Model Rockets

[new_shooter]

JoeR, that sounds like a cool group. I've a friend whose kid may be getting into these. (We were both geeking over how this would be an excuse for HIM to do it again, too.) I'll pass along the info and you may have another prospective member or two.

I build and fly all sorts of rockets, from low- to high-power. I'm certified at Level II, so can legally launch rockets up to L class motors. If you're interested, you should come out to the monthly launches held by the Maryland-Delaware Rocketry Association (MDRA). Their website is http://mdrocketry.org/.

The club holds a launch every month on the Eastern Shore. During the growing season, the launch site is Central Sod farm just north of the 50/301 split. In the winter, launches are held at a huge farm near Price, MD...about 20 miles north of the split off of Rt-405. At the big field the FAA waiver is 17,000 feet and there have been rockets to get up there!!! The biggest "model rocket" I ever seen was a 1/10th scale Saturn V -- all 36.5 feet of it! The rocket weighed just under a ton at liftoff and reached just shy of 5,000 feet!

One of the aspects I most like about the club is that it's very kid-friendly. They really know how to "pay it forward" with youngsters. In fact, they have a "bucket of rockets" for kids to have something to fly, and will hand them engines and show how to prep the rocket for launch. It's wonderful to watch as a kid hears his/her name announced on the PA system and then sees his rocket take off.

JoeR

 

[JoeRinMD]

JoeR, that sounds like a cool group. I've a friend whose kid may be getting into these. (We were both geeking over how this would be an excuse for HIM to do it again, too.) I'll pass along the info and you may have another prospective member or two.

New_shooter, that sounds great. The next launch is the weekend of Aug 22nd/23rd at Central Sod Farm off John Brown Rd near Queenstown. On Saturday mornings they cut the grass, so the launch doesn't start until noon. On Sunday, they start launching at 9:00.

You could pick up a kit at Michael's and have it built before the launch. Or even mail-order one and get it in time to build.

Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to help out.

Joe

 

[Orthogonal]

Thinking of introducing my daughter to model rocketry. Any one know where in Harford is a good place to launch ?

 

[rbird7282]

This thread is awesome, brings back many good memories. I had a cousin who got me started on this when I was about 10. Bought one or two kits and then would build them all from scratch. Payload, standard, two stage, three stage, built a ton of them. We used to launch them all the time at the local elementary school field.( although they didn't always land there) sometimes we'd get the entire family there along with friends and have ten or fifteen rockets to fly. Everybody loved it.

BTW, this all took place in The People's Republic of Montgomery County. Nobody gave a damn back then.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Half-cocked]

If anyone's interested, NARHAMS (the oldest model rocket club in the USA) flies rockets in Mt. Airy once a month, at Old National Pike Park. Launches are open to the public.

...and TODAY is that day!

http://www.narhams.org/site.html

 

[Schipperke]

If anyone's interested, NARHAMS (the oldest model rocket club in the USA) flies rockets in Mt. Airy once a month, at Old National Pike Park. Launches are open to the public.

...and TODAY is that day!

http://www.narhams.org/site.html

We were there! Launched five rockets, all recovered. Someone brought a beautifully built rocket, kind of like an Estes Odyssey , and the trees ate it. Some two stagers out of sight as well. I'm working on a two stage now (like photo), just put a coat of paint on the booster section. We are going to Westminster next Saturday if weather is good. I have some old rockets needing repair, shock cords and chutes. One is the Estes Scrambler a three engine cluster.

 

[Half-cocked]

We were there! Launched five rockets, all recovered. Someone brought a beautifully built rocket, kind of like an Estes Odyssey , and the trees ate it. Some two stagers out of sight as well. I'm working on a two stage now (like photo), just put a coat of paint on the booster section. We are going to Westminster next Saturday if weather is good. I have some old rockets needing repair, shock cords and chutes. One is the Estes Scrambler a three engine cluster.

Awesome! Sounds like you had a great time.

The Shrike was one rocket I always wanted to build when I was a kid, but never did. It was from the "golden age" of model rocketry, when it was hugely popular thanks in large part to the huge public interest in the space race.

There was a time when kids would wait for the new Estes catalog every year, just to drool over the cool new designs.

 

[JoeRinMD]

Awesome! Sounds like you had a great time.

The Shrike was one rocket I always wanted to build when I was a kid, but never did. It was from the "golden age" of model rocketry, when it was hugely popular thanks in large part to the huge public interest in the space race.

There was a time when kids would wait for the new Estes catalog every year, just to drool over the cool new designs.

...and don't forget Centuri! Back then, I was much more a fan of Centuri rockets than Estes. That, of course, was back when you had to have your mom write out an actual check, drop it in the mail, and wait a few weeks for the Big Brown Carton of Happiness to arrive!

JoeR

 

[Lou45]

...and don't forget Centuri! Back then, I was much more a fan of Centuri rockets than Estes. That, of course, was back when you had to have your mom write out an actual check, drop it in the mail, and wait a few weeks for the Big Brown Carton of Happiness to arrive!

JoeR

I was Estes but the end result of your post ^^^ was always the same (happy dance).

 

[Schipperke]

Awesome! Sounds like you had a great time.

The Shrike was one rocket I always wanted to build when I was a kid, but never did. It was from the "golden age" of model rocketry, when it was hugely popular thanks in large part to the huge public interest in the space race.

There was a time when kids would wait for the new Estes catalog every year, just to drool over the cool new designs.

Wow, you know this. I had the kit sitting around 30+ years. I opened it about a week ago, then looked at what it was selling for unopened.. The shock cord was toast. I'll see if the decals work, they are a bit discolored. Semroc makes an exact copy of the Estes Scrambler. One rocket I built quick was the Quest Planet Probe, that was fun to watch.

 

[DaemonAssassin]

If anyone's interested, NARHAMS (the oldest model rocket club in the USA) flies rockets in Mt. Airy once a month, at Old National Pike Park. Launches are open to the public.

...and TODAY is that day!

http://www.narhams.org/site.html

I might have to take Little DA to see the launches. He likes watching bottle rockets and airplanes, so this might be the next logical step. Also it is on the way back after visiting grandma.

 

[JoeRinMD]

This weekend, Aug 22-23, is the monthly Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association launch at Central Sod Farm in Centreville, MD.

http://mdrocketry.org/Launches/sodfarm.html

Since they mow the grass on Sat. mornings, the launch doesn't officially begin until noon. On Sunday, they start at 9:00 AM.

 

[Half-cocked]

Wow, you know this. I had the kit sitting around 30+ years. I opened it about a week ago, then looked at what it was selling for unopened.. The shock cord was toast. I'll see if the decals work, they are a bit discolored. Semroc makes an exact copy of the Estes Scrambler. One rocket I built quick was the Quest Planet Probe, that was fun to watch

Yeah, old Estes and Centuri kits - especially still sealed in the bag - can sell for ridiculous prices! If I had any foresight, I'd have bought crateloads of kits when I was a kid, and kept them unopened as investments.

If the Shrike is your first staged rocket, I always tell people that I recommend using the lowest power booster recommended for the first stage. I used to be all about the strongest engines and highest flights, but it's more fun (to me) when you can see it stage practically right in front of you at 100' or 200' up, instead of so high up you can't see it.

...and don't forget Centuri! Back then, I was much more a fan of Centuri rockets than Estes. That, of course, was back when you had to have your mom write out an actual check, drop it in the mail, and wait a few weeks for the Big Brown Carton of Happiness to arrive!

Yep - and those magazine ads always said "Wait 6 to 8 weeks for delivery"! You had to learn patience, back then!

What was interesting about the whole Estes vs. Centuri thing was, it seemed regional. I'd fly at jamborees with scouts from other troops who were mostly into Centuri, whereas locally we mostly flew Estes. In retrospect, it was probably just a matter of what the hobby stores around us carried.

 

[krucam]

Anyone remember the 1/10th Scale Saturn V launch in 2009??
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=18587

 

[Lou45]

Anyone remember the 1/10th Scale Saturn V launch in 2009??
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=18587

The link doesn't work anymore, old link.

 

[krucam]

The link doesn't work anymore, old link.

Go to the 2nd page of the MDS link:
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=18587&page=2

Scroll down on the 2nd page for the youtube video of the launch, I also posted several hundred pictures of the whole shot, from launch to landing.
http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w32/krucam/One Tenth Scale Saturn V Launch/?albumview=slideshow

 

[JoeRinMD]

Anyone remember the 1/10th Scale Saturn V launch in 2009??
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=18587

Yessss....I was there to see it. Just under a ton at launch, and lifted to almost 5000 feet...an amazing rocket, and flight! What was even more impressive was that the booster section landed upright in a field just across the road from the launch site.

JoeR

 

[Overboost44]

This weekend, Aug 22-23, is the monthly Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association launch at Central Sod Farm in Centreville, MD.

http://mdrocketry.org/Launches/sodfarm.html

Since they mow the grass on Sat. mornings, the launch doesn't officially begin until noon. On Sunday, they start at 9:00 AM.

I think I will be out there on Sunday with the kids. Gun show on Saturday. Rockets on Sunday.

 

[JoeRinMD]

I think I will be out there on Sunday with the kids. Gun show on Saturday. Rockets on Sunday.

Overboost, That sounds like a great weekend to me! Unfortunately, we're prepping for a major renovation of our house and I need to spend the weekend moving "stuff" off of the deck and boxing up the interior. Ugggg...

JoeR

 

[Overboost44]

Overboost, That sounds like a great weekend to me! Unfortunately, we're prepping for a major renovation of our house and I need to spend the weekend moving "stuff" off of the deck and boxing up the interior. Ugggg...

JoeR

I was hoping to see you out there. Oh well, we can't all have as much fun as you will have this weekend. I will be doing something slightly less than that soon enough. Wood floors installed in 3 rooms, and a fresh repaint of the entire inside.