Rockets

I got into model rocketry back in 1968, when I was about 10 years old. My
first rocket was a Centuri Javelin, and I remember launching it for the first
time like it was yesterday. I had constructed a homemade launch pad out
of a square of thick plywood and a straightened wire hanger. The power
source was my model train transformer, plugged into an AC outlet in the
den. Long, thin wires ran out the back door to the launch pad - wires which
melted when I turned the power on the transformer to maximum. It's a
wonder I didn't electrocute myself!

Despite my very improvised launch equipment, the Javelin - loaded with an
A engine - shot off the pad instantly. I remember the smoke, the 'pop' of the
ejection charge, the deploy of the parachute just past apogee, and the
graceful descent on the yellow and black parachute. I was hooked from
that moment.

To be sure, I did let my hobby languish while I was in college and through
most of grad school, but I never lost my love for model rockets. I briefly
flirted with medium powered rocketry (MPR) in the early 90's (and still have
an AeroTech Initiator from that period), but did not really return to rocketry
until 2004. I suppose this makes me a BAR (Born Again Rocketeer).

I am pretty much a low power rocketeer, though I do have a couple of MPR
birds and hope to achieve a Level 1 certification in high power rocketry
(HPR) soon. In addition to building and flying kits, I like to clone some of
the out-of-production (OOP) rockets that were sold when I was young.

The links to the left will take you to my rocketry-related pages. Enjoy, and
don't hesitate to ask questions or send feedback!