Hi from Maymo in the UK

This forum is for new members to introduce themselves and tell us how they got started in water rocketry.
Maymo
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Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Maymo »

Hi,
I built about 10 water rockets back in about 2001. Then I stopped, I kept all the surviving rockets and all the construction parts. My kids have now persuaded me to fly the survivors but I've now found out that they need some minor repairs. I trawled through my old web links for some info and most of them have gone, so I need some up to date advise, that's why I'm here. I still have two cable tie launchers, short and long tube, and various rockets including a 2 stage and a FTC with no recovery, a couple of 2x2 litre bottles joined in different ways a tomy timer deployment system and a A1 altimeter.
In my renewed interest I needed a quick fix rocket launch so I had a play with an old Estes rocketcam, unfortunately I used my good home-made chute and lost the lot to a high tree and a wind that I should have known better than to fly in.
I am interested in what the current preferred construction techniques and materials are and how things have developed in the past 7 years.
Cheers
Maymo
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Tim Chen
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Tim Chen »

Maymo wrote:Hi,
I built about 10 water rockets back in about 2001. Then I stopped, I kept all the surviving rockets and all the construction parts. My kids have now persuaded me to fly the survivors but I've now found out that they need some minor repairs. I trawled through my old web links for some info and most of them have gone, so I need some up to date advise, that's why I'm here. I still have two cable tie launchers, short and long tube, and various rockets including a 2 stage and a FTC with no recovery, a couple of 2x2 litre bottles joined in different ways a tomy timer deployment system and a A1 altimeter.
In my renewed interest I needed a quick fix rocket launch so I had a play with an old Estes rocketcam, unfortunately I used my good home-made chute and lost the lot to a high tree and a wind that I should have known better than to fly in.
I am interested in what the current preferred construction techniques and materials are and how things have developed in the past 7 years.
Cheers
Maymo
Back then I wasn't serious about water rockets so I don't really know what was popular so I can't say what's changed. I think the biggest thing you will find is that people are doing a lot more reinforcing of their rockets to try and get the pressures up higher so the altitudes reached will be higher. Another thing I'm sure is different is that people now are flying a lot more electronics than ever before. Flying an inexpensive digital camera has really made water rockets more than just a curiosity for a lot of people. We have a bunch of aerial photographers here on the Water Rocket Forum.

I don't know what else might be different. I guess glue might be a big advancement in splicing bottles in new ways and composites have also been used a lot.

Welcome to the Forum!
Tim Chen
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Mark Chen
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Mark Chen »

Maymo wrote:Hi,
I built about 10 water rockets back in about 2001. Then I stopped, I kept all the surviving rockets and all the construction parts. My kids have now persuaded me to fly the survivors but I've now found out that they need some minor repairs. I trawled through my old web links for some info and most of them have gone, so I need some up to date advise, that's why I'm here. I still have two cable tie launchers, short and long tube, and various rockets including a 2 stage and a FTC with no recovery, a couple of 2x2 litre bottles joined in different ways a tomy timer deployment system and a A1 altimeter.
In my renewed interest I needed a quick fix rocket launch so I had a play with an old Estes rocketcam, unfortunately I used my good home-made chute and lost the lot to a high tree and a wind that I should have known better than to fly in.
I am interested in what the current preferred construction techniques and materials are and how things have developed in the past 7 years.
Cheers
Maymo
Hello Maymo! Glad you joined in the fun! In my opinion the thing that has changed most about water rockets is there's a lot of different deploy systems out there now. People still seem to be building the same kinds of launchers and rockets as always but they are coming up with some really creative ways to recover their water rockets.

We have a couple users here who have used electronic servo motors from radio control planes and made them into parachute deploy systems. We also have a clever dude here named Soren who just this week successfully tested a radio controlled glider recovery for his water rocket!

I think another thing people are doing is making their water rockets a lot bigger these days. I see a lot of people with 10+ liter size rockets!

What are you interested in doing with your wrockets now that you're back in business? Do you have any ideas for what you will build first?
Mark Chen
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Spaceman Spiff
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Spaceman Spiff »

Hi Maymo! Welcome aboard!
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by WRA2 »

Maymo wrote:Hi,
I built about 10 water rockets back in about 2001. Then I stopped,
I am interested in what the current preferred construction techniques and materials are and how things have developed in the past 7 years.
Cheers
Maymo
Welcome to the forum Maymo,

One of the biggest developments in water rocketry was the formation of the WRA2 in 2003 and with it the standardization of the definition of a water rocket and the rules/class system for altitude records. (prior to 2003 there was a lot of arguing about what defined a water rocket and who actually held records).

Currently the altitude record stands at 2044 feet set last year by one of our teams, U.S. Water Rockets.

The advent of cheap digital cameras has made aerial photography within reach of everyone. We have several members that post their photos and videos regularly.
Lisa Walker,
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Maymo
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Maymo »

Thanks for the welcome, I have some specific questions so I'll head over to the general forum. The aerial photography sounds great, I'm a keen photographer so this is right up my street.
Maymo
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Tim Chen
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Tim Chen »

Maymo wrote:Thanks for the welcome, I have some specific questions so I'll head over to the general forum. The aerial photography sounds great, I'm a keen photographer so this is right up my street.
Maymo
Hey Maymo, did you know Richard Hammond is doing a science show and was looking for Water Rocket people in the U.K. to participate in the show? They were looking for someone a few weeks ago, I don't know what's transpired since then.

http://www.wra2.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... &sk=t&sd=a
Tim Chen
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Bellarossa
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Bellarossa »

Greetings Maymo! :idea:
_ .~'''~._ .~' Dom '~._ .~''~._
Maymo
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by Maymo »

Looks like I just missed the Richard Hammond thing, the filming was on 17 July.
Maymo
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Re: Hi from Maymo in the UK

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Welcome to the forum Maymo! We're pleased to meet you!
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