The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Not long ago, I ordered a rocket kit through the internet, based upon a classified ad on Facebook Marketplace. Right up front , the seller admitted that 2 or 3 critical centering rings were broken but    the kit had all parts included as well as replacement parts started . In the description, he said they broke while attempting to remove them from the plywood where they were die-stamped out.  It was clear from the start. After I received the package in the mail, I was discussing it with my wife, and she asked the obvious question that had never occurred to me:  "Why would you order such a kit?" I was caught off guard just a bit, as it's such an obvious question, that I had never stopped to think much about it. I replied, "It's a vintage, out-of-production kit, that is complete. And it's from a time period where I've never built before.    It's the one chance I had to ever get one, and have the experience of bui

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... It's no secret that I like to peruse the classified listings of various rocketry and Facebook pages.  Sometimes I even find a bargain.  But it's even more likely that I'll find something to amuse me. Such was the case last week, when I got back from a trip across the country that had no internet nor computer access.  I felt like I should do a brief survey of my favorite sites, and yes, the usual listings that had caught my eye were still there.  I skipped them. But then I saw one that listed "Rocket Supplies" and featured 4 photos.  The first one caught my eye, as it had exactly three individual motors laid out, and in the background was a tin can.  No, not a soup can, but a tin, in the shape of a rectangle. It had a red lid with white printing on it that read "Relic".  I assumed that it was a brand name of some product that I was unfamiliar with at the time. I turned to a co-worker who is less than a third of my

 The Thrifty Rocketeer Blog continues... You may have noticed a gap in posts in this blog recently. We had a death in the family, and it's precluded my involvement in model rocketry for several weeks, as we had to suddenly drive to southern Florida on a two day marathon drive...and back again. But I have several things to share about that trip that may be of interest. Driving south along the east coast on I-95, the road becomes somewhat monotonous, and you crave some variety.  Just after the Georgia state line, there's an intersection called A1A that leads to the junction with Route 301.  This small interchange is very important if you want to cross from the east side of Florida to the west side. Now, I know what you're going to say... "why not just stay on I-95 and take I-4 across the center of the state to Tampa?"  And you're right, that would work, but it adds about 60 miles to the total trip, as well as allowing you to drive faster across the interstate. R