Hello From Atlanta

[d.bloomquist]

Greetings from Hotlanta. I'm Dave. Back in the day, I used to make Estes rockets of all sizes and shapes. Then family life came along and I had to park my rocketry hobby. Now that retirement is imminent, I want to get back into the sport. My plans are to build a 4" dual deploy unit and work towards my level one cert. I'm not quite sure where to start, what to fly, what electronics to use, etc., etc., but I've been busy going over TRF posts and learning a lot. So far the best advice seems to be don't rush, don't be too aggressive, and test, test, test. I look forward to seeking the advice of this forum as I move forward.

My first question for this group is: what 4" kit will allow me to ease back into model rocketry, while providing the most flexibility as I advance my skills and knowledge?

 

[smstachwick]

Greetings from Hotlanta. I'm Dave. Back in the day, I used to make Estes rockets of all sizes and shapes. Then family life came along and I had to park my rocketry hobby. Now that retirement is imminent, I want to get back into the sport. My plans are to build a 4" dual deploy unit and work towards my level one cert. I'm not quite sure where to start, what to fly, what electronics to use, etc., etc., but I've been busy going over TRF posts and learning a lot. So far the best advice seems to be don't rush, don't be too aggressive, and test, test, test. I look forward to seeking the advice of this forum as I move forward.

My first question for this group is: what 4" kit will allow me to ease back into model rocketry, while providing the most flexibility as I advance my skills and knowledge?

Good question. Plenty of kits are available in this range with a wide variety of capability. The Apogee Zephyr seems to be popular for the path to L1. Light enough to fly on G power, tough and recoverable enough to fly on an H for the cert. Easy enough to add an e-bay and by all accounts flies well with one.

To truly ease yourself back in though, I don’t see any harm in building and flying a few small Estes-type kits in the fractional-A through F range as a warmup and making the “cobwebs” types of mistakes in ways that are less expensive than with a larger rocket like the Zephyr.

I’ve got a fleet myself and I’m eyeing a 2.1”, 38mm motor mount Wildman Darkstar Jr for my introduction to 38mm motors and my path to high-power. That’s the neat thing, there isn’t really a wrong answer, so long as you’re being safe.

Whatever you decide, we love pictures. Don’t be shy about sharing.

 

[SecondRow]

Greetings from Hotlanta. I'm Dave. Back in the day, I used to make Estes rockets of all sizes and shapes. Then family life came along and I had to park my rocketry hobby. Now that retirement is imminent, I want to get back into the sport. My plans are to build a 4" dual deploy unit and work towards my level one cert. I'm not quite sure where to start, what to fly, what electronics to use, etc., etc., but I've been busy going over TRF posts and learning a lot. So far the best advice seems to be don't rush, don't be too aggressive, and test, test, test. I look forward to seeking the advice of this forum as I move forward.

My first question for this group is: what 4" kit will allow me to ease back into model rocketry, while providing the most flexibility as I advance my skills and knowledge?

Hi Dave, and welcome. Why don’t you start by coming out and joining us for the SoAR launch tomorrow? We fly in Dawsonville 9am-2pm. The earlier, the better because it’ll be hot later in the day. It’s not a high power launch, but we can fly up to G motors at that location. Address is in the link below.

https://soarrocketry.org/events/soar-dawsonville-launch-2022-jun/

 

[tsmith1315]

Why don’t you start by coming out and joining us for the SoAR launch tomorrow?

Welcome Dave! ^^^This is the best advice you'll get. A month's worth of future questions here will be bypassed in one morning.

 

[SecondRow]

Hi Dave, and welcome. Why don’t you start by coming out and joining us for the SoAR launch tomorrow? We fly in Dawsonville 9am-2pm. The earlier, the better because it’ll be hot later in the day. It’s not a high power launch, but we can fly up to G motors at that location. Address is in the link below.

https://soarrocketry.org/events/soar-dawsonville-launch-2022-jun/

And just to avoid any confusion since I wrote that late last night, the launch is today — Saturday.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Dave, go to the launch, Apogee Zepher or any rocket from Scott Binder.

 

[Titan II]

My first question for this group is: what 4" kit will allow me to ease back into model rocketry, while providing the most flexibility as I advance my skills and knowledge?

Madcow Super DX3 (cardboard version).

https://www.madcowrocketry.com/4-super-dx3/

 

[cwbullet]

Greetings from Hotlanta. I'm Dave. Back in the day, I used to make Estes rockets of all sizes and shapes. Then family life came along and I had to park my rocketry hobby. Now that retirement is imminent, I want to get back into the sport. My plans are to build a 4" dual deploy unit and work towards my level one cert. I'm not quite sure where to start, what to fly, what electronics to use, etc., etc., but I've been busy going over TRF posts and learning a lot. So far the best advice seems to be don't rush, don't be too aggressive, and test, test, test. I look forward to seeking the advice of this forum as I move forward.

My first question for this group is: what 4" kit will allow me to ease back into model rocketry, while providing the most flexibility as I advance my skills and knowledge?

Welcome. If you want to fly, we have 11-12 launches a year in Dalzell, SC.

 

[John Kemker]

Welcome, fellow denizen of Hotlanta!

Look through the LOC/Precision lineup of 4" kits and you'll probably find one to your liking. For a Level 1 cert, I wouldn't stress about dual-deploy, but if you're up to it, it can certainly reduce how much you have to walk.

 

[d.bloomquist]

And just to avoid any confusion since I wrote that late last night, the launch is today — Saturday.

Thanks for the invite. We were out of town this weekend. I'll try to make the next launch. I appreciate the invite.