Skill Levels for Rocketeers
The Thrifty Rocketeer continues...
OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
I think I know what I'm talking about here, but I admit that I most likely do not know the whole story. And I'm not sure that it's really necessary to know the whole story to have an opinion. it's just MY opinion, like it's my blog...
It seems pretty clear to me that the largest or best known model rocketry business in the US is Estes Model Rockets. After all, they were there at the beginning, unless you go back all the way to Goddard. But I digress.
As the arguably best-known model rocketry company, and the one most average people would think of first, due to their long history and successful advertising in Boys Life and other scouting materials... I would think that their classification system for the complexity or difficulty level for model rockets would pretty much rule.
That is, if Estes says, "There are five skill levels in model rocketry"... they could pretty much define what those levels were... and you would think that everyone else in the industry would pretty much fall in line with that.
But that's not what we've got.
I've only been in the hobby about five years so far, and I have discovered that each manufacturer has their own interpretation of what a skill level is, how many there are, and what constitutes an advanced rocket.
As I said, when I started there were five rocket skill levels, from 1 to 5, from beginner to advanced.
But somewhere along the way, someone in marketing recognized that as the entry point for the industry, Estes is addressing the entry level rocketeer...and most likely a child. Or, more specifically, the adult in the room is purchasing the entry level rocket for their child, nephew, student or kid.
So, it follows that rather than having a numerical system of levels that might confuse the parent, a system that states "This rocket is almost ready to fly", or "Easy to Assemble"... would be more user friendly for that gatekeeper.
It's for this reason that I assume Estes changed their rating system to include ARF and E2X classifications, along with a reduced, 3-tier skill level rating, from beginner to advanced and expert. (Forgive me if I've got this wrong, but I have been very confused by conflicting skill level ratings for rockets that were manufactured during different decades, if not different years.)
Unfortunately, while Estes may have redefined their scale, other manufacturers have defined their own scales... so that a Level 2 skill level may mean one thing from one manufacturer, but mean something different to another.
(Also factor in gliders, rocket assisted planes, tumble recovering, streamers, and varying sized body tubes, stages, and other design factors... and you've got a mess on your hands.)
The point I am trying to make is this: There isn't a unified skill level scale and by changing multiple times, the field is very confusing.
As a low power rocketeer of five years, I am well above that entry level rocket, and bored by anything that doesn't require some level of wood construction...with sanding, gluing, finishing, and assembly.
By my thinking, that would put me beyond Skill level 3 and close to 4, or above Advanced, but not quite to Master or Expert levels.
But I can't find find those rockets on display racks for most hobby stores or at Hobby Lobby.
Our friend Hobby Lobby has decided they are only stocking the entry level rockets for kids, and have precious few higher end Low or mid-power rockets available.
It's almost as if Hobby Lobby recognizes that IF a rocketeer stays in the hobby long enough, they will out-grow the entry level rockets and start shopping via the Internet or various websites to select advanced rockets of high price that appeal to them.
And that's where i think the industry now stands. A national chain that only stocks the entry level stuff and has given over the higher levels to specialty websites or manufacturers that stock or build high price, high end, high power rockets.
Where does this leave the mom and pop hobby shop? Out in the cold, if they can't afford the hazard material shipping fees. They can't compete with the national chain that discounts the entry level stuff, and they can't afford to sit on higher ticket items in any depth.
And so, if their stock doesn't turn over, they're likely to have multiple skill levels represented on the dusty packages that have been on their shelf for several years. How to interpret the conflicting skill levels between different manufacturers and convey this to the costumer who walks in the door?
I don't know.
Do you?
OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
I think I know what I'm talking about here, but I admit that I most likely do not know the whole story. And I'm not sure that it's really necessary to know the whole story to have an opinion. it's just MY opinion, like it's my blog...
It seems pretty clear to me that the largest or best known model rocketry business in the US is Estes Model Rockets. After all, they were there at the beginning, unless you go back all the way to Goddard. But I digress.
As the arguably best-known model rocketry company, and the one most average people would think of first, due to their long history and successful advertising in Boys Life and other scouting materials... I would think that their classification system for the complexity or difficulty level for model rockets would pretty much rule.
That is, if Estes says, "There are five skill levels in model rocketry"... they could pretty much define what those levels were... and you would think that everyone else in the industry would pretty much fall in line with that.
But that's not what we've got.
I've only been in the hobby about five years so far, and I have discovered that each manufacturer has their own interpretation of what a skill level is, how many there are, and what constitutes an advanced rocket.
As I said, when I started there were five rocket skill levels, from 1 to 5, from beginner to advanced.
But somewhere along the way, someone in marketing recognized that as the entry point for the industry, Estes is addressing the entry level rocketeer...and most likely a child. Or, more specifically, the adult in the room is purchasing the entry level rocket for their child, nephew, student or kid.
So, it follows that rather than having a numerical system of levels that might confuse the parent, a system that states "This rocket is almost ready to fly", or "Easy to Assemble"... would be more user friendly for that gatekeeper.
It's for this reason that I assume Estes changed their rating system to include ARF and E2X classifications, along with a reduced, 3-tier skill level rating, from beginner to advanced and expert. (Forgive me if I've got this wrong, but I have been very confused by conflicting skill level ratings for rockets that were manufactured during different decades, if not different years.)
Unfortunately, while Estes may have redefined their scale, other manufacturers have defined their own scales... so that a Level 2 skill level may mean one thing from one manufacturer, but mean something different to another.
(Also factor in gliders, rocket assisted planes, tumble recovering, streamers, and varying sized body tubes, stages, and other design factors... and you've got a mess on your hands.)
The point I am trying to make is this: There isn't a unified skill level scale and by changing multiple times, the field is very confusing.
As a low power rocketeer of five years, I am well above that entry level rocket, and bored by anything that doesn't require some level of wood construction...with sanding, gluing, finishing, and assembly.
By my thinking, that would put me beyond Skill level 3 and close to 4, or above Advanced, but not quite to Master or Expert levels.
But I can't find find those rockets on display racks for most hobby stores or at Hobby Lobby.
Our friend Hobby Lobby has decided they are only stocking the entry level rockets for kids, and have precious few higher end Low or mid-power rockets available.
It's almost as if Hobby Lobby recognizes that IF a rocketeer stays in the hobby long enough, they will out-grow the entry level rockets and start shopping via the Internet or various websites to select advanced rockets of high price that appeal to them.
And that's where i think the industry now stands. A national chain that only stocks the entry level stuff and has given over the higher levels to specialty websites or manufacturers that stock or build high price, high end, high power rockets.
Where does this leave the mom and pop hobby shop? Out in the cold, if they can't afford the hazard material shipping fees. They can't compete with the national chain that discounts the entry level stuff, and they can't afford to sit on higher ticket items in any depth.
And so, if their stock doesn't turn over, they're likely to have multiple skill levels represented on the dusty packages that have been on their shelf for several years. How to interpret the conflicting skill levels between different manufacturers and convey this to the costumer who walks in the door?
I don't know.
Do you?
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