Hey all,
I'm Scott. I've been flying off and on since I was a kid. The first kit I ever got was an Estes SR-71, back in '86. I was 9. I didn't have batteries for the launch controller so my friend and I decided we'd see if we could light the engine by sticking the igniter leads in a power outlet. Spoiler alert - it works. It kinda looked like my friend was holding an SR-71 -shaped blowtorch. I wasn't allowed over to his house after that...
In the 36 years since then I've flown hundreds of rockets and learned many, many more lessons. Some early ones: no, it's not okay for that one fin to be pointing in that direction; yes, the nose weight IS important; no, making your own parachute out of a cut up grocery bag is NOT acceptable; and of course the classic lesson: when demoing your awesome rocketry skills to your 7th grade classmates, be sure to bring more than one igniter.
Anyway, just this past year I've started flying again after maybe 20 years away. I'm slowly getting my oldest son (5 yrs) interested in hobby rockets, and that of course led me to start buying bigger stuff for myself. So beyond the dozen or so rockets in the Estes fleet that I fly with my son, I have an Initiator ready to go (waiting for first Launch), a Cheetah in the paint shop, a Super Big Bertha that I just received the plywood fin and ring upgrades for and is on deck to build, and an Apogee Peregrine that was sold to me as a great rocket to get both L1 and L2 with, but will now have some other purpose.
Beyond getting my son slowly up to speed on rocketry, my goals are to learn as much as possible about the build techniques and materials that are appropriate for different missions. How fast can I get that Cheetah to run? What will I need to do to ensure it survives the trip? How will I ensure that it is recoverable, and that I can even find it? Many of you here already know these answers, but I want to learn them too. I only care about the certifications insomuch as they are required to buy the motors I will eventually want as my goals get bigger.
So thanks for everything you've already taught me even though you didn't know it, and I look forward to talking to you all here, and one day flying with you!
I'm Scott. I've been flying off and on since I was a kid. The first kit I ever got was an Estes SR-71, back in '86. I was 9. I didn't have batteries for the launch controller so my friend and I decided we'd see if we could light the engine by sticking the igniter leads in a power outlet. Spoiler alert - it works. It kinda looked like my friend was holding an SR-71 -shaped blowtorch. I wasn't allowed over to his house after that...
In the 36 years since then I've flown hundreds of rockets and learned many, many more lessons. Some early ones: no, it's not okay for that one fin to be pointing in that direction; yes, the nose weight IS important; no, making your own parachute out of a cut up grocery bag is NOT acceptable; and of course the classic lesson: when demoing your awesome rocketry skills to your 7th grade classmates, be sure to bring more than one igniter.
Anyway, just this past year I've started flying again after maybe 20 years away. I'm slowly getting my oldest son (5 yrs) interested in hobby rockets, and that of course led me to start buying bigger stuff for myself. So beyond the dozen or so rockets in the Estes fleet that I fly with my son, I have an Initiator ready to go (waiting for first Launch), a Cheetah in the paint shop, a Super Big Bertha that I just received the plywood fin and ring upgrades for and is on deck to build, and an Apogee Peregrine that was sold to me as a great rocket to get both L1 and L2 with, but will now have some other purpose.
Beyond getting my son slowly up to speed on rocketry, my goals are to learn as much as possible about the build techniques and materials that are appropriate for different missions. How fast can I get that Cheetah to run? What will I need to do to ensure it survives the trip? How will I ensure that it is recoverable, and that I can even find it? Many of you here already know these answers, but I want to learn them too. I only care about the certifications insomuch as they are required to buy the motors I will eventually want as my goals get bigger.
So thanks for everything you've already taught me even though you didn't know it, and I look forward to talking to you all here, and one day flying with you!
