The Thrifty Rocketeer

The Thrifty Rocketeer continues... Stop me if I've already told you this one. Almost six years ago, I had a passing interest in rocketry, but had never acted upon it.  Year after year, I would see a wire service story describing how the Rocket Boys had just held a convention or gathering in southern West Virginia once again and how well it was attended and helped the local economy. Seems like after a year or two, they were talking about how it had been shifted to Beckley, WV because they had more facilities (hotels, restaurants, transportation, highways, etc) to accommodate the visitors.  And they had provided for guided tours of Coalwood and the environs where the real life story of Homer Hickham had occurred. But THIS year, I spotted a preview story, that talked about what was to come that weekend, and it was only Friday evening. As a result, I had an opportunity to join in. Except, Beckley and Coalwood was a long ways away.... probably 3 hours commute one way, and ...

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Never let it be said that the ol' Thrifty Rocketeer doesn't enjoy a bargain. While I'm not in the habit of being a shill for any particular company, I do appreciate when something unique comes up, or is being sold-off, marked down, or phased out. I've probably already mentioned one or two of these in the past, so at the risk of plugging one source over many others, let me highlight something that caught my eye. My first model rocket was a simple Skill Level 2 kit that I bought while on my way to a club launch across the state from me. I snagged the Freedom II kit and cut my teeth on it later that weekend.  While at that launch, I invested in my first (and only) scale model rocket, "The Iris", which I bought because it shared the same motors as the Freedom II kit I already had bought. But the THIRD rocket kit I bought, was really something unique, and I picked it up in part because of that unique appeal, (and par...

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... I was just chatting with a fellow rocketeer about FlisKits and the need to cut your own balsa (not a big deal) and assemble your own plastic chute.   And that's when it hit me:  Here's a topic for this week's blog entry!  What follows is a quote or two from our discussion on Facebook. A couple of years ago, I realized that if I melted a plastic chute while out on the launch range, I'd be screwed as I didn't have another. So I saw Jon Rockets.com had a 10 pack of 3 mil plastic para chutes for a very reasonable bulk price. So I got on-line and ordered a bundle. When they arrived, I pre-made them into 12"-15"-18" chutes and labeled them, folding them into small snack-sized zip-lock baggies. I think I've still got one or two, having melted or ripped a chute over the years! I found this to be a good, cheap investment! Now, I know some rocketeers who swear by nylon chutes, and want to bu...

The Thrifty Rocketeer continues... So now that I have finished my build for the Semroc Maple Seed rocket, I'm ready to fly, but noticed I don't have any C11-7 motors to launch with. I started a search on-line, and found Hobby Lobby doesn't stock them, and couldn't turn up a local store with them. So I searched on eBay and found ONE Canadian seller who had a 3-pack for $12.95 and $5 shipping. So I did a little math and decided that was near $4 a motor, still cheaper than paying hazmat charges, so I pulled the trigger. Almost simultaneous, a fellow rocketeer was kind enough to offer to pick up a pack from eRockets, and told me he had them. So, knowing that I'd launch the rocket multiple times, I agreed to pick them up from him. His pack is a 2-pack of the same C11-7 value motors and runs about $8... so they're right in line with what I'm expecting. We met for coffee at a drive thru and he gave them to me. Now the Canadian package arrives, and I no...

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Last entry, I mused about assembling a simple set of launch pad gear, complete with a launch rod, launch pad wires, and alligator clips to attach to a battery. I also lamented not having settled on a good, simple blast shield for my launch rods yet.  I asked for some suggestions. Well, an experienced rocketeer responded with a simple suggestion.  And  I immediately took to it...I think.   What he suggested was a Terra Cota plant pot.    I think I have heard of this before, as a poor man's way to set up a simple launch pad that won't burn.  When up-ended, the pot would act as an anchor and a blast shield.  The launch rod can be slipped down through the large hole and into the earth.  At least, that's what I envisioned. But I've already built a couple PVC launch pads, and bought a few launch rods in preparation.  Since I've already got the pads set, I just need the shield....

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... A couple of months ago, I posted a picture of a power cord that had been modified with alligator clips to be part of a launch cord lead. It was my attempt to start assembling my own set of launch gear, in the event that it would ever be needed. Little did we know at the time that a choronavirus pandemic was coming, and that many rocketeers would be self-isolating, and building up their fleets.   Or that all NAR club meetings, assemblies and launches would be cancelled. But here we are. Now, most low power guys (whether they started as boys, or joined the hobby as men) have acquired at least one Estes launch pad and controller, sort of as a rite of passage.  The small controller box, with a key, indicator light and launch button, holds something like 3 or four AA batteries to get up to 6 volts an at least 15 feet of twisted pair wires that run out to small alligator clips. I can't tell you how many of these I have ru...

The Thrifty Rocketeer continues... We continue our build thread for the Maple Seed by Semroc, marketed by eRockets.biz We've already covered the motor mount, body tube and the nosecone last installment. Houston, we have a problem.   Most all the photos from the critical build of the seeds are gone. My computer crashed. However, I can describe a lot of the steps through the existing photos and point out the critical error I made when it comes up. The Instructions are clear with photos to help orient your seed wing/fin in a particular direction. Unfortunately, I can't orient my above photo right now, as my operating system has changed and flipped several photos top for bottom. (But I'll try to correct that.) You start with one of the large pre-cut sheets in the shape of the seed wing. (I'm going to use the terms seed, fin and wing pretty interchangeably here.) You'll note that the head of the seed is to the right, and the sail of the rest of th...