NC Rocketry

The biggest news of the weekend was the weather.? Winter in North Carolina is not an unbroken spell of cold and ice and snow, but is often interrupted with brief periods of balmy warmth, clear skies, and calm winds.? Those golden idyllic intervals seldom occur on rocket weekends: nobody is that lucky.? But, this weekend we hit the jackpot!? Nobody who attended this launch failed to comment on how fine the weather was.

The next biggest story was the big group that came to visit from the SEVRA group, the Southeastern Virginia Rocketry Association.?? At least nine adults and a bunch of children made the trip from the north looking for a place to fly while the runways at the Fentress field are being re-paved.? We all enjoyed meeting them and they enjoyed the huge field with its almost total lack of rocket-eating trees.? Looking through the flight cards I see the names of Phill Ash, Randy Regan, Joe Vanlandingham, Bill Pleban, Pat and Joshua Harden, Michael Pieknik, Joe Zawodny, ?Naked Nick? DeBrita, and Jeff Goldstein.??? (Those of you who have flown with us for a few years will remember Jeff Goldstein as one of the only 2 people to ever fly and successfully recover a J motor at the tiny and treacherous field at Battleboro, NC).

How about a motor use summary?!?! Continue reading →

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(Inter)national Rocketry Organizations
Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA)
National Association of Rocketry (NAR)

Nearby/Regional Rocketry Clubs and Launches
Rocketry of Central Carolina (ROCC) – Charlotte, NC
South Carolina (ICBM & ROSCO) – Camden, SC
SouthEast Virginia Rocketry Association (SEVRA) – Chesapeake, VA
Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association Inc.(MDRA) – 4 Launch sites near Price, MD
Tripoli Central Virginia– Culpeper, VA
Valley Aerospace Team – Monterey, VA
New River Valley Rocketry – Blacksburg, VA

National Launches
Large Dangerous Rocket Ships (LDRS)  Tripoli annual national launch
National Sport Launch (NSL)  NAR semi-annual sport launch
NAR Annual Meet (NARAM) NAR annual meet (contest flying)

Aerotech The website of one of the major motor manufacturers, lots of motor data, kits and other stuff.
Cesaroni Description of all the motors available from CTI (Cesaroni Technology Inc.), from the mid- to high-power range
AMW If you trace the ancestry of this company back through the mists of time, you come to the one-and-only Frank Kosdon. At this point, the company sells snap-ring cases of a lot of different sizes and general rocket stuff. Robert Dehate.
Loki Research 38mm through 152mm motors and reloads. Scott Kormeyer.
Estes Lots of kits and motors from the oldest company in low-power rocketry.
Quest Aerospace Another company specializing in low power kits and motors. Be sure to check out their MicroMaxx products!
Gorilla Rocket Motors Jim Harris sells a variety of 38mm through 152mm hardware and propellant kits. Check on availability, the future of this company has been in doubt.

Commercial Websites
Performance Hobbies Our local vender, carries a wide variety of mid and high power parts and supplies and motors of all sizes. On most weekends, even if Ken Allen is not coming to the launch, call him and order what you need and somebody will pick it up and bring it to the field for you.
ACP Composites All kinds of composites, laminates, fabrics, epoxy adhesives and additives. Ready to work with the small-budget hobby people.
AC Supply Great prices on Estes kits and engines. Typically 40% off.
Always Ready Rocketry Suppliers of the extremely tough Blue Tube body tube material in sizes from 1.15″ to 7.5″.
Apogee Components A low-power company with a lot of kits and building materials.
Art Applewhite Rockets Big assortment of odd rockets? things that shouldn’t fly, but actually fly quite well. Good for those cloudy days!!
Balsa Machining AeroTech rocket motors at a significant discount. Lots of low power parts.
Binder Design Some very interesting 3″ and 4″ rocket kits and a variety of hardware and recovery material.
Buy Rocket Motors Aerotech rocket motors at a significant discount.
Chris’s Rocket Supplies AeroTech and Cesaroni motors, supplies and kits.
Discount Rocketry Model and high power rockets.
Dog House Rocketry Unique parts for recovery and launchers.
ERockets A large variety of low and mid-power kits and parts, including Semroc kits.
Estes Lots of kits and motors from the oldest company in low-power rocketry.
Featherweight Altimeters Very small, extremely capable altimeters. Since the demise of Ozark Aerospace, these are the only reasonably-priced altimeters to incorporate a recording accelerometer.
Giant Leap Rocketry Another high-power dealer, with a good selection of building materials and composites. They carry the Aeropoxy line of epoxies and fillers, very high quality. Motor cases and reloads, also.
HobbyLinc Low power supplies, motors, etc.
JonRocket Lots of low and mid power kits from various manufacturers.
Leading Edge Rocketry A west-coast dealer specializing in low-power
LOC Precision Rocketry A manufacturer of mid and high power rocket kits and parts.
Madcow Rocketry Many high power kits and lots of building components
Mega Hobby Estes rockets
MissileWorks Rocketry electronics
Public Missiles Lots of rocket kits of various sizes, and construction materials, recovery equipment.
Quest Aerospace Another company specializing in low power kits and motors. Be sure to check out their MicroMaxx products!
Rail Buttons With the new mini- and micro- sizes, there is really no excuse for using launch lugs any more
Red Arrow Hobbies Another comprehensive dealer catering to low, medium, and high-power customers.
Rocketarium Lots of low- and mid-power rocket kits
The Rocketman Excellent medium to large parachutes plus some glittery self-advertisement by Ky Michaelson
Rockets R Us Based in Florida, rocket kits and motors (mid and high-power), a variety of chemicals for motor making, adhesives, casting tubes and liners.
Rocketry Warehouse Kits and components for high power. One of the better ones on the net. Bought by Madcow Rocketry
Sirius Rocketry A Wisconsin company specializing in low-power kits and equipment.
Sunward aerospace A variety of low and mid power kits and supplies.
Sticker Shock 23 Custom Vinyl Rocketry Decals/Graphics/Logos
Tower Hobbies R/C and model rockets.
Uncle Mike’s Rocket Shack A variety of low and mid power rockets and supplies.
Wildman Rocketry Mainly a high-power dealer, good variety of hardware, building materials and recovery stuff. A source for mail-order motors and reload kits.
MAC Performance Rocketry Canvas phenolic airframes, sheets, and kits. A variety of other components and rocket supplies.

Local Hobby Stores
These are mostly Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) area stores that have rocketry items, but feel free to suggest other NC stores.
Raleigh Hobby & R/C 4505 Fayetteville Rd, Raleigh NC 27603 919-772-1211
Hangar 18 Hobbies 1207 D Kildare Farm Rd, Cary, NC, 27511 919-465-3353
ATA Hobbies 2887 Jones Franklin Road, Raleigh, NC 27606 919-961-8411
World Of RC Parts & Supplies 3569 NC Highway 42 W, Wilson, NC 27893 252-291-4088
Toy Town Hobby Shop 507 Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 919-577-9007
Nick’s Trains 5201 Oak Park Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612 919-881-1010
Hobby Lobby 6200 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616 919-981-5788 and other locations
Michaels Craft Stores Various locations, see the website

Information From Other Club Members
Mike Harris’ Rocketry Site

Rocketry Discussion Forums and News
Rocketry Forum
Ye Olde Rocket Forum
RocketReviews
Fly Rockets An introduction to the hobby
The Rocketry Show Podcasts

Frequently Asked Questions, Instructional Guides and Other Rocketry Learning
Apogee Components A low-power company with lots of instructional and educator information.
rec.models.rockets FAQ
Old Estes and Centuri Catalogs and lots of web site links
Parachute Descent Rate Calculator
Ejection Charge Calculator
Build a PVC Stand for your Rockets
Model Rocket Maintenance and Technology An encyclopedic site mainly geared for the science educator who would like to use model rockets to emphasize STEM topics for younger students.

Websites for Businesses Related to EX Motor Making
Aerocon An odd and quirky site, founded by Bill Colburn. Lots of fascinating stuff, much that you will not see anyplace else, including a great selection of rocket books, Unistrut rail buttons, and Flippi-fins.
Firefox a pyrotechnics supply company that carries a lot of chemicals and materials useful for making motors and ignitors
RCS a division of Aerotech, selling the individual components and chemicals. Especially useful for 24mm and 29mm liners and casting tubes.
Always Ready Rocketry sells Blue Tube and casting tube/motor liner sets in the 38, 43, 76, 98 and 152mm sizes. Also, double liner sets in 54, 76, and 98 mm sizes for moon-burners, c-slots, etc.
Rockets R Us Based in Florida, rocket kits and motors (mid and high-power), a variety of chemicals for motor making, adhesives, casting tubes and liners.
OnlineMetals metals of all kinds, plus a very nice reference on the properties of the different grades of aluminum.
Pyro Chem more pyro-related chemicals, oxidizers and metals