Hello from North Carolina

This forum is for new members to introduce themselves and tell us how they got started in water rocketry.
peter_stanley
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Hello from North Carolina

Post by peter_stanley »

I started getting interested in water rocketry after seeing posts from the Air Command site. I purchased a launcher kit made of PVC, that has a cable-tie release mechanism. I ordered a cheap-ish air compressor from Amazon. Don't know how long it'll last, but should get me started. I'm sure I'm already making noob mistakes, but I'm glad this forum and community is available to guide me.

I started building my first water rocket today. It's made from a one-liter, "Metro Electro" water bottle . I'm using .03 in. diameter Plastruct styrene material for fins which are attached to bamboo skewers. I made a nose cone/payload area from the top of the another bottle. I plan to use my Altimeter Two to measure altitude, velocity, etc... I'll post how it goes in the relevant topic areas.

I'm very grateful for all the information resources people have shared here. I hope I can give back as much as I take.

thanks,

Peter
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Re: Hello from North Carolina

Post by WRA2 »

Welcome to the forum and the WRA2. :W

We all look forward to your contributions.
Lisa Walker,
:WRA2: Forum Administrator. :WRA2:
:WRA2:The Water Rocket Achievement World Record Association :WRA2:
air.command
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Re: Hello from North Carolina

Post by air.command »

peter_stanley wrote:I started getting interested in water rocketry after seeing posts from the Air Command site. I purchased a launcher kit made of PVC, that has a cable-tie release mechanism. I ordered a cheap-ish air compressor from Amazon. Don't know how long it'll last, but should get me started. I'm sure I'm already making noob mistakes, but I'm glad this forum and community is available to guide me.

I started building my first water rocket today. It's made from a one-liter, "Metro Electro" water bottle . I'm using .03 in. diameter Plastruct styrene material for fins which are attached to bamboo skewers. I made a nose cone/payload area from the top of the another bottle. I plan to use my Altimeter Two to measure altitude, velocity, etc... I'll post how it goes in the relevant topic areas.

I'm very grateful for all the information resources people have shared here. I hope I can give back as much as I take.

thanks,

Peter
Hi Peter, glad to hear you're having fun with water rockets too. Although I don't know which compressor you have ordered, one thing to watch out for with the cheap compressors is to not let them overheat. Filling small rockets is usually no problem, but pushing the compressor beyond 100-120psi usually puts a strain on them. Give the compressor enough time to cool between launches. Hopefully it's a good quality compressor that will last you many launches.

- George
http://www.AirCommandRockets.com
peter_stanley
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Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:18 pm

Re: Hello from North Carolina

Post by peter_stanley »

Hi George,
Thanks for the advice on compressors. The model I ordered is made by RadSportz. It had decent reviews for models in it's price range. I'll try to take care of it, but if it breaks I'll probably invest in a higher-end bicycle pump.