The Amazing Hobby of Model Rocketry
It never ceases to amaze me at how satisfying the hobby of model rocketry is. And it really is amazing how inexpensive a hobby it is. For a few dollars you can get going in model rocketry. For what you get it really is a good value. And this is space age type technology - literally. This type of rocket technology hasn't been around that long and it used to be the sole property of scientists with lots of money and time. But you don't need a lot of money or a lot of time to enjoy model rockets.
Multiple benefits
The first thing about model rockets is building time. This is a satisfying hobby just in itself. It's just a lot of fun to make rockets. Some people don't even launch them -just put them on display.
But, making them is just half the fun because, for me, it is very rewarding to take your rockets out to a big open field and launch them off. This isn't just an arts and crafts type hobby where you make things. It is an active hobby where you make things that do things: Launch into the sky at high speed.
And over the past few years model rockets have joined the computer age because now you can get rockets with still cameras in them or with video cameras in them. So now you can take a video of your flight from the perspective of the rocket. Or you can take sky view pictures of the ground.
I have lots of model rocket stuff here on this website so browse around and have some fun. I also have bought and built this Estes Tandem X Kit so you can get tutorials and watch videos.
Lots of variations and lots of fun.
You can get or make all kinds of rockets and one of the more popular ones is the type of rocket that has an onboard video camera so you can get a video of it as it goes up and comes back down. There are gliders and star wars type rockets. There is just a great variety. With a little bit of reading and some basic cardboard tube supplies you can also design your own rockets.
How much does it cost as a hobby?
The funny thing about model rocketry is how inexpensive it is. You can get this kit (which has two rockets) and everything else you need for less than thirty dollars. And what that gives you is several hours of model rocket making and a great afternoon of launching! And the rockets are not disposable. You can use them over and over again. You just have to buy more engines which cost around two to three dollars each depending on how strong you want them and how high you want to launch.
What do I have here on this website?
I have a whole lot of stuff from tutorials, complete instructions on how to build rockets, videos on launching them and lots more stuff.
Check out the Rocket Museum that a man has built in his home. This is dedication to the art and history of rockets! The Rocket Museum
The Estes Patriot: See how to build it here.
New Rocket: The Yankee! This rocket is a yankee doodle dandy all ade up in red white and blue. Couple of fun things about this rocket. It is small and fast, and it flies very very high. Easy to make. The tutorial is here: Make the Estes Yankee Rocket
The Estes Express two stage rocket. It's a good sized rocket and it uses two engines to launch itself much higher. See how to build it right here.
New Tutorial: How to set up a rocket engine. There are just a few basic steps to preparing your engine for launch. I have the tutorial with pics right here.
The AeroSpace Spaceloft: This is a quick little rocket. It uses a 1/2 sized engine and it is easy to build. It is an interesting little rocket that has a clay weight in the nose cone. I have the assembly right here
New Rocket Build: This is the Alpha III by Estes. It is a fun and easy build. It does away with the tricky balsa wood fins and gives you a nice plastic fin assembly. Check out the Alpha III Here.
NEW: The Oracle Video Rocket - This is a rocket made by Estes that comes with a video camera in the nose cone. This means you can take video from the rocket as it flies. The Oracle Video Rocket
The picture shown here is a shot of one of the videos I made with this rocket.
New article: When I was a kid. I always wanted to launch rockets but never got the chance. But now that I am a grown up ......
New: Aerotech Rockets - You typically start with rockets called traditional. These are great, easy to make and easy to use. And you can reach heights of up to around 1, 000 feet with some of them. But if you are ready to move up to intermediate level rockets you will be able to achieve some serious heights of up to 4, 000 feet. Aerotech is the premiere company for this kind of rockety. About Aerotech rockets and accessories
Make the Big Bertha Estes rocket - This rocket stands over two feet tall and is the biggest single engine rocket that estes makes. Easy to make and fun to launch. The Big Bertha Rocket
I have built a new Rocket called the Estes Wizard. This is an easy rocket to build yet it still gives you a good rocket building experience. I have a video and complete tutorial with instructions and lots of pictures on how to make this rocket. The Estes Wizard Rocket
During a good New England Snow Storm I took my rocket stuff out. Made a nice little bunker then launched off a rocket!
You can see the video here: Launching a Model Rocket in a A New England Snow Storm
Well, If you read the page about this rocket you know that I lost it in the snow storm. After about 20 feet of altitude I lost sight of it and never could find it again.
I didn't let that stop me though. The next snowstorm I took out a big black rocket with a red streamer! This one I didn't lose in a snowstorm. I lost it in a tree! lol Check out the video here: The second rocket in a New England Snow Storm (pictured below)
