My turn for the "I want a rocket company" quarterly thread..... but different(ish)

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Mainly pads. It just seems there's the little bitty ESTES pads, and the next step up on the market is 50lbs of steel with a 1010 rail. It'd be nice to see something aimed at the hobby level guys which isn't plastic but is still easily portable, affordable and capable of handling low and mid power flights.

For controllers I'd say that same level of gear is a bit under-served still but at least there are options out there. I'm envisioning something that's easy for the new guy to use it without having to lug around a motorcycle battery. The Estes PS-II controller gets pretty close, but lacks a couple features I'd like to see.

I didn't forget your stuff by any means, I just consider the Wilson-F/X line to be a high-end option aimed at the club/group flyer market. I'm thinking of the guys who want something a few steps nicer than a starter set but aren't throwing 3" fiberglass birds.
wireless launch controllers are the future. I have a friend that is currently working on one
 
I'm currently working on a wired controller that measures the electrical resistance of the igniter or cluster remotely to ensure more than just continuity. My next step would be to adapt that to wireless, but it's a big step.
 
Mainly pads. It just seems there's the little bitty ESTES pads, and the next step up on the market is 50lbs of steel with a 1010 rail. It'd be nice to see something aimed at the hobby level guys which isn't plastic but is still easily portable, affordable and capable of handling low and mid power flights.

For controllers I'd say that same level of gear is a bit under-served still but at least there are options out there. I'm envisioning something that's easy for the new guy to use it without having to lug around a motorcycle battery. The Estes PS-II controller gets pretty close, but lacks a couple features I'd like to see.

I didn't forget your stuff by any means, I just consider the Wilson-F/X line to be a high-end option aimed at the club/group flyer market. I'm thinking of the guys who want something a few steps nicer than a starter set but aren't throwing 3" fiberglass birds.

If i may wax rhapsodic a little:
TARC requires rockets to fly on rails at Nationals--any team that wants to be competitive will fly on rails. Many fly with a club, but a lot (like the ones I mentor) fly on a regular field whenever soccer is out of season. My wish list for a pad is as follows:
Easily leveled, ideally with levels built in to the legs
Breaks down into a flat-ish base and the rail. Everything but the rail fits into a normal size car trunk. The rail goes where a seat's folded down.
Rail can be easily lowered and then raised to the exact same position. You set the base in place at the begining and then have a repeatable launch angle all day.
2m 1010 rail, maybe with an option for a selection of rods (1/8"-1/4") and micro rails
Steady enough to fly Class 1 rockets into the HP thrust range (thrusty G's and baby H's and the like)
Robust/easy to clean enough to go out every weekend for a winter without maintenance except rail cleaning

I built a pad out of ABS pipe that meets most of these requirements except that I'm not sure it's stable for the top end of Class 1 weight and it doesn't lower. It's a real pain to make sure you have a student at every launch who can reach the top of the rail!

I think a lot of people who park fly would find this pretty attractive. If a relay/wireless controller with enough juice to fire clustered Q-jets was integrated into the bottom, I'd throw you my money. You might also consider just selling the base and letting people buy the rail/rod from their favorite supplier. That gets you out of shipping 6-8 ft long packages.
 
This is, of course, aimed more at the high-end guys doing very high altitude shots. So not really a ME thing, but a market gap that I spotted.

Thermistor inputs, load cells, gyros/6-axis accelerometers, pressure sensors that can measure charges firing. The amount of things we design/fly/build without knowing the actual flight characteristics is quite staggering. For instance, how much force does your shock cords really see? What is the temp on your fin leading edge and/or nose cone. Stuff if that nature.
 
If i may wax rhapsodic a little:
TARC requires rockets to fly on rails at Nationals--any team that wants to be competitive will fly on rails. Many fly with a club, but a lot (like the ones I mentor) fly on a regular field whenever soccer is out of season. My wish list for a pad is as follows:
Easily leveled, ideally with levels built in to the legs
Breaks down into a flat-ish base and the rail. Everything but the rail fits into a normal size car trunk. The rail goes where a seat's folded down.
Rail can be easily lowered and then raised to the exact same position. You set the base in place at the begining and then have a repeatable launch angle all day.
2m 1010 rail, maybe with an option for a selection of rods (1/8"-1/4") and micro rails
Steady enough to fly Class 1 rockets into the HP thrust range (thrusty G's and baby H's and the like)
Robust/easy to clean enough to go out every weekend for a winter without maintenance except rail cleaning

I built a pad out of ABS pipe that meets most of these requirements except that I'm not sure it's stable for the top end of Class 1 weight and it doesn't lower. It's a real pain to make sure you have a student at every launch who can reach the top of the rail!

I think a lot of people who park fly would find this pretty attractive. If a relay/wireless controller with enough juice to fire clustered Q-jets was integrated into the bottom, I'd throw you my money. You might also consider just selling the base and letting people buy the rail/rod from their favorite supplier. That gets you out of shipping 6-8 ft long packages.
5D90AF82-3A70-48AB-ACDB-1E467865DC62.jpeg Sorry, the garage is kinda a mess but this is what I use for low power / mid power - up to 3/16 dia rod size. I have a bicycle repair stand (3 legs) that holds my 1010 launch rail for mid to high power.
 
Mainly pads. It just seems there's the little bitty ESTES pads, and the next step up on the market is 50lbs of steel with a 1010 rail. It'd be nice to see something aimed at the hobby level guys which isn't plastic but is still easily portable, affordable and capable of handling low and mid power flights.

For controllers I'd say that same level of gear is a bit under-served still but at least there are options out there. I'm envisioning something that's easy for the new guy to use it without having to lug around a motorcycle battery. The Estes PS-II controller gets pretty close, but lacks a couple features I'd like to see.

I didn't forget your stuff by any means, I just consider the Wilson-F/X line to be a high-end option aimed at the club/group flyer market. I'm thinking of the guys who want something a few steps nicer than a starter set but aren't throwing 3" fiberglass birds.
I concur.
 
Well, I do have some news on this front to report. I had some great conversations with some folks who shall not be named out of professional courtesy. At this point in time I did not acquire any existing businesses. Just didn't come together like I had hoped but was a positive experience.

What I will be doing in the spring is releasing product under a business name that I already use in a different hobby. If you know where to look you may be able to find some hints on what the products may be. No official announcements for the time being as I've got a few things to get in order first. What I can say is this is an area of the hobby that I don't see currently being serviced at all, so exciting stuff I hope.

Anyway.... I'm at 'Work' right now, so I should get back to that.
 
Well, I do have some news on this front to report. I had some great conversations with some folks who shall not be named out of professional courtesy. At this point in time I did not acquire any existing businesses. Just didn't come together like I had hoped but was a positive experience.

What I will be doing in the spring is releasing product under a business name that I already use in a different hobby. If you know where to look you may be able to find some hints on what the products may be. No official announcements for the time being as I've got a few things to get in order first. What I can say is this is an area of the hobby that I don't see currently being serviced at all, so exciting stuff I hope.

Anyway.... I'm at 'Work' right now, so I should get back to that.
Hmm, trying to figure it out. 😄
 
Hmm, trying to resist trying to figure it out. (I should be, y'know, working.)

Please post here as well as wherever else when you have more to announce, so those watching this thread will know about it.
 
yeah, me too.

I think he's gonna do the analog "altimeter & recovery" Nose cone..

Nose cone contains a bobbin of thread, colour-coded every 10'.
  1. Place rocket on pad, pull out thread & clip to pad to 'zero' it.
  2. Launch as normal. thread pays out as rocket ascends.
  3. When rocket has flown, follow thread to rocket, while counting colour changes on thread.
  4. And voila! altitude & location all in one easy package.
  5. No batteries, WI-FI, menus, etc.. So easy even a 55yr old can use it!

🤣 ;):eggnog:
 
Nah.... I'm doing an HPR stomp rocket kit, takes three people jumping off a platform to launch. I'm hoping to keep it light enough to not need a waiver.

-Hans
 
Nah.... I'm doing an HPR stomp rocket kit, takes three people jumping off a platform to launch. I'm hoping to keep it light enough to not need a waiver.

-Hans
Great idea. Great rocket for the kids at the field.
 
Nah.... I'm doing an HPR stomp rocket kit, takes three people jumping off a platform to launch. I'm hoping to keep it light enough to not need a waiver.
The funny thing is... if such a thing were to exist, someone on this forum would immediately start working on large scale hydraulic mechanical stompers.
 
"Dealer inquiries welcome"


for the stomp rocket, is there some inverse-square function as to the weight & sex of the people and the height from which they jump to achieve a certain velocity / altitude? (Does their ASL play a part?)

Would an L1 require only one person? While an L2 require 2 (or 4?!) and L3 require 3 (or 6, or 8 - depending on the math / exponent placement)
 
for the stomp rocket, is there some inverse-square function as to the weight & sex of the people and the height from which they jump to achieve a certain velocity / altitude? (Does their ASL play a part?)

Would an L1 require only one person? While an L2 require 2 (or 4?!) and L3 require 3 (or 6, or 8 - depending on the math / exponent placement)

To answer your questions.... it's actually going to be conveniently attached to a bouncy-house at a County Fair for L1, and State Fair for L2. The launch force will be figured out by the number of applicable Electoral College points. I'm thinking of an L3 "Worlds Fair" version, but I'm only certifiable, and not certified for that much rocket.
 
The funny thing is... if such a thing were to exist, someone on this forum would immediately start working on large scale hydraulic mechanical stompers.
Hmm. Pressure tank, piped to the launch stand, with a dump valve as near the stand as practical. May require remote activation of the valve. Then a turn into the last bit of tube, which is vertical. Body tube that fits close but not tight on the vertical tube. Make the body pretty long, so the tube can go a long way inside it. The hollow portion with the tube is topped with a bulkhead, and a payload section above that holds the recovery gear. It would need electronic ejection.

Would an L1 require only one person? While an L2 require 2 (or 4?!) and L3 require 3 (or 6, or 8 - depending on the math / exponent placement)
If you're not going to use a pressure tank (and I don't see why any sane person wouldn't) then all the energy the rocket can get is the energy of the people dropping onto the stomp pad. Now, the energy of the rocket off the launch guide is proportional to the square of its speed, and thus to the square of the impulse. So a J motor equivalent stomp needs four times the energy of an H motor equivalent. So four people from a given height, or two people from twice as high, and so on.

Maybe we should hand this one over to Randall Munroe.
 
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Obviously, I'm going to have to get to work on the launch control system.
Something to get everybody to jump!
Hmmmmmmm......
I'm thinking of an electric cattle fence I once ran into. That would be enough jolt to get everybody jumping at the same time.
Might take some more thought........
a Wilson F/X - JOLT! ........ I like that.......
 
yeah, me too.

I think he's gonna do the analog "altimeter & recovery" Nose cone..

Nose cone contains a bobbin of thread, colour-coded every 10'.
  1. Place rocket on pad, pull out thread & clip to pad to 'zero' it.
  2. Launch as normal. thread pays out as rocket ascends.
  3. When rocket has flown, follow thread to rocket, while counting colour changes on thread.
  4. And voila! altitude & location all in one easy package.
  5. No batteries, WI-FI, menus, etc.. So easy even a 55yr old can use it!

🤣 ;):eggnog:

Make the thread out of kevlar and put a crank on the bobbin. Turns it into a recovery device as well.
 
The funny thing is... if such a thing were to exist, someone on this forum would immediately start working on large scale hydraulic mechanical stompers.

I wonder if an automobile brake booster could help here?

Make the thread out of kevlar and put a crank on the bobbin. Turns it into a recovery device as well.

Time to go fishing!
 
Learned something new about the model rocket business today: If you're having the best month for sales you've ever had, and it's still only the 19th of the month, you prolly should have sent off those parts orders last month, not last week.
Hard to emulate the big boys "just in time" supply chain isn't it? 😁
 
I know this guy who is a friend of somebody who is going to blow you all away with his company, which I can't name right now. He (maybe a she) will be doing rocket stuff that will simply turn this sport upside down, but I don't know what it is yet. He has a website already & everything (www.I forget what.com) I cannot wait to tell you all about it once I figure out what it is.
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Make the thread out of kevlar and put a crank on the bobbin. Turns it into a recovery device as well.

Truth be told, I did actually think of this (Kevlar, 50lb fluorocarbon, etc..) and make it 'recovery' but I then realized most places we fly has vegetation (grass / hay, corn, soy, onions, carrots, cactuses (cactie?) trees, ..) so, pulling a rocket thru 1000' of this stuff will likely result in a very, uhm, not very flyable rocket!
 
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