The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... So today, our local TV station had a story about an area elementary school visiting the junior college to learn about flight and rockets. Here's the link to the story. https://www.wtap.com/.../321-lift-off-students-launch.../ Unfortunately, the news anchor doesn't know what a "D-12-DASH-5" engine is, and considering how she slaughtered it on the air when she read it, nobody else will know what it is either. I contacted them and told them that was a part-number they were attempting to read on the air. "Well, that's just what the kid told me," was the reply. I suggested that they change the wording to just call it either an "Estes Rockets D motor" or "a black powder rocket motor." We'll see what they do for the 11 o'clock newscast...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Well, it's no secret that I like to shop for a bargain. And this week, one fell into my lap. I normally search for "Model Rockets", but this time, I changed it up and searched the term "Model Rocket". It made all the difference in the world, as a newly listed  rocket kit popped up.  It was an early model Pro Series II "Impulse" rocket that was listed for $50, but the devil is in the details: The original owner had opened the kit, and attempted to remove or punch out the centering rings...breaking one or two of them in the process. Now, I don't know how the laser-cut rings of the past have compared, but I understood that they were broken.  The original owner had secured another sheet of thin plywood and attempted to trace the shapes and  cut replacements out. All seemed straight forward enough, so I began to ask questions about the model, and ask about who had made replacement fins or centering rings for such...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... One of the eternal questions of our hobby is, " What do I get him?  He has EVERYTHING !" While any rocketeer worth his salt will immediately disagree with this claim, it is true that we have a difficult time keeping things organized. Now, before you start objecting, or claiming that you're not That Guy,  consider the need for a range box. In most instances, the Range Box begins as a cardboard box (in fact, Estes has sold launch kits in cardboard "Range Box" configurations for years.) But it has become obvious that this quickly evolves into the plastic tackle box, so frequently used for fishing tackle and lures. In our instance, it typically contains rocket parts, motors, nosecones, spare chutes, shroud lines, reinforcing rings, Exacto knife, glue, CA, wood glue, white seam putty, sand paper, igniters, excess plastic motor plugs, dowels, Q-tips, dog barf, recovery wadding, spent motors, band-aides, and more. You can see wh...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Here's a surprise that I noticed this week. I have been looking for a Majestic rocket ever since Hobby Lobby stopped carrying them.  And eventually, I found a used one for sale very reasonably on Facebook Marketplace.  It was missing launch lugs and needed a little TLC, but basically, it was all there. So, I've kept my eye open, and recently I spotted this as well... It's an add for a brand new Majestic kit for $59.77 from a seller someplace.  Wow!  That's amazing that they are still available in a new kit form. However, elsewhere in the same search of Facebook Marketplace, I spotted this listing... It's ANOTHER used Majestic rocket, COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED, but part of a group of 6 rockets for only $80.   And elsewhere, ANOTHER used majestic rocket assembled for $10.   But here's the kicker. It's available in the same small rural farm community that I found the first used Majestic in. What are the odds ...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... I've posted before about my efforts to scan Facebook Marketplace for good bargains. There's any number of launch kits and former launch kits available, so there's no problem finding a used rocket, motor and launch kit available. However, recently, I spotted two older launch sets that had something odd in common.  There was a WOODEN launch pad (or tripod) instead of the more modern plastic girder style. Now, at first, I had assumed this was a homemade version, as the three wooden legs were thick, and the metal pivot point was a longish bolt that could be tightened down to almost any degree of spread. But there is something about the design that reminds me of a Star Trek movie.  You know the one that rebooted the franchise with actor Chris Pine as James T. Kirk and a brief cameo of Chris Hemingford as his father battling against a Romulan mining vessel that appears too early in time.  It's the Romulan craft with its long th...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... The first launch of the season was held today, and while the turn out was small, those who showed up were dedicated and fierce.  A steady southerly wind threatened to drift rockets into the pond, but all were recovered in the launch field, with a notable exception. It was my first attempt at a launch for a 3-D printed rocket, as I have described earlier.  I learned a couple of valuable things.     The fins are extremely thin, and the slightest pressure will snap them off. It appears that the fin was scored or had a flaw halfway down the fin, so that it snapped off cleanly in a parallel break to the bottom edge.  We decided to launch it anyway.  The loops on the side of the nosecone and the fin can are for the launch lug, not for any connecting shock cord.  As they were white, I snipped a short length of parachute line from a replacement chute and   tethered the two together.  It was loos...