Hello everyone

This forum is for new members to introduce themselves and tell us how they got started in water rocketry.
joesf
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:43 am

Hello everyone

Post by joesf »

Hi everyone I am just recently getting into the hobby. About a week ago I was looking for something that I could do with my daughter on a Saturday afternoon(she's four years old) I was looking around youtube and came across the baking soda and vinegar rockets and thought ehhhh maybe then I saw water rockets lol needless to say I was hooked we build our 1st launcher last Saturday out of pvc,zip ties,a 2 liter bottle and a valve stem and just use a 2 liter with the top portion of another as a nosecone. Now the hobby has me sucked in and I have been saving my soda bottles and researching different rocket setups as well as recovery systems and other electronics. I have a few goals set in my mind as I prepare to build a few rockets. My goal is to build a rocket that 1) Flies reasonably straight 2)Flies 200+ feet high 3)The rocket returns unharmmed 4)Build a multistage rocket. From what i have read it will be a requirement for me to build a multistage rocket if I am going to achieve 200+ feet in the future using only 2 liter bottles. I also plan on using ServoChron to aid in rocket recovery. Also if anyone is interested to know I am a 24 year old guy from northern Alabama, I am engaged to a very patient and loving woman and I have an adopted 4 year old little girl that I love like my own.
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Brian
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Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:02 am

Re: Hello everyone

Post by Brian »

:W
It doesn’t stop at 1 rocket does it.
I believe that your rockets are too light.
joesf wrote:1) Flies reasonably straight
This is definitely a good way to start. Stability is achieved by having the centre of the rockets mass in front of the centre of the rockets lateral area. This can be achieved by adding larger fins at the back and more weight at the front. Weight not only helps to stabilize a rocket but in most cases of water rocketry it helps the rocket go higher. Most of a water rockets flight is coasting, because water rockets are generally wide, the drag severely limits the rockets altitude. We can begin to counter the drag with adding more weight. Although the maximum velocity will be reduced, the inertia gained by the extra mass will allow the rocket to coast a lot further.
This extra weigh means you'll need a recovery system which will probably be the extra weight.
I have a 1.25L single stage which can easily achieve 200ft, I hope this helps.
Ascender Water Rockets
http://ascenderwaterrockets.weebly.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS2NHXS-VFxEux70DCINR0w
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U.S. Water Rockets
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Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:16 pm

Re: Hello everyone

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

joesf wrote:Hi everyone I am just recently getting into the hobby. About a week ago I was looking for something that I could do with my daughter on a Saturday afternoon(she's four years old) I was looking around youtube and came across the baking soda and vinegar rockets and thought ehhhh maybe then I saw water rockets lol needless to say I was hooked we build our 1st launcher last Saturday out of pvc,zip ties,a 2 liter bottle and a valve stem and just use a 2 liter with the top portion of another as a nosecone. Now the hobby has me sucked in and I have been saving my soda bottles and researching different rocket setups as well as recovery systems and other electronics. I have a few goals set in my mind as I prepare to build a few rockets. My goal is to build a rocket that 1) Flies reasonably straight 2)Flies 200+ feet high 3)The rocket returns unharmmed 4)Build a multistage rocket. From what i have read it will be a requirement for me to build a multistage rocket if I am going to achieve 200+ feet in the future using only 2 liter bottles. I also plan on using ServoChron to aid in rocket recovery. Also if anyone is interested to know I am a 24 year old guy from northern Alabama, I am engaged to a very patient and loving woman and I have an adopted 4 year old little girl that I love like my own.
It's always good to hear from new people with a lot of ambition. Your family sounds wonderful, and your daughter is lucky to have such a cool Dad! Welcome to the forum!