Greetings from Portland Oregon, USA!

This forum is for new members to introduce themselves and tell us how they got started in water rocketry.
Braaainz
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:53 am

Greetings from Portland Oregon, USA!

Post by Braaainz »

Hello everyone!
My name is Brian. I'm a middle aged nerd, no kids but still play like I am one.
I have always been fascinated by aeronautics. My parents bought me one of those Radio Shack aeronautics kits when I was a wee little one. Truth be told, it was not a very good kit, but it was my first attempt at building a traditional model rocket.

My first one that actually flew was an Estes Gremlin. I think it lasted 3 flights before the shock cord broke in midflight, with pieces all flying in different directions.

I then built a wide number, capturing an actually decent picture of a hot air balloon championship launch with my Astrocam 110 (probably my best flight ever).

I abandoned rocketry until I was in my twenties. I was volunteering for a couple of science museums/centers, as well as helping some RC plane enthusiasts do air shows for schools; They all encouraged me to get back into rocketry.

They didn't succeed.

Closest anyone came was the local science center sending me to a NASA workshop where we assembled the old U-Lock PVC launchers. I did a ton of rocketry classes for elementary school kids. When I left that city though, I only brought out the launcher on hot days to make noise and spray water.

The launcher finally broke 21 years later (last year). With a heat wave in effect here, I decided to build another launcher.

I was utterly floored at how far the sport progressed. Multi-stages, boosters, parachute ejection systems, FTC bodies (as well reinforced ones, RC boost gliders, electronic packages. Wow. Just wow.

I cheated a bit, I bought a stratolauncher IV for my launcher instead of hand-making it on my own. One of the maiden flights resulted in the immediate loss of one rocket as it sailed out of sight. Yeah, I miss-judged how far 60 pounds of pressure will get you with a gardena nozzle.

Anyway, glad I found the forum!