Model Rocketry-Building Rockets

[BTCS1*]

While looking over the rocketry manual(52-20?) I saw that there is no requirement for you to BUILD the rocket with your squadron, just that you must LAUNCH it with a qualified SM there to prove you do what is required. Does anyone know if it matters where/ who with you buld the rocket?

[IceNine]

It will be completely up to your unit commander or "qualified senior member".

If they will simply allow you to launch and verify the launch or if they want to verify the building process too.

I always had my cadets start from a kit that the unit supplied, they built them but they were left at the meeting HQ every week. 

[BTCS1*]

Thanks, as of my my squadron is incorporating it as part of AE, I am up to saturn stage and I have had a personal interest in MR for a while. My squadron does not know when it will be able to get the rockets for saturn stage, meanwhile, I have many rockets fit for saturn that have been launched to well over the requirements. I think my CC likes us doing it as AE because all the cadets but myself and another(who has been my friend since elementry school) have never built a model rocket and otherwise would have no clue what do. I think its geat that way but I find it annoying having to wait till who knows when to do saturn because most cadets are on titan. 

[IceNine]

Patience young grasshopper.

Put those skillz and knowledge to help them help you.

If you teach some of those cadinks learn to build they can help you get to saturn

[BTCS1*]

I like the way you think... LOL, I just wanna show the other cadets what an egg strapped to a 3 stage rocket going ove 1000 feet looks like! The best part is then cooking that egg! LOL always fun...

[AlphaSigOU]

A three-stage egglofter? That's some hairy launch!

I once flew a F-powered dual egglofter at a competition... alas, my rocket fell victim to the rocket-eating cornfields and was never recovered.

[ascorbate]

While looking over the rocketry manual(52-20?) I saw that there is no requirement for you to BUILD the rocket with your squadron, just that you must LAUNCH it with a qualified SM there to prove you do what is required. Does anyone know if it matters where/ who with you buld the rocket?

Something that I have determined that works well is to have all the cadets build the same single stage (basic) model rocket (as part of an aerospace education lesson at the squadron using my guidance)... and then send the cadets home with some notes I've scripted along with a second single stage model rocket kit (that can be adapted to a dual stage model rocket) for assembly at home. If anyone would like my take-home notes, please let me know!

BTW: During our last model rocket build class, we used a hot glue gun which expeditied the quick attachment of the basla wood fins to the model rocket body tube... but to my surprise when these rockets were launched, the hot engine gases heated up this glue and some of the fins became unattached during flight. In my 30 plus years of building model rockets, I have always used Testors model glue without incident!

[AlphaSigOU]

BTW: During our last model rocket build class, we used a hot glue gun which expeditied the quick attachment of the basla wood fins to the model rocket body tube... but to my surprise when these rockets were launched, the hot engine gases heated up this glue and some of the fins became unattached during flight. In my 30 plus years of building model rockets, I have always used Testors model glue without incident!

Hot-melt glue is the worst thing to use when attaching fins! The heat generated by the model rocket motor and aerodynamic forces will eventually strip off the fins during boost as the glue joint weakens.

I've always used either thick cyanoacrylate sprayed with a little accelerator for my competition model rockets to attach fins.

[Hoorah]

A three-stage egglofter? That's some hairy launch!

I once flew a F-powered dual egglofter at a competition... alas, my rocket fell victim to the rocket-eating cornfields and was never recovered.

Never heard of corn fields eating rockets.

[jimmydeanno]

Never heard of corn fields eating rockets.

Go Fetch

[Hoorah]

Never heard of corn fields eating rockets.

Go Fetch

I aint going in there and what state and city are they located in.

[AlphaSigOU]

Never heard of corn fields eating rockets.

Go Fetch

I can just imagine what that cornfield is saying:

LAUNCH -ahem - LUNCH TIME!!!!!! 

[jimmydeanno]

...and what state and city are they located in.

Cornfields? Uh...somewhere around here...

[davidsinn]

Never heard of corn fields eating rockets.

Go Fetch

That's some crappy looking corn. I played in better looking cornfields when I was younger

[Hoorah]

I will take a chainsaw with me when I am near corn fields. I will cut them to smitherenes. :clap:

[AlphaSigOU]

I will take a chainsaw with me when I am near corn fields. I will cut them to smitherenes. :clap:

Unless you wanna buy the crop you just ruined... I don't think Bubba Cornfarmer is going to take too kindly to someone hacking up his cornfields for a measly model rocket!

[NC Hokie]

I will take a chainsaw with me when I am near corn fields. I will cut them to smitherenes. :clap:

Unless you wanna buy the crop you just ruined... I don't think Bubba Cornfarmer is going to take too kindly to someone hacking up his cornfields for a measly model rocket!

Cadet Williams should also consider that Bubba Cornfarmer's shotgun has a far longer reach than his chainsaw.

[BTCS1*]

Dut we can get him with a rocket!oh wait... that's what got us into this in the first place!

[CadetProgramGuy]

Yeah, but you need to feed those combines a little rocketry too.....