My 4yo son and I launched our first rocket today. Without any experience, we managed to make three successful launches and recoveries. We're hooked :) Thank you for your excellent introduction. The Designer Special looks particularly interesting.
I was about to say the same thing but thought I would look through the comments first. If he would have clipped the two alligators together there would have been continuity and the light would have illuminated.
For wadding if you want to save some some money, paper towel and baking soda. Fill a breakfast bowl with water Add baking soda until it no longer de solves. Dip pieces of paper towel, hang to dry 2 ply works best. Separate the layers after it drys. Thousands of sheets for pennies.
I tried 2-ply toilet paper WITHOUT the baking soda... didn't work out too well. It was more of a, "lets see what happens!" rather than "I think this will work!" Lol Thanks for sharing!
I live in SoCal, & I haven't found a site I could launch my low-powered models at, without joining an "our way or no way" clique, or drawing attention of the authorities. Any tips?
At 10:20 you say bend the igniter and tape it on the side. Estes doesn’t say to do that in the instructions. Having the igniter attached to the rocket and the launcher leads attached to the igniter can create an unsafe launch. If the rocket has to carry itself and the launch leads off the launch rod this can introduce instability that is not good. I understand why you are suggesting it but it is not a safe practice especially if people go to a club launch where there are grippy alligator clips used. At our last launch someone did as you suggest and the rocket carried the leads with it causing the rocket to crash and eject on the ground posing a fire hazard. Rocket was ruined.
Good introductory video. It's great to see a hobby store be able to introduce rocketry to beginners! The point about not taping the ignitor to the rocket engine is a valid comment. You never want to tape an ignitor to the engine. That's what the plug is for. In the old days, ignitors came with a sticky dot that you used to hold the ignitor in the engine/motor for launch. They didn't work so great. I am betting that the idea for the plastic plugs came from folk putting tiny wads of recovery wadding in the nozzle to hold the ignitor in place for launch.
What!?!?! A selection of parts that includes cones fins and tubes and other nice toys to play with!! I thought you were supposed to create new rockets out of all the surviving parts from rip sides blow ups and caught fires!!!!!
Great video, had my parents come visit and we were talking about how we used to launch 🚀. Went and bought a Estes rocket that night and launched the next day. Great way to introduce my son to the hobby. Your video helped a ton!
Not trying to be rude or anything but nasa’s SLS rocket hasn’t launched yet actually today nasa rolled it out to the pad for the first time to do some tests, but what is cool about the SLS is that it is aiming to send astronauts to the moon by the year 2024 probably more like 25 or 26.
Hello my 8 year old son Noah loves your videos. He wants to know if you have any launch videos ? & is the phantom rocket for sale at stores also can you launch the phantom rocket or is it for display ?
The Phantom Rocket is aa display model. It is basically the Alpha III with a clear plastic body tube. Don't have much in the way of launch videos. You may want to check out the Estes Rockets channel.
