Advanced – More on Level 1

by Brother John (Van Norman), Ministry of the Rocketeer

The bigger they are, the harder (read faster) they fall!! The bigger they are the heavier they are, the lower they go (maybe), the shorter distance they fall (hey, you can hope). And the bigger they are the easier they are to see!!

Do yourself a favor–use the KISS method–just push it enough to get the cert–use a rocket that will handle a small “H” (adapted down or not), as Jeff said an H128 is perfect. More people have certed on that motor than any other. Once you have the paper in your hands you can play (and spend) all you want. Don’t be afraid to follow the instructions step by step. I still do everytime I build a motor, even K’s (actually, especially K’s). Even though I can quote the sheet word for word from memory, I still lay it out there and follow it. It keeps you from “forgetting” (usually from over confidence or haste) that one important step (like forgetting that dang forward O ring, or in cases like Kurt, the e-charge. . . just kidding, Kurt).

And most of all, if your not perfectly clear on something DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK ANY OF US FOR ADVICE. Though we all have slightly different tehniques and tricks, they all work and they are all worth learning. You will develop your own style as you go–but your main goal is to get this one off without a problem. We’ve all been right where you are now, and any of us will be more than happy to help you. Besides, we’re all a bunch of show-off’s and love nothing more than show people what kind of “Rokect Sceintest” we are. Seriously, I’ve never been to a launch where one (usually always more) of the guys didn’t teach me something new, of course, I bug the hell out of them. Especially the L3’s, like Kurt, Ron, Rick (our prefect) and Greg, though I think he’s just a lowly L2 like me!! Joking aside–I can’t stress this enough–you’ve got centuries and thousands of flights of combined experiance in this club–all at your disposal–USE IT!! I’m a novice compared to these guys and they taugh me more than a million hours on the net.

And remember to keep those contributions coming!!

Send your donations to the
Brother John Ministry of the Rocketeer
PO Box L3
Crater in the Lakebed, CA TRA 10000