Hi from southern NH

[rocketdadNH]

Hi, just joining on here. I did a lot of estes rockets as a kid and just getting into it again with my 4yo and 6yo boys. We just got started a couple months ago but its becoming a fun family activity.

Joining here after struggling with instructions with a recent build. Also trying to connect to find local spots where we might launch some higher altitude rockets. Currently, trying to keep everything under 800-1000 ft at a local soccer field.

Our fleet is about 6 rockets deep right now, all from estes:
green egg, amazon, crossfire, orange bullet, star hoppper. The green eggs and orange bullets are the current favorites.

Currently working on a Tazz but the hinge mechanism instructions for the wings have me and my 6yo stumped. Where's the best place on this forum to post questions for help like that?

 

[cwbullet]

Welcome. Southen NH? Is that like North, South Carolina?

 

[hobie1dog]

to the forum

 

[KennB]

Welcome to the forum, @rocketdadNH. Check out CMASS; our regular season starts later this month.

 

[tsmith1315]

Currently working on a Tazz but the hinge mechanism instructions for the wings have me and my 6yo stumped. Where's the best place on this forum to post questions for help like that?

Welcome to the forum! Post some pics whenever you have time.

The Low Power Rocketry sub-forum is probably the best place to ask for help with that.

You may also get results searching the site for "Tazz hinge" or such.

 

[Voyhager3]

Welcome! I used in western mass (until a few years ago)! And if you have a problem, I know someone will have the answer!

 

[cwbullet]

Welcome! I used in western mass (until a few years ago)! And if you have a problem, I know someone will have the answer!

We welcome you to our field even if you are a Yankee.

All joking aside, everyone is welcome in South Carolina. We want to help the hobby.

 

[BDB]

Welcome! The closest club is probably CMASS. They launch, at least part of they year, from Amesbury, MA, which is pretty close to the NH border. There is also a club in Southern Vermont.

As for questions about kits like the Tazz, feel free to post them anywhere, but they would probably get the most relevant attention from either the Watering Hole section (where anything goes) or the Low Power Rocketry section.

 

[rocketdadNH]

We welcome you to our field even if you are a Yankee.

All joking aside, everyone is welcome in South Carolina. We want to help the hobby.

LoL- NH = New Hampshire. Southern is the southern part of the state. Might be a new england thing, but we often identify with regions of the states since a lot changes when you cross a mountain range or a major highway. There are a lot of "cant get there from here"-- although this phrase properly pronounced is hard to type. Note out the local rocket club is central MA, CMASS.

New to this forum format, and trying to figure out the quote mechanisms...forgive me while i stumble my way through this with replies.

 

[rocketdadNH]

Welcome to the forum, @rocketdadNH. Check out CMASS; our regular season starts later this month.

Hey this is cool! I've never heard of cmass. The website looks a little DIY and didn't pop up in my searches. Is there a home here for a family with young kiddos? What are launches like? Are they many hours long? Is there a lot of waiting? Is there a schedule? I'm trying to envision what it's like for the little guys. Although i'm guessing most launch sites have a playground or a soccer goal nearby-- maybe i'm just wondering how many snacks I'd need to pack and if we'd be able to launch our stuff?

This actually might be great. My brother and his kids are also getting into this and they are down in sterling, MA We're starting to make this a bit of a family event.

 

[rocketdadNH]

So a few pictures of our "fleet" Go easy on me-- everything was built with or by either a 6yo or a 4yo. I've found moving faster and letting the little hands do as much as possible is important for attention spans.

We had a great launch day this weekend. We launched ~7 rockets over an hour or so at a local field on a windless day. We got one hung up in a tree just barely on the edge of the field but got it down. The highlights of the day were putting some chocolates into the green eggs rocket for the kiddos-- and for me, i always like launching that orange bullet. It takes an A8-3, goes ~600 feet, pops the engine out, and just falls to earth. It's tiny so it always disappears from sight. We snuck a C6-3 into that cross fire which sends that thing pretty high. Estes estimates ~1200 ft on their specs. As i think of it, actually we put a C8-3 in there... so maybe around there or a smidge higher. It was nice to have a day where we could just point the rod straight up.

The kids keep encouraging me to have my own rocket-- mostly they noticed how all the rockets are theirs and they think i deserve to pick one out. I'm in decision paralysis mode. My favorite rockets as a kid were the mean machine https://estesrockets.com/product/001295-mean-machine/ (which honestly,just isn't that practical for a dad always carrying everything to the launch site lol), the condor https://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-8784.html-- that one has two rugged gliders that come fly down, and my all time fav was this estes silver comet. The silver comet was big, fat, slow launch and a playful look to it. https://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-silver-comet-gary-sinclair.html

I'm torn though. I would like to take on a bigger engine rocket. I loved the D launches but always wanted to go bigger. I was thinking big/heavy like the fat daddy or maybe mars long ship, but none of those rockets really call to me in terms of aesthetics.

I also like the whole glider recovery. Leaning towards maybe the super orbital transport: https://estesrockets.com/product/007314-super-orbital-transport/

I'm also wondering if I want to step outside the estes world a little and either build another brand's kit to see what its like, or maybe just to scratch build something. I'm a maker-- i have a lathe, a CNC router (with a dragknife if needed), and a friend i work with has a nice laser setup. It's tempting to go just design/make my own.

I'm always planning to make my own launch pad and ignition system. I'm thinking a multi rail system including an 80/20 guide rail so i don't have to change out rails for different sizes.

Currently using the portapad II from estes that came with a recent starter kit.

 

[prfesser]

As you get into scratchbuilding you will absolutely want to download and play with OpenRocket. Newest version is just a few months old. It's easy to learn and loads of fun. There are thousands of OR files online, here is one for a bunch of manufacturers. And OR loads RockSim files; for example, here is the RockSim file for the Orange Bullet.

Design the e-rocket, load the e-motor, see how it performs. Change design, change emotor, repeat as applicable.

A caveat on rails: I love railbuttons, most of my rockets use them. Up to D or E motors I use mini-railbuttons. I discovered to my dismay that the cheaper 20x20mm rails often found online do not work properly for mini buttons. The rocket can literally fall off the (cheap) rail. You want the genuine 8020 brand rail.

For larger rockets, 1010 rail. My 20x20mm and 1010 rails just purchased are five feet long. Insurance for slow liftoffs or underpowered rockets.

 

[BDB]

CMASS is family-friendly. There will be plenty of us old guys there pretending to be kids, but there will be some real kids too. Especially the launches at Acton, which are limited to low and mid-power rocketry. The launches at Amesbury will be closer for you and they will also have some high-power launches.

Both fields are wide open, so there‘s plenty of room for kids to burn off their energy. Just be prepared to be outside—the club usually cooks hotdogs, but I usually bring lots of water and some snacks.

 

[Raythain]

Is there a home here for a family with young kiddos? What are launches like? Are they many hours long? Is there a lot of waiting? Is there a schedule? I'm trying to envision what it's like for the little guys. Although i'm guessing most launch sites have a playground or a soccer goal nearby-- maybe i'm just wondering how many snacks I'd need to pack and if we'd be able to launch our stuff?

@BDB has covered you on CMASS, but a couple more thoughts from someone who brings his young kids (currently 8,7 and 4) to club launches:

- Make sure you bring another adult. Hard to prep rockets and watch busy little ones at the same time.

- There’s going to be a fair bit of downtime between racks. How much depends on how CMASS runs it’s launches, but other things to do and somewhere to sit are important

- You should be able to find the launch sites on CMASS’s website, check them out in Google Earth before you go. It helps get an idea of where you’ll be (my club launches in an alfalfa field the weekend after they cut)

- Bring water.

- Don’t feel like you need to stay the whole time. Launch what you really want to fly first, and be ready to pack it in and head home when the kids show you they’re done.

I’ve found that most club members will at least tolerate having kids at launches. The kids experience the raw coolness in a way someone flying a rocket sometimes can’t, and their excitement is contagious.

Another bonus is if you teach them how to handle the rockets, they make great recovery teams as they get older.

 

[dr wogz]

Top end of Vermont has www.CRMRC.org We fly every month, a usually get a few uni teams coming up to fly with us..

And welcome to the forums!