How to approach rocketry as a beginner

[Angel_of_the_Skies]

Hey there guys. First and foremost I want to apologize. I have realized I’ve flooded this forum with so many questions. As a beginner, I seem to want to take leaps in the progress, which I know isn’t the way to approach the hobby.

When I see these beautiful rockets with smooth / glossy finishes with smooth fin fillets and beautiful schemes that fly real fast and high, I can’t seem to not want to have a rocket like such

I wanted to ask you guys in the community, what is ‘the way’ or ‘ways’ a beginner should look to approach the hobby ?

 

[kuririn]

Just have fun.

 

[Pinetree]

Buy a few Estes (or whatever) kits, build and fly them. The basics are pretty much the same until you get into fiberglass and dual deployment.. learn good building techniques (like patience.. waiting for glue/paint to dry.)

You can make nice fillets with a popsicle stick or your finger.

You can do a nice paint job by waiting for a warm dry day with no wind (unless you have a paint booth...)

Applying several *light* coats is the best way.

Now, having said all that, a lot of people are very satisfied with a 10' finish. Model rockets should be launched at a safe distance from bystanders, so if you think about it, nobody's really going to get up that close to it.. and you should probably keep in the back of your mind that there is a fine line between a show quality finish in the possibility that you'll never see your rocket again.

Another bit of advice is to seek out a club and attend a lunch. You can learn a lot from asking questions and observing what other people are doing.


Knowing when not to fly is also important, if it's windy or there's trees or power lines nearby, sometimes it's best to just sit one out.


Have fun, be safe, and build more rockets. That's how you get good at it.

 

[Scott_650]

Here’s some of the simplest, most straightforward information on building rockets https://www.nar.org/educational-resources/model-rocket-building-techniques/

 

[bjphoenix]

If you don't have a club nearby and you want to start launching then you can get an Estes starter kit. I would suggest looking through the catalogs or online retailer websites, pick some kits that look good to you and start building. If you have a club nearby you can look at rockets built by other people and ask questions about how they did different things.

 

[WillMarchant]

Everybody is different. But I think the https://www.nar.org/members/nartek-skills-program/ is a good motivational program. And the NAR Member Guidebook has an 18 article series on painting for those that want to go the extra mile.

 

[Azamiryou]

First and foremost, do what's fun for you.

Of course, as a beginner, you don't know what that is. So first and foremost, either get a simple launch set or go to a club meeting or launch.

I think your first rocket should be simple but still require assembly, unless you're very young. Simple helps ensure success, while actually requiring assembly helps you learn how much you like the building part versus the flying part.

After you fly that one, look at catalogs or web sites and pick something else that looks fun.

 

[NTP2]

My advice is look at the rabbit hole take a deep breath and dive right in, its working for me! Eg I thought 3d printing was cool and I wanted to learn scratch building so I started my Hail Mary project.

 

[NTP2]

First and foremost I want to apologize. I have realized I’ve flooded this forum with so many questions.

No need, if there is one thing you will find out about the rocket community is we like answering questions.

 

[smstachwick]

Hey there guys. First and foremost I want to apologize. I have realized I’ve flooded this forum with so many questions. As a beginner, I seem to want to take leaps in the progress, which I know isn’t the way to approach the hobby.

When I see these beautiful rockets with smooth / glossy finishes with smooth fin fillets and beautiful schemes that fly real fast and high, I can’t seem to not want to have a rocket like such

I wanted to ask you guys in the community, what is ‘the way’ or ‘ways’ a beginner should look to approach the hobby ?

I started with a simple low-power rocket going on B and C motors and flew that until I wanted something else.

Some people put their craftsmanship skills to the test by picking out a more challenging kit, especially if they have an existing build hobby.

Some jump directly to HPR, especially if they’re college students working on a rocketry project for a class or sponsored program like SLI.

In any case, it usually does not take long for newcomers to find a club. Clubs find the best sites, they offer on-range expertise and sometimes vendors, and they present a neat opportunity to see what others are doing. They’re the original rocketry forum!

 

[loopy]

Take your time and have fun! Don't rush to big/fast stuff - learn with the smaller stuff. Small rockets are just as impressive as the big stuff when done right, and there are SO many cool and unique designs out there that turn heads. The build/finish techniques you learn with the small stuff translates directly to mid power and high power.

 

[dr wogz]

I would also suggest the Harry G Stine bible, er, Handbook of Model rocketry..

https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Mod...9019908&sprefix=handbook+of+mo,aps,354&sr=8-1

 

[smstachwick]

Take your time and have fun! Don't rush to big/fast stuff - learn with the smaller stuff. Small rockets are just as impressive as the big stuff when done right, and there are SO many cool and unique designs out there that turn heads. The build/finish techniques you learn with the small stuff translates directly to mid power and high power.

True story. I think I got more questions about my Fliskits Doubles MicroMaxx two-stager than I have about my L1 project.

 

[Antares JS]

True story. I think I got more questions about my Fliskits Doubles MicroMaxx two-stager than I have about my L1 project.

Far fewer people fly micro maxx than fly HPR, so the micro maxx is a more novel thing for others at the launch.

It's a shame, really.

 

[smstachwick]

Far fewer people fly micro maxx than fly HPR, so the micro maxx is a more novel thing for others at the launch.

It's a shame, really.

I always make sure to plug that kit when people ask how to get started. I’ve got a list of kits that can take A motors and smaller all day long and never produce the same flight twice. Good for demos.

 

[tfischer]

Follow your nose in what catches your interest. I'm also a relative newcomer to rocketry. I happened upon a popular rocket kit site where kits are organized alphabetically. I got as far as A, and my first 3 kits were Aspire, Aerodactyl, and Arreauxbee-Hi... so many interesting things in rocketry that it seems endless. So my suggestion is just watch and follow what snags your curiosity.

 

[mjennings]

There are many paths you can take, all take practice and skill development. But as others have said find what you enjoy and fits in your monetary and time budgets. If you're chasing altitude records, or museum quality finishes that's going to take more time and money than simply building and launching some kits. It's real easy, in a hobby like this that can be for some a mix of art and engineering, to compare ourselves to others and get discouraged. Each rocket can be a new learning experience. Try to only compare to your old work. Ue wow rocket 4 is such an improvement over my first. My tenth rocket has such clean mask lines, look at how much I learned! Etc.

 

[Bravo52]

Just go “full send” on a few Estes kits. It doesn’t matter how they look or even how the fly. The “thrill” is in the first sound of the motor igniting and the sense of accomplishment when it leaves the rod. It’s exciting!

 

[ewomack]

A few videos or blogs should be all you need to start flying low-power rockets.

Estes has a beginner page: https://estesrockets.com/blogs/rocketry/get-started
Apogee also has one: https://www.apogeerockets.com/New-to-Model-Rocketry

An internet search will reveal others. YouTube also has a variety of beginner videos. It isn't really all that complicated, though building kits from scratch can take practice and developing certain skills. The ready-made rockets typically come out of the box ready to fly. I personally don't find those as satisfying as building a kit, but we all have our own preferences.

Make sure to learn about basic safety (very important) and how to make sure you have permission to launch rockets on a specific site. You don't want to end up damaging something or hurting someone and having to clean up the mess. Model rocketry, especially low power, is perfectly safe as long as a few rules get followed and a few precautions taken.