Sad Story

[LaneKG]

Sad story of misuse of rocketry materials with permanent consequences, but video tape is positive.

https://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12526754&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

Thanks,

Greg

 

[rebar_rocketry]

I noticed how they said in the article "Both boys said they enjoy rocketry, which contributed to the explosion. " I don't quite think rocketry is what contibuted to the explosion. Know what I mean? Another case of ignorant journalism.

 

[jetra2]

You know, I might just be freakin' out a bit or something, but does anyone think that stories like this might be plants by the ATF? I mean, look at it for a second. Throughout, the entire thing is quite vague in its details. Pretty much the same thing in the Denver incident. Also, why haven't we seen anything on our local news or national news? I might have just missed it, but you would think that something like this would make it to CNN or MSNBC!

Also, notice how the parts that decribe what are used in the incident are in one or two sentence bites? It seems to me that these are just placed there just for a Schumer/Lautenburg or Hatch/Kohl staffer search! They'd put in "model rockets AND explosion" in the search engine, and up pops the results. If they're using an engine like Google, THEY WON'T EVEN HAVE TO OPEN THE PAGE! All they'd need to put a bad twist on it would be right there! Copy-n-paste, slander-n-libel, ta-da! No more rocketry!

Now don't think that I don't feel for these kids, if it is true. I just want more facts than a vague online news story!

Mods, all I needed to do here is post something that I have been thinking about for a while...if you disagree with me...feel free to edit it.

Jason

 

[rebar_rocketry]

Jason, you made some good points. When they finally put our hobby out of business, then, and only then, can they concentrate their efforts on finding the real terrorists and "securing" our homeland. They have more important fish to fry right now. Bin-Laden can wait.

 

[Donaldsrockets]

I don't think that this was a plot by the ATF, just two teenage boys obviously lacking in intelligence that had absloutely no idea what they were doing.

If you blow your hand off, I don't see how you're gonna be able to get full use of it back. I'll bet these boys probably won't be doing rocketry again either.

It's not that I don't feel bad for these boys, I do. It's just that this could easily have been avoided and I hope it doesn't force the ATF to impose even more regulation.

 

[flying_silverad]

Jetra makes a good observation, but I think it's not quite as conspired.
The media always has a tendency to "ride" the controversial coat tails of problems such as the ones we're having with the ATF. They like to stir up trouble cause it just means more readers (more sales) for them. They are especially good at doing this and not checking there sources.

For instance. When you here about an accident involving a car, it's referred to as an automobile. If say the vehicle in question was a Ford Expedition, then it becomes an SUV . Why? Because it's controversial, and thus they feed the fire of that controversy...and on and on.

 

[rstaff3]

Why would you think this is national news? All kinds of horrific things happen all the time and don't make it national. IMHO, it would be more suspicious IF it made the national news.

There was an incident in our neighborhood a few years ago. Local and BATF came in swarms. Mobile command posts, robots, satellite uplinks. And a gazillion mobile news trucks too. Never made it national.

I think these incidents happen more often that everyone realizes. Its just that with the internet you can find out about them more readily.

 

[shinbone]

Silverad,
As a member of the working press for a quarter of a century, I can confirm that there is some truth that the media tend to bleed every little aspect of a story, sometime to ridiculous lengths.
But more often, the problem stems from reporters' ignorance, and I mean that in a nice way. They are often called upon to be an expert in organ transplantion one day, explosives the next, insect life the next, etc. etc. Most are generalists, particularly at smaller newspapers and television stations. It's tough to get up to speed on a complex issue in a single news cycle, before you have to move onto something else.
In this particular case, however, I question the editing. The statement that rocketry "contributed to the explosion" is bizarre, and should have been questioned by an editor. That's like saying economics contributed to the Depression. Weird.
Greg

 

[rstaff3]

This wasn't the best choice of words, but if they used a model rocket igniter, I can see how a reporter would come up with that statement.

 

[shinbone]

Bottom line, I guess, is that the average reader will not conclude that "rocketry is dangerous," but rather that "making bombs is a bad idea."
It remains the responsibility of all of us to continue to tout our hobby's extremely good safety record, even as motor thrusts and rocket weights have grown phenominally in recent years.
It's not the basement bombers that will do us in, but the careless RSO (and I've not met one yet!) who lets fly something that does real damage or injury.
Safety first, always. If someone gets hurt, we all suffer.

 

[flying_silverad]

Originally posted by shinbone
Silverad,
As a member of the working press for a quarter of a century, I can confirm that there is some truth that the media tend to bleed every little aspect of a story, sometime to ridiculous lengths.
But more often, the problem stems from reporters' ignorance, and I mean that in a nice way. They are often called upon to be an expert in organ transplantion one day, explosives the next, insect life the next, etc. etc. Most are generalists, particularly at smaller newspapers and television stations. It's tough to get up to speed on a complex issue in a single news cycle, before you have to move onto something else.
In this particular case, however, I question the editing. The statement that rocketry "contributed to the explosion" is bizarre, and should have been questioned by an editor. That's like saying economics contributed to the Depression. Weird.
Greg

All great points. See, that's why I'm not a writer!

 

[Donaldsrockets]

Now that I read the story more carefully, it sounds like a rocket motor wasn't used at all. It appears that they were trying to detonate the device using an Estes igniter and an Electron Beam launch controller.

Still a pretty dumb idea though, some kids just never learn.

Just because the one who had his hand blown off ended up getting a prosthetic, it may be better than nothing but it ain't as good as the origional.

 

[GL-P]

Near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: there wan an alleged incident where a rocket was said to have passed near a small Cessna. The Cessna was either preparing to land or was just after takeoff. Can't remember. It happened a month or two ago. Never heard anything more about this. Never caught the guy. I watched the story and almost all the info they had was correct. They even had one some model rockets going off to show what they're like. Good reporting. Has anyone heard anymore about this?

 

[Ryan S.]

or maybe it is because news channels have a political agenda, iff someone gets injured in Iraq from a bomb explosion, they are jumping to let the us know. But if it happens in the US itself, it cannot help news channels Jihad agaisnt the people who make decisions in our country now, so they dont air it

 

[rstaff3]

Its because the country as a whole doesn't care about small incidents like this any more than they want to hear about every shooting. If these were suspected terrorists then it may have been newsworthy nationally. The incident in Texas a few years ago where the guy blew up his house with near pure hydrogen peroxide made the national news though.

This doesn't mean that you aren't 100% right about news and political agendas. I just don't think it applies here.

Aw s#!&, I used the 'p' word. Moderators, I promise not to past to this thread again

 

[Neil]

Hm... I heard something somewhat similar from a neighbor... Some idiot kid got into his dad's bullet-reloading box, and sprinkled black powder around a stump, and had some more of some other kind of explosive (gun cotton?) in his hand, while he tried to light the BP with a match.......... 3d degree burns all over his body where he had spilled explosives on his clothing, and blew his hand away... Very sad story, but it had nothing to do with rocketry, and it never made it into any news report I have seen.... If the kid had half a brain in his head, he WOULD have used an Estes controller to blow up that stump, and not a match... Heck, if I was thinking properly, I would have used model rocket ignitors to light that sparkler I found on the ground, but hey. At least it was only a small second-degree burn on my thumb, all good as new by now... Scary when you hear about something like this, though. At least people like us who are really into rocketry know enough about things that go boom not to use it to blow up a stump (and our hands/arms...)


No comment on the news places not running stories... They ran a big story when someone was on the rampage with a BB gun vandalising buisnessess' windows, but nothing about kids blowing thier hands off... Quite sad... I really hate it when something like this happens...

 

[GL-P]

I just remembered a story about a friend of ours. I'm not naming names. This guy had some extra BP after a launch which he couldn't take back of course on the plane. This guy is a wiz at hybrids and other rocket motors. He experiments with motors. Really smart guy. He devised to set off the BP. I don't remeber how he did it exactly but he managed to burn off all the hair on the front of his head. This guy was the one you'd least expect this to happen to but it happened. I think the technique might have been the suggestion of friends. He could've just soaked the BP in water in a ziploc and be done with it. Luckily he didn't lose anything more permanent.

The lesson: think first. Be smart about it.

Oh yeah, "she who must be obeyed" didn't talk to him for awhile!!!