New member

[74spider]

Hi Everyone,

First post to this forum. It's a great looking site and there's obviously a wealth of useful information here.

I run a science club at a local school and have been building water rockets at a hobby level for about a year. I'm toying with the idea of an attempt on the simultaneous launch record involving the school and any info or tips would be much appreciated.

Many thanks and Happy Xmas !!

Paul.

[WRA2]

Hi Everyone,

First post to this forum. It's a great looking site and there's obviously a wealth of useful information here.

I run a science club at a local school and have been building water rockets at a hobby level for about a year. I'm toying with the idea of an attempt on the simultaneous launch record involving the school and any info or tips would be much appreciated.

Many thanks and Happy Xmas !!

Paul.

Welcome to the WRA2 and the forum Paul,

For simultaneous launch I would recommend using our general safety rules. Since the rockets would be "mass produced" and launched in large numbers, it is recommended to make them as lightweight as possible to reduce the chance of injury from a falling rocket(s) or parts. Construct the rockets out of plain pop bottles and use paper or cardboard for nosecones and fins. Your biggest (and most expensive) challenge will be the launchers and the pressurization system which will need to be low cost but safe. I would recommend a fairly low launch pressure of 60-80 PSI (this will reduce the chances of rocket failure, launcher failure or premature launches. A simple cable tie launcher design as described on this forum might be what you need.

Good luck!!!

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

Hi Everyone,

First post to this forum. It's a great looking site and there's obviously a wealth of useful information here.

I run a science club at a local school and have been building water rockets at a hobby level for about a year. I'm toying with the idea of an attempt on the simultaneous launch record involving the school and any info or tips would be much appreciated.

Many thanks and Happy Xmas !!

Paul.

You should come up with a set of plans with detailed measurements and instructions you can distribute to your volunteers, so you can mass produce rockets and launchers. The rocket part is pretty easy. Stick on some fins and put a chunk of clay in the nose for weight to make the rockets stable. You need them to fly for a few seconds so that any stragglers that launch late will get into the air before the early launches are still airborne. The longer they atay up the more chance you will have the maximum in the air at the same time.

[bugwubber]

6"x12" pieces of 1"- 1 1/2" thick foam rubber rolled tightly on one end, loosely on the other, and wrapped with ducktape onto the top of the bottle makes great durable and soft nosecones. Did this for my nephews as "10 minute rockets" using 20oz bottles. The duck tape can then also be used to attach the fins, or even make the fins.

[74spider]

Hi and thanks so much for the advce so far. One question springs to mind, does each rocket need its own launcher or can I use a multi rocket launch system with one trigger operating all release mechanisms?
Best regards,Paul.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

Hi and thanks so much for the advce so far. One question springs to mind, does each rocket need its own launcher or can I use a multi rocket launch system with one trigger operating all release mechanisms?
Best regards,Paul.

The only thing that matters is how many rockets are in the air at the same time. How you trigger them is not important. They have to be airborne simultaneously and they all have to have reached that state under their own power (i.e. you can't throw them off a roof). The options are pretty much open to your imagination. You can have fun and be creative!

[bugwubber]

Someone in China did multiple multi launchers. Got almost 800 in the air according to the claim.

[WRA2]

Someone in China did multiple multi launchers. Got almost 800 in the air according to the claim.

It might be a good time to craft WRA2 rules for this record category. You wouldn't want to go through all the effort and have someone come along and claim to beat you by changing the amount of time allowed for all the rockets to launch or that "bare bottles" count as rockets (thus simplifying the build effort or whatever).

Food for thought:

1. how much time should be allowed for it to count as simultaneous?

2. Does a "bare bottle" count as a rocket? (should it have fins, nosecone, etc.)

3. Safety? (should items such as hand held launchers which would simplify the build be allowed?)

4. Verification. (video, witnesses, etc). What counts as a successful launch? Does the rockets have to attain a specific altitude to count as a flight?

We can start a discussion in the WRA2 Q & A forum about this.

Trust me, disputes will begin just like with the altitude records before the WRA2 was formed. We have been through this before.

[bugwubber]

All for that because it is apparently difficult to get rules clarification and other answers from Guinness without paying a priority fee.