Model Rocketry State of the Sport - 2012/06

Like all hobby activities that require time and patience
to build or  y, model rockets have seen a decline in
youth participation. Many of the old-time rocket  iers
have moved on to other hobbies after raising their families,
which is a shame because they are missing out on the new
developments that have taken place during the past 20 to
30 years.
When I  rst started building my models, my local hobby
shop carried the two major brands of kits at the time: Estes
and Centuri. This shop only carried the small A- through
D-size black-powder-type motors by Estes, which are still
made. If you wanted anything out of the ordinary by the
handful of smaller rocket companies, you had to request the
company’s catalog,  ll out the order form, and mail it back
with your payment.
With an Internet connection in nearly every household
these days, a vast array of model rocket companies can easily
be accessed and rocket supplies can be purchased with a few
clicks of a mouse. I suggest you go to your local hobby shop to
see what it has  rst. Much of what is available online can be
purchased there.
Today, a model rocket can be as simple as something
made from a cardboard tube left over from your Christmas
wrapping paper, with sheets of thin cardboard used for the
 ns and nose cone, to a fully molded, carbon-composite
rocket costing thousands of dollars to construct. Most model
rockets likely fall somewhere in the middle.
For the smaller variety of rockets, you can still purchase
an Estes 1/4A motor that puts out slightly more than a half
Newton second (Ns) of impulse.
Rocket scientists have their own way of stating how much
force is being produced by their power plants. For those of
you who believe bigger is better, you can purchase a P-150
motor that puts out more than 40,000 Ns of thrust. That
would be slightly more than 1,900 pounds of peak thrust
produced at launch—not too shabby for a model rocket!
Longtime rocket modelers may have gotten into the
hobby because of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) and the goal of putting a man on
the moon. The Cold War may be another reason why  ying a
model rocket was of interest, because it brought us weapons
with unbelievable speed, accuracy, and destruction.
Much of this new technology was directly responsible
with helping NASA put a man on the moon, and it helped
create new military scale projects for rocket modelers. In the
A Scale model of a Nike Smoke leaves the pad
under a K-size impulse motor. Photo by Ray
LaPanse
Two pictures of a 1/6-scale, all composite-molded German V2
in flight under a K motor! Notice the color of the flame. LaPanse
photos.
way that airplane modelers recreate an endless array of
Piper Cubs and P-51 Mustangs, the rocket community has its
own selection of military or manned space vehicles that are
replicated.
Whether you are new to model rockets or are thinking about
getting back into model rocketry, I suggest you purchase a
launch set that contains not only one or more model rocket kits,
but also a launch pad and launch controller. Today, you can even
purchase a launch set that contains RTF rockets.
Both Estes-Cox Corporation and Quest Aerospace offer
complete outfits with easy-to-assemble kits or RTF models.
If the field you will be flying from is small, choose one of the
lower impulse motors, which would be in the A- or B-size class.
Each time you go up one letter in the alphabet—such as from
an A to a B—you double the total impulse of the motor, which
means the rocket has the potential of going twice as high and
may require a larger flying field in order to retrieve it.
What does a RTF model rocket consist of? There is the model,
which can vary in diameter, length, the number of fins and their
shapes, plus various types of nose cones. Next, a recovery system
is needed to bring the model safely down. A parachute is the
most popular type of recovery system and is used for nearly all
sizes of models, although smaller models can use a streamer or
even use tumble recovery if they are small and lightweight.
One of two other forms of recovery is helicopter recovery,
where a set of blades deploys to rotate the model to slow down
its descent and glide recovery. In glide recovery, Mother Nature
dictates where the model lands or you can install a micro radio
unit to search for thermals.
Most models also need something to protect the recovery
system from being burned or melted by the hot flames and gases
produced by the motor’s ejection charge, which is needed to
deploy the recovery system. In rocketry, we call this recovery
Below:Two K-power rockets! The Scale Nike Smoke model on the left is
made from paper, balsa, and plywood, while the Scale German V2 leaving
the pad is a fully molded composite model. Photo by Sharon Mott.
wadding. This is usually made of some
type of paper product that has been
chemically treated so it won’t catch fire.
If you want to launch your model, you
will need a rocket motor to get it into
the air. The most widely available rocket
motors on the market today are made
with black powder; Estes and Quest are
the only US companies offering such
products.
Vern Estes, the founder of Estes
Rocket Company, developed the
first automated machine capable of
producing reliable black-powder motors.
For the “bigger-is-better” crowd, higherperformance
motors, called AP motors
(also commonly known as composite
motors), use ammonium perchlorate
along with a rubber binding material.
The result is a propellant grain that has
a texture similar to a pencil eraser. This
chemical composition is similar to the
solid rocket-booster motors used on US
space shuttles.
After you’ve gotten your feet wet
flying the models that came with your
launch set, you can move on to building
the hundreds of available kits. Some
companies classify the expertise needed
to build each kit in skill levels ranging
from 1 to 5, with skill level 5 being the
most difficult. This in no way means that
expert model builders should only build
kits requiring a higher skill level; in fact,
the most popular types of models during
the past 50 years have been simple, skilllevel-
1 models.
For those who have fond memories
of flying that special rocket, or of a
model you always wished you could
have had but never got the chance to
own, Semroc Astronautics Corporation
offers nearly every imaginable part to
reproduce a long-discontinued kit.
When you’re ready to progress to
larger rockets, Estes has a new line of Fthough
G-powered kits and motors. For
even larger rockets that have diameters
of more than 7 inches, you can try LOC
Precision kits. The company’s larger
models can easily handle K-class motors.
Not only do composite motors
produce more power for any given size
compared to black-powder motors, but
A launch control
officer and helper
get ready to launch
a model rocket at a
club launch
A five-enginecluster
model
takes flight
with C-size
impulse motors.
LaPanse photo
Bill Mott built this
yellow rocket named
Kill Bill Volume 3.
Two high-powered models leave the pads in a
race to see which one can get off the pad first.
Mott photo. A family participates at a
club lthe vast majority of them are reusable,
or at least the outer aluminum case is.
This type of motor is called a reloadable
motor. For larger impulse motors, this is
the only available option.
Purchase a case size that suites the
size of models you intend to  y and buy
reload kits. These kits contain everything
else needed to turn that aluminum case
into a high-tech composite rocket motor,
while lowering the price per  ight by
reducing manufacturing costs. Did I
forget to mention that you also have a
greater variety of motor propellants to
choose from?
Today, rockets with
blue, red, or green  ames
are common. AeroTech
Consumer Aerospace and
Cesaroni Technology each
offer a complete line of
reloadable composite motors
from D up to P in size, with
various propellant types to
suite any performance or
visual effect you can imagine.
You can compete in all
types of contest events with model
rockets. The National Association of
Rocketry (NAR) is the model rocket
equivalent of AMA. Along with the
organization’s bimonthly Sport Rocketry
magazine, NAR offers services for clubs,
education, contests, and much more,
and is the governing body for the Model
Rocket Safety Code. I recommend
checking out the organization’s website
for everything rocket related, and to see
what you’re missing on the competition
side of model rockets.
—John Boren
[email protected]
SOURCES:
AeroTech
(435) 865-7100
www.aerotech-rocketry.com
Cesaroni Technology
www.pro38.com
Estes-Cox Corporation
www.estesrockets.com
NAR
(800) 262-4872
www.nar.org
Semroc Astronautics Corporation
[email protected]
www.semroc.com
Quest Aerospace
(800) 858-7302
www.questaerospace.com
Le : Rocket motors
in various sizes and
impulse sizes, from
13mm-diameter A
to 38mm-diameter J
motor. Black powder
motors are typically
made in a paper
casing, while singleuse
composite motors
are contained in
either high-strength
plastic or aluminumreloadable
casings.aunch. Mott photo.
A typical RTF launch set
comes with a rocket, launch
pad, and launch controller
Parts of a typical
model rocket and the
completed model

Like all hobby activities that require time and patience
to build or  y, model rockets have seen a decline in
youth participation. Many of the old-time rocket  iers
have moved on to other hobbies after raising their families,
which is a shame because they are missing out on the new
developments that have taken place during the past 20 to
30 years.
When I  rst started building my models, my local hobby
shop carried the two major brands of kits at the time: Estes
and Centuri. This shop only carried the small A- through
D-size black-powder-type motors by Estes, which are still
made. If you wanted anything out of the ordinary by the
handful of smaller rocket companies, you had to request the
company’s catalog,  ll out the order form, and mail it back
with your payment.
With an Internet connection in nearly every household
these days, a vast array of model rocket companies can easily
be accessed and rocket supplies can be purchased with a few
clicks of a mouse. I suggest you go to your local hobby shop to
see what it has  rst. Much of what is available online can be
purchased there.
Today, a model rocket can be as simple as something
made from a cardboard tube left over from your Christmas
wrapping paper, with sheets of thin cardboard used for the
 ns and nose cone, to a fully molded, carbon-composite
rocket costing thousands of dollars to construct. Most model
rockets likely fall somewhere in the middle.
For the smaller variety of rockets, you can still purchase
an Estes 1/4A motor that puts out slightly more than a half
Newton second (Ns) of impulse.
Rocket scientists have their own way of stating how much
force is being produced by their power plants. For those of
you who believe bigger is better, you can purchase a P-150
motor that puts out more than 40,000 Ns of thrust. That
would be slightly more than 1,900 pounds of peak thrust
produced at launch—not too shabby for a model rocket!
Longtime rocket modelers may have gotten into the
hobby because of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) and the goal of putting a man on
the moon. The Cold War may be another reason why  ying a
model rocket was of interest, because it brought us weapons
with unbelievable speed, accuracy, and destruction.
Much of this new technology was directly responsible
with helping NASA put a man on the moon, and it helped
create new military scale projects for rocket modelers. In the
A Scale model of a Nike Smoke leaves the pad
under a K-size impulse motor. Photo by Ray
LaPanse
Two pictures of a 1/6-scale, all composite-molded German V2
in flight under a K motor! Notice the color of the flame. LaPanse
photos.
way that airplane modelers recreate an endless array of
Piper Cubs and P-51 Mustangs, the rocket community has its
own selection of military or manned space vehicles that are
replicated.
Whether you are new to model rockets or are thinking about
getting back into model rocketry, I suggest you purchase a
launch set that contains not only one or more model rocket kits,
but also a launch pad and launch controller. Today, you can even
purchase a launch set that contains RTF rockets.
Both Estes-Cox Corporation and Quest Aerospace offer
complete outfits with easy-to-assemble kits or RTF models.
If the field you will be flying from is small, choose one of the
lower impulse motors, which would be in the A- or B-size class.
Each time you go up one letter in the alphabet—such as from
an A to a B—you double the total impulse of the motor, which
means the rocket has the potential of going twice as high and
may require a larger flying field in order to retrieve it.
What does a RTF model rocket consist of? There is the model,
which can vary in diameter, length, the number of fins and their
shapes, plus various types of nose cones. Next, a recovery system
is needed to bring the model safely down. A parachute is the
most popular type of recovery system and is used for nearly all
sizes of models, although smaller models can use a streamer or
even use tumble recovery if they are small and lightweight.
One of two other forms of recovery is helicopter recovery,
where a set of blades deploys to rotate the model to slow down
its descent and glide recovery. In glide recovery, Mother Nature
dictates where the model lands or you can install a micro radio
unit to search for thermals.
Most models also need something to protect the recovery
system from being burned or melted by the hot flames and gases
produced by the motor’s ejection charge, which is needed to
deploy the recovery system. In rocketry, we call this recovery
Below:Two K-power rockets! The Scale Nike Smoke model on the left is
made from paper, balsa, and plywood, while the Scale German V2 leaving
the pad is a fully molded composite model. Photo by Sharon Mott.
wadding. This is usually made of some
type of paper product that has been
chemically treated so it won’t catch fire.
If you want to launch your model, you
will need a rocket motor to get it into
the air. The most widely available rocket
motors on the market today are made
with black powder; Estes and Quest are
the only US companies offering such
products.
Vern Estes, the founder of Estes
Rocket Company, developed the
first automated machine capable of
producing reliable black-powder motors.
For the “bigger-is-better” crowd, higherperformance
motors, called AP motors
(also commonly known as composite
motors), use ammonium perchlorate
along with a rubber binding material.
The result is a propellant grain that has
a texture similar to a pencil eraser. This
chemical composition is similar to the
solid rocket-booster motors used on US
space shuttles.
After you’ve gotten your feet wet
flying the models that came with your
launch set, you can move on to building
the hundreds of available kits. Some
companies classify the expertise needed
to build each kit in skill levels ranging
from 1 to 5, with skill level 5 being the
most difficult. This in no way means that
expert model builders should only build
kits requiring a higher skill level; in fact,
the most popular types of models during
the past 50 years have been simple, skilllevel-
1 models.
For those who have fond memories
of flying that special rocket, or of a
model you always wished you could
have had but never got the chance to
own, Semroc Astronautics Corporation
offers nearly every imaginable part to
reproduce a long-discontinued kit.
When you’re ready to progress to
larger rockets, Estes has a new line of Fthough
G-powered kits and motors. For
even larger rockets that have diameters
of more than 7 inches, you can try LOC
Precision kits. The company’s larger
models can easily handle K-class motors.
Not only do composite motors
produce more power for any given size
compared to black-powder motors, but
A launch control
officer and helper
get ready to launch
a model rocket at a
club launch
A five-enginecluster
model
takes flight
with C-size
impulse motors.
LaPanse photo
Bill Mott built this
yellow rocket named
Kill Bill Volume 3.
Two high-powered models leave the pads in a
race to see which one can get off the pad first.
Mott photo. A family participates at a
club lthe vast majority of them are reusable,
or at least the outer aluminum case is.
This type of motor is called a reloadable
motor. For larger impulse motors, this is
the only available option.
Purchase a case size that suites the
size of models you intend to  y and buy
reload kits. These kits contain everything
else needed to turn that aluminum case
into a high-tech composite rocket motor,
while lowering the price per  ight by
reducing manufacturing costs. Did I
forget to mention that you also have a
greater variety of motor propellants to
choose from?
Today, rockets with
blue, red, or green  ames
are common. AeroTech
Consumer Aerospace and
Cesaroni Technology each
offer a complete line of
reloadable composite motors
from D up to P in size, with
various propellant types to
suite any performance or
visual effect you can imagine.
You can compete in all
types of contest events with model
rockets. The National Association of
Rocketry (NAR) is the model rocket
equivalent of AMA. Along with the
organization’s bimonthly Sport Rocketry
magazine, NAR offers services for clubs,
education, contests, and much more,
and is the governing body for the Model
Rocket Safety Code. I recommend
checking out the organization’s website
for everything rocket related, and to see
what you’re missing on the competition
side of model rockets.
—John Boren
[email protected]
SOURCES:
AeroTech
(435) 865-7100
www.aerotech-rocketry.com
Cesaroni Technology
www.pro38.com
Estes-Cox Corporation
www.estesrockets.com
NAR
(800) 262-4872
www.nar.org
Semroc Astronautics Corporation
[email protected]
www.semroc.com
Quest Aerospace
(800) 858-7302
www.questaerospace.com
Le : Rocket motors
in various sizes and
impulse sizes, from
13mm-diameter A
to 38mm-diameter J
motor. Black powder
motors are typically
made in a paper
casing, while singleuse
composite motors
are contained in
either high-strength
plastic or aluminumreloadable
casings.aunch. Mott photo.
A typical RTF launch set
comes with a rocket, launch
pad, and launch controller
Parts of a typical
model rocket and the
completed model