Rocketry

I got into model rocketry in the 3rd grade and built and launched rockets all through elementary school. More recently, I've gotten back into it and had the chance to share it with my son.

I am currently certified as a Level 2 flyer by the National Association of Rocketry allowing me to fly up to L power rocket motors.

Here is a (still incomplete) list with pictures and/or videos of some of the rockets I've built and flown, sorted by kit manufacturer.

Aerotech

"Green" Arreaux

"Green" Arreaux

An Aerotech Arreaux that I painted green instead of the default yellow because my wife works in a comic book shop. It's actually better if you click through to the YouTube page and watch the video there in "high quality" because otherwise it's hard to read the captions.

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Estes

Mean Machine

Estes Mean Machine

This is actually the 2nd Mean Machine I've had. The first one was painted white and blue and got lost in a tree in WV. This one was a kit I got off eBay. I replaced the supplied D motor mount with an Estes E motor mount and have flown it on Estes C11's, D12's, and E9 motors as well as an Aerotech E15 motor. It originally came with a 24" parachute and after walking almost a mile to retrieve it after it's first flight at the Bayboro field in NC, I outfitted it with a 15 inch X-type parachute and a nomex cloth in place of recovery wadding.

Public Missles Ltd

Mini-BBX

Mini-BBX

This rocket crashed and disintegrated on its first flight at NSL2008 in Orangeburg, SC. It lost 3 fins lower fins and all four higher fins. The remaining lower fin was forced halfway up the body tube. The nosecone, remarkably, embedded itself into the ground a full 8 inches deep but was otherwise unscathed, probably the only part of the rocket that survived.