Uncle Toby
Member
I had to give up my beloved rocketry when I moved from Houston to NYC in 1993. As you all know, once you've been one, you never get over rocketeering.
So one day not long ago I wandered into a corner bodega for a cuppa Joe. It was kismet.
Seems the place had previously been a hobby shop and in the back were some of the old wares. This included a pegboard wall covered with dusty Estes kits, many long out of production. And engines galore, from 1/2A to D12s. I bought everything for almost nothing.
I began to build, starting with a Mini Mars Lander to my beloved Black Brant I. And so they lay around for a year, forelorn and unflown. Finally, I could stand it no longer.
I gathered up a half-dozen rockets, bunch of engines, wadding, etc., and my girlfriend's two young sons. We set up in a schoolyard (much smaller than what you or I would consider a schoolyard, and it was paved).
I had decided to treat the rockets as FAFs. By the time we started the first countdown, the crowd had grown to about 10 neighborhood kids. As we fired rocket after rocket, the crowd grew. The kids ranged from boys and girls from the projects to rich kids from nearby Brooklyn Heights (where the Cosby family of TV lived).
Every time a rocket snagged in a tree or on a building, some kid would scramble up to retrieve it and I'd fly it again.
I have never seen such wonder in a group of city kids!
By the time it got dark, we had at least 50 kids out there. Of that number, I have to believe I created one or two future members of our sport.
I know this post is prolix. But if I have a message, it is that should you get a chance to teach, jump on it. You will get more out of it than you know.
So one day not long ago I wandered into a corner bodega for a cuppa Joe. It was kismet.
Seems the place had previously been a hobby shop and in the back were some of the old wares. This included a pegboard wall covered with dusty Estes kits, many long out of production. And engines galore, from 1/2A to D12s. I bought everything for almost nothing.
I began to build, starting with a Mini Mars Lander to my beloved Black Brant I. And so they lay around for a year, forelorn and unflown. Finally, I could stand it no longer.
I gathered up a half-dozen rockets, bunch of engines, wadding, etc., and my girlfriend's two young sons. We set up in a schoolyard (much smaller than what you or I would consider a schoolyard, and it was paved).
I had decided to treat the rockets as FAFs. By the time we started the first countdown, the crowd had grown to about 10 neighborhood kids. As we fired rocket after rocket, the crowd grew. The kids ranged from boys and girls from the projects to rich kids from nearby Brooklyn Heights (where the Cosby family of TV lived).
Every time a rocket snagged in a tree or on a building, some kid would scramble up to retrieve it and I'd fly it again.
I have never seen such wonder in a group of city kids!
By the time it got dark, we had at least 50 kids out there. Of that number, I have to believe I created one or two future members of our sport.
I know this post is prolix. But if I have a message, it is that should you get a chance to teach, jump on it. You will get more out of it than you know.
I'll add that flying with kids is like the Fountain of Youth for me.
