# Model rocketry enthusiasts, how should I proceed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509 "2015-11-14T00:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/81 "2015-12-23T20:40:32Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Actually, I doubt the ‘adult male at a school’ would really be a problem. That’s grounds for an alert and possibly a lockdown at many schools these days. :rolleyes: That’s before the explosives. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/82 "2015-12-23T20:59:18Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > [The latest video, Sage’s Amazon on a B4-6](http://youtu.be/O0481f5e5M0), a nearly perfect launch and landing Awesome. In all the launches I ever had, I’ve never had a recovery in hands reach from either the launch platform, or the launch control. You apparently had both. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/83 "2016-01-04T01:07:46Z")
The collection has grown quite a bit in a very short timeframe; From smallest to largest; Estes Mosquito (needs paint and first flight) Estes Baby Bertha (first flight today, a bit low and underpowered on an A8-3, should be great with a B6-4) Estes mini Amazon (half sized Amazon, needs first flight) Estes sequoia Estes Big Bertha Estes Super Crossfire (crossfire with an additional 18" body tube, needs first flight) Quest Mean Green (built today, needs paint and first flight) Estes Maxi Alpha 3 (needs first flight) Estes Super Amazon (Amazon with one extra 10" body tube) [maiden launch, just before New Years Day](http://youtu.be/NDuzoTityCw) (night launch in SLOMO) [slomo of second flight](http://youtu.be/1YqxJ75xt_U) [second flight in real time](http://youtu.be/cuo29H9R7jc) bit of a nail biter after apogee Estes Ultra Crossfire (crossfire with two additional 18" body tubes and a FlisKits baffle, no need for recovery wadding) And my next build will be coming soon, 2 Big Bertha kits that I will kitbash together into a 4’ tall 8-finned “Octo-Bertha” with FlisKits baffle, I may have to upgrade the motor mount to the larger D/E engine mount, as it’ll likely be too heavy and draggy for a B series and just borderline for a C series, like the Super Amazon, the SA is just about right for a C6 series, the 5 is too much delay for such a heavy rocket, a 3 should be just about right ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/84 "2016-01-04T01:16:04Z")
Just pop down to Malheur – lots of big wide open and the folks there are not into licences. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/85 "2016-01-30T21:58:29Z")
The Saga of OctoBertha… She started life as two Estes Big Bertha kits… The Mad Rocketeer known as MacTech decided he wanted to see what would happen if he built those two innocent kits into one crazy, mutant rocket… The first launch [showed promise](http://youtu.be/W4S7tvQZwY8), while OB was fed a low-calorie motor (B6-4), she did perform as expected, even if she didn’t stick the landing, she at least earned her paint, everything was functional… So, after earning her stylishly simple yellow-to-black fade, she was given a much heartier meal (C6-5) and once again was launched skywards… Unfortunately, MacTech had [mistimed how much ejection charge delay](http://youtu.be/dhq2-am95qA) would be needed, and OB rather unceremoniously augered in and landed nose-cone first into the unforgiving frozen ground, a “lawn dart” recovery, the ejection charge comically firing mere moments after filming… Still MacTech was undeterred, a momentary setback, he repaired OB, restoring the lost 4" of body tube with a 9" tube, making OB slightly taller than she was originally, and touching up her stylishly simple paint job… Learning from his mistake, MacTech took OB out this afternoon, with a far more appropriate choice of motor (C6-3), set her up on his new Porta-Pad II launch pad, angled the rod slightly into the wind, and [launched her skywards again…](http://youtu.be/cghJG1bf2yI) This time the launch was nearly perfect, the only problem, was a slight delay of the parachute opening, a nearly textbook flight OctoBertha was happy now, she was just what MacTech wanted, a slow liftoff, low flying rocket that you can see the whole way from launch to landing, she’s actually slow enough that I [almost don’t need to film in slomo](http://youtu.be/kmYpS72z6mc) ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/86 "2016-01-30T22:03:26Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > This time the launch was nearly perfect, the only problem, was a slight delay of the parachute opening, a nearly textbook flight > > OctoBertha was happy now, she was just what MacTech wanted, a slow liftoff, low flying rocket that you can see the whole way from launch to landing, she’s actually slow enough that I [almost don’t need to film in slomo](http://youtu.be/kmYpS72z6mc) Cool 🙂 Though you might want to warn people about the “porn breathing”…might not be safe for work ya know 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/87 "2016-01-30T22:31:51Z")
Naaah, that’s simply the “MacTech needs to get back in shape” breathing that comes from me being a stupid, lazy lardass, although to be fair, the field is at the bottom of a steep hill that I had to climb back up to retrieve the launch controller from before launching OB… ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/88 "2016-01-31T01:21:24Z")
I figured the vid was shot from a mile away, and you were inside the rocket’s capsule in a space suit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509/89 "2016-02-04T18:38:00Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Three more videos; > > Sage [launches her SkyWriter on an A series motor](http://youtu.be/okSiUjq7XOs) > > And another one of Sage’s ideas, [a night launch of the Amazon](http://youtu.be/YlEQ4UgXvI0), we attached a Photon squeeze light to the nose cone to aid tracking and retrieval > > And just for fun, she wondered what would happen if we launched the Amazon on an A class motor, deliberately under powering it, so of course, we [had to find out](http://youtu.be/XTtKJJLv2QM) (no slo-mo needed here… 😉 ) Awesome! The Boy and I launched his Xmas Amazon with an A engine with nearly identical results lately, except that the chute managed to eject and fill just feet from the ground. Weirdly, while you can’t fly a drone or a R/C plane withing 30 miles of D.C., here under the Dulles Airport flight path there’s an official rocketry park (although it’s primarily soccer fields) where we can shoot missiles at planes all day long… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-rocketry-enthusiasts-how-should-i-proceed/737509.md?page=4)