Old School Launch Pad?

 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 threatening spires and girders that this reminds me of.




I realized that this must have been the design, back in the day, before plastics took over, as both sets have virtually the same wooden pieces or designs, with just the color of the wood finish different.

And I wondered why it had fallen out of favor.




Obviously, if it's cheaper to build a launch platform/tripod out of plastic than wood, they're going to go that way.

But I also think it speaks to our society's drift away from teaching kids wood shop and the lack of construction skills in the average household.


Recently I was telling some younger coworkers about changing my oil on my car, and they reacted, "You service your own car?!  Ewww..."   It was disheartening to hear, but I also realized that while I was spending $25 in oil and another $5 for a filter, these kids were spending $40+ for someone else to do it to their car.  As I put 2000 miles on my car every 5 weeks, this ads up over the year....and I can literally afford to buy myself a couple of rocket kits each year from the savings that changing my own oil provides.

So, the next time you consider buying a new launch kit, you might just glance at the Facebook Marketplace listings for your area.  You might just find a bargain.

Comments

  1. Kirk G - The Thrifty RocketeerApril 7, 2022 at 11:23 AM

    I have been told that the original image above is a "Tilt-A-Pad" that was available from Estes in the 1960s. Apparently, it's still quite common, though out-numbered by the plastic launch pad version.

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