If anyone is interested, the first Tripoli Minnesota launch of the year is this coming Saturday.

Come hang out with rocket nerds and see some cool launches. I'm terribly unprepared this year, so not sure what I'll be flying, but there should be something fun to watch.

Details here:

http://www.tripolimn.org/

boomies?

Occasionally. We call them catos.

A non-catastrophic high power rocket launch is plenty loud without that though, depending on how big it is I guarantee it will raise your heart rate.

There should be at least a K launch or two and if we are lucky an L or really lucky an M.

how much do those things run? i recall seeing some as a kid that were hundreds each. at the larger sizes are they still the same fuel?

How much are the rockets? That varies a lot, usually the bigger they are or faster they fly the more they cost, but the more you make yourself the cheaper it is. Pre-made kits typically cost more than scratch (but not always). My Level 1 cert rocket was a $50 kit, my Level 2 cert rocket was scratch built for around $100 or less (and it can fly near or over Mach and probably top out around 7500-8000 ft, I've flown it to 6700 ft.).

The motors are a whole other thing, you have to buy the motor hardware for the specific size motor you want and then you have to buy the reloads. An H motor (the lowest High Power motor) reload costs around $35, an M reload is around $300 (more for specialty motors, less for hybrids).

There is also fun to be had on the cheaper side with Low Power (A-D) or Mid Power (E-G).

And then there's Amateur/Experimental Rocketry...I could go on an on, and if you show up on Saturday I probably will.

Edit: LOL, I guess I did misrepresent my L2 rocket a bit. The actual rocket that I built is around $100, but on top of that is $200 of electronics ($100 for altimeter and $100 for radio tracker) and $70 for the motor hardware. So it would hurt to lose the whole thing, but that's why the electronics are there, to hopefully greatly reduce the chance of that happening.

sorely tempted. how long does it go? that said there's yardwork and housework galore.

It starts at 9 and goes as long as there are rockets to fly, usually around 4, but you can come as long as you like.

I'm planning on trying to be able to make it...

Darn it, if I'd been on my bike already this year and been in shape, biking there could be a possibility.

side note: Drupal!

An extra teaser:



This is a hybrid motor which uses a plastic fuel grain and is filled with nitrous oxide (the oxidant) remotely on the pad. Should be an exciting flight.

one assumes bigger flights happen later in the day?