to this too, but suffice it to say that things at home AND work are busy.

 

[Gillard]

the recession has not changed my habit much, but getting into high power has really changed my habit!

 

[kandsrockets]

This year has been strange. I have built more this year but have flown less. The flying less part comes from our club loosing its field before our season even started, so to do any launching I have to travel atleast 4 hours one way.

 

[hcmbanjo]

Yes, a lot has changed!
Out local NAR section has lost it's flying field. I now drive 1 1/2 hours to a monthly group launch.
I don't build as much for casual sport flying after starting my own model rocket company.
I've been able to dedicate much more time to product development now that the entertainment jobs have dried up!

 

[kelltym88]

This could also be due to the recession, decreases in income, increase in job responsibilities, lack of discretionary time, etc.

All of the above. I've been at my job for nearly 25 years and this year I will make less than I have than when I first started. YTD so far in take home $33,000. Ouch! Add to that my wife hasn't worked all year and has/is on disability, and my disposable income has pretty much vanished. Shoot I feel bad if I go out for lunch occasionally. My interest has waned, and I've even had to sell off some items to make ends meet. Haven't been building, nor had the time either. Seems life has caught up.

 

[n5wd]

Rocketry has now become a daily activity for me, now that we're doing a NASA-Student Launch Initiative team at school, along with our two TARC teams for this year. That, plus our schedule at school changed, increasing the number of classes I teach while decreasing the prep time to get ready for those classes - a combination of budget and standardized testing concerns (gotta do well on the statewide tests!) has meant a big decrease in my "play" time. I'm still trying to find the time to build my Binder Samurai that I ordered about this time last year though I AM making progress - I've managed to get the top set of fins glued onto the motor tube (doing a fincan instead of installing them per the instructions) and the ebay is ready to go.

I hadn't thought much of it before this year, but I'm now beginning to look forward to retirement in five or six years.

 

[mjennings]

moving across country in august and a now 17 month old son has affected things in the second half of the year. the first half was actually an increase.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Up until 3 weeks ago I was building more than ever and launching Mid Power with value rockets single use motors like they were going out of style. Then the poo really hit the fan at work as 30% of our tenant base is now bankrupt or out of business. Since then I have not even shook a rattle can or opened the glue bottle. A kit lays in pieces on my table as I read how US industrial utilization is at post war lows and unemployment at post war highs. As the credit crisis continues in Commercial Real Estate I find myself throwing those unused 40-50% coupons in the trash. My consumer confidence is crushed and I work seven days a week only with the hope of fixing up my old car. This will be year with out a Christmas and all the rockets next year will be built only with materials I dig out of the trash. Another tree on the property died this Summer so I can justify buying a bag of stump remover for work. With a little bit finding its way into my lunch bag and using up all the sugar packets next to the coffee machine I might just be able to launch Mid Power again in the spring. Until then I am only going to watch those parts of Dr. Zhivago where the weather is really bad.

 

[rocketman]

my involvement with model rocketry has changed since the last year- I only took it up as a hobby 6 months ago! :bangpan:

 

[jadebox]

My involvment with model rocketry has certainly increased this year since my wife and I acquired JonRocket.com. Even if we don't make any money selling model rocket kits, we'll save money because I'm not building and flying as many large rockets.

-- Roger

 

[Breeze1913]

I definately have slowed down. Not just the economy.
Changes at work, I joined the army reserve, kids are at the age where they are invovled in sports, etc..

What I have done is gotten into my build pile. I'll work on one for an hour or so, then put it away. My wife has allocated me some space in the utility room that is strictly hands off to her & the younglings. (Unless it's the kids rocket & thier with me)

Once the build piles gone, who knows? Scratchies maybe. I've got some cardboard tube in the garage too...

 

[n1lul]

100% increase for me. I am lucky in that my job is safe. People seem to like having electricity.

I was hot and heavy into rocketry until 2006, then dropped out. It just got too hard(for me) to do high power anymore.

Went to the Steve Eves Saturn V launch last spring and I remembered what I was missing. Then we won the law suite and HPR got much easier.

I dug out my rocket stuff last month and was suprised how many kits I had stashed away. I was very happy I did not sell any of my rocket stuff.

Prepped everything and went to Red Glare 7. It was nice to see the MDRA gang again. That is a great group of folks.

I recertified level 1 Saturday as well as some LPR and MPR flights and Level 2 Sunday. It was a very good weekend.

It is nice to be back.

 

[Rocketcrab]

I was off on medical leave for six weeks in April/May, so I passed a lot of time doing - what else? - building some of the stock pile of kits in the basement. As a result, I've flown more this year than last.

 

[Queeg500]

I voted Yes - positive change. My club had two good fundraisers this year so I don't need to support it financially as much as I used to. This means I can direct some cash towards a Level 1 cert. attempt next spring. hoo-ya!

 

[AKPilot]

Interesting to hear that some people have lost their flying fields this past year. So far I've heard of three, total, lost this year. That's very sad to hear.

 

[EgbrtV]

Been "in and out" at different times of the year. Was "out" several months to work with my HS classmates on our 40th reunuion. Also, big changes in my family life put a strain on my hobby time at intervals, causing temporary retreats from the field and workshop throughout the year.

But when I was "in" I made the very best of it! The first was moving into mid-power with some of Semroc's SLR stuff, then purchasing Hobbyline RMS hardware both 24mm and 29mm, and D-E reload kits. Next was building an Aerotech Initiator to fire my first F and G SU motors with. Another big "in" was going to NARAM 51 (first Nat'l meet for me) to launch the Initiator, which I modified to carry an altimeter and two fresh eggs And finally, after several years of being active with my local club (which got two new launch fields this year!) I submitted my senior membership application to NAR. :clap:

Lots of changes in my rocketry involvement this year... yep!

 

[mjennings]

Hey Troy is SPARC still flying? I noticed the web site went away. If you have something in late December and the weather cooperates I'll be in town and might be able to make it.

 

[accooper]

I am building more and so far since my son has gone to college, I have only flown once.

Andrew

 

[MarkII]

Oddly enough, my involvement and activities increased greatly this year. Because both NARCON and NARAM were up in my neck of the woods, I attended each one for the very first time. And because northeastern NY had pretty decent weather this summer, my club was able to hold many more launches this year. Last year, because of the spike in gas prices, I wasn't able to get to a single launch. The moderation in the price of gas has been a real boon to my launch participation. It's funny, but because of all the launching I did, I built far fewer rockets this year than usual. I did get a few long-delayed projects completed though. And several rockets that have been sitting unflown on my desk for the past couple of years finally saw some air this year. I feel like I broke out of my lonely little corner of the rocketry world in 2009.

MarkII

 

[Mike Di Venti]

My 5 yr old son started soccer this year and I was the head coach.
Same in the spring w/ t-ball.

now it's tiger scouts and martial arts.
I may be down but i'm not out!!
I'll fly this winter in the snow if i can!!

 

[NjCo]

Big increase since I just started back in this summer as a BAR once again. I flew as a kid back in the early 70's and then was a BAR in the early 90's flying and building with my nephews. Then on a trip to my parents this summer I was cleaning out one of their closets and some storage shelves and found all my old rocket stuff from when I was a kid as well as a few from the late 80's - early 90's. There was also a bunch of motors there as well. Since I had lost my job at the beginning of the year I figured why not haul all the stuff home and have some fun with the kids. After all, I've got nothing but time. The kids loved the rockets and since my wife makes pretty good money we didn't have to cut back on spending enough that a kit or two and some paint would break the budget. I'm loving the building and flying again and it's nice that my young kids are enjoying it as well. And since NARAM-52 is only about a couple hours away next year I might just make it down there. It'd be the first big launch I will have ever attended. It's great to be back!

 

[Pantherjon]

I voted 'yes'..But, it has been kind of an up and down one..Up for the first six months and been down since then..Have been staying a little busy by 'tinkering' here and there on some projects, but not as full throttle as I was at the beginning of the year..Downturn in business(who woulda thunk such a thing for gasoline distribution?) has led to a drop in earnings and costs going up leaves very little in 'fun' funds department..There is some hope for the future as in December our terminal is picking up 9 more stores and possibly the military bases(those would be 5 loads a day themselves!:eyepop..I got my fingers crossed..

 

[bgmineralman61]

Mine has picked up somewhat. Started doing some Micro-Maxx and focusing a bit more on Competition. Should increase even more next year.

 

[AKPilot]

Hey Troy is SPARC still flying? I noticed the web site went away. If you have something in late December and the weather cooperates I'll be in town and might be able to make it.

Yes, as a matter of fact we're flying this Saturday and will most definitely be flying when you arrive in December.

Web site went down, due to a host problem. Will be back up later in December when we get our new launch dates for next year. Even approaching the city to allow us to hold a regional event here in St. Peters at Woodlands.

 

[AKPilot]

As of this posting, 74 people have voted. And I'm finding this an interesting thread.

If any of the previously voted people have not contributed by narrative I, along, with others, would like to see how model rocketry has treated you the past year, good, bad, or indifferent.

There seems to be a lot of change happening, and I know I'd like to hear how.

 

[Handeman]

I answered yes, but sort of would probably be a better answer.

Two of the clubs I launch with, lost their sites so I've launched less. I've also become more involved with my local club so that activity has gone up.

All in all, my activity changed, not so much the amount, but the type.

 

[NjCo]

There seems to be a lot of change happening, and I know I'd like to hear how.

For those of you loosing launch sites I, and I'm sure many others, would like to know why. What caused you to loose access and what did you do to try to keep access to the site? This might be useful info for others that might find themselves in the same situation in the future.

 

[AKPilot]

For my situation, it's been a battle followed by a honeymoon period. He's a, displaced jock, and by his own admission he doesn't like model rocketry - period. I think it's a jock versus a, perceived, geek activity. Basically, it's high school fast forwarded 25 years.