Hello, i am going to build a rocket can anyone help me with the specs i need?

[T.Neo]

1 foot by 5 feet is probably an incorrect ratio for a rocket.

Either way, IMO that is FAR too big as a beginner rocket.

Join a hobbiest rocketry forum or rocketry group. They will be able to help.

 

[jinglesassy]

there arent any groups around and im going to be working towards it over time i just want to know the dimensions of it and the fuel required and know a good parachute ejection system so i can do it on smaller rockets and modify the big one over time like over 5 years im not going to jump into it i will try the things you tell me on smaller ones like 1 foot tall ones then after i get experince build the 5 footer and modify the design with all the stuff i learned over the previous years.

 

[garyw]

Does the park have regular amateur rocket launches? If not, do you have permission from the park owner to launch from there?

 

[jinglesassy]

i will get permission from them to launch it when i am ready

 

[garyw]

If this is a public park I'm afraid I can't see permission being granted due to the risks associated with a passer-by getting injured by a rocket.

 

[jinglesassy]

it is a public park but no one goes there really ive gone there about 20 times and only seen about 2 people and the only time that the parking lot is active is when theres a baseball game going on so i just wont do it on a day when theres a baseball game

 

[Quick_Nick]

it is a public park but no one goes there really ive gone there about 20 times and only seen about 2 people and the only time that the parking lot is active is when theres a baseball game going on so i just wont do it on a day when theres a baseball game

I'm certain that isn't good enough. (although I have personally launched very small rockets in a public park... that IS illegal )
And don't be so certain that there aren't any rocketry groups in your area. They're all over the place. Just search for one on the NRA website.

 

[jinglesassy]

if they dont let me launch there ill find a diffrent place to launch it

 

[Urwumpe]

if they dont let me launch there ill find a diffrent place to launch it

First you have to build it.

I don't know how the regulations in the USA are, but I am pretty sure, if you suddenly start to buy stuff for making rocket fuel, the FBI will be delighted.

Next, if making rockets would be so simple, everybody would do that. Even Kazam rockets, which are half as large as your planned rocket and terribly crude, result in many deadly accidents every year, because of improper manufacture - news just don't speak as often about the people who die launching&building the Kazam, as about the people who get injured or killed where the Kazam impacts in Israel.

Both is more than enough reason getting in contact with a proper rocketry club, start small, learn the basics, get the certifications and licenses and than get towards bigger rockets. I don't know anybody who started at 5'. All started small and if they still had both their hands after some years, they started making bigger rockets.

Also, launching rockets is more fun when you do it with audience and with people know what effort is behind your rocket. Launching a 5' rocket alone is really an epic fail.

 

[Ghostrider]

Look, Jinglesassy, I'm going to explain to you why this is a bad idea, and why you should heed the good advice you're getting.
You're basically planning to use a pyrotechnically-propelled unguided projectile device in a public place, instead of in a proper range, and an untested one to boot. You have no idea of what your rocket will do, it could pitchover right after launch and fly parallel to the ground or hit and ricochet, and that is Trouble with a capital T.

Now, I'm a gun owner and a firework enthusiast. I enjoy both. I also take a lot of care with them because I know the kind of damage that they can deal when used without the appropriate respect. I don't shoot a firearm unless I'm on a range with proper safety measures, and I don't light up even the smallest bottle rocket unless I've checked the surroundings over and over and I know that the thing cannot possibly harm someone. As the old saying goes, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Now, it's not just for my peace of mind and for the safety of others, though this is the main reason. If something happens, I know what the backlash can be: if I behave badly as a gun owner, all gun owners are blamed. If I do something wrong with my fireworks, ALL firework enthusiast will feel the heat. There will be calls for banning this and that and tighter regulations, protect teh children, waah waah make me safe and so on.

If you carry on with your plan and something happens, ALL rocket hobbyists will be under fire through no fault of their own. If you haven't noticed, we're living in times where governments and pressure groups dream nothing else than "turning the screw" as much as they can on our individual freedoms.

I appreciate your enthusiasm but so far, you have shown you have the plans and the will to experiment and to build experience. Be patient now and contact a rocket hobbyist group: they have considerable experience that they are willing and able to share with you, and they have the know-how and the facilities. Make use of them.

 

[BHawthorne]

I say let him do his thing. We'll be ready and waiting to vote on the darwin award. :thumbup:

 

[jinglesassy]

listen im going to start small and work my way up to this not go from my little 6 inchers to big ol 5 footers

 

[BHawthorne]

That mention of RockSim cad app earlier in the thread looks like a good starting point for you. I'm pretty impressed with the app, looking over it for about 5 minutes.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

jinglesassy, it took me about 30 seconds to find two rocket clubs near the D.C. area. One is in Northern Virginia and actually meets not too far off the beltway, and launches about an hour NW of Quantico/W of D.C. Then there's also a club in Odenton which I know is not too far NE of D.C. I urge you to go to the NAR site and at least check them out.

 

[Arrowstar]

I agree. Here's a list of Tripoli rocket groups in Virginia: http://www.tripoli.org/prefecture/prefusva.shtml

And here's a list of NAR groups, search for your state: http://www.nar.org/NARseclist.php

Shoot the group an email or call them. It will be worth your time, I promise.

 

[garyw]

listen im going to start small and work my way up to this not go from my little 6 inchers to big ol 5 footers

Fireworks can and do kill people every year in the UK. They are smaller than 6 inches. The point here is that size doesn't matter, it's where it impacts that does the damage.

 

[Nerull]

The most important rule is to find a club. If you ever want to do EX than Tripoli is your best bet - NAR does not allow people to make motors.

You will need to build kits, starting with smaller Estes stuff, using commercial engines, and work your way up to high power. Tripoli requires level 2 high power certification to make your own motors. To get this you will need be 18, build a rocket capable of successful flight on J, K, or L motors, and take a test demonstrating knowledge of concepts and regulations.

After this, you will want to find a mentor who is experienced with making motors, and get them to tutor you. Trying to bypass any of these steps is only going to get you, or someone else, hurt, and quite possibly be illegal.

 

[Brycesv1]

Make sure you follow the rules and get some kind of proof that you know what you're doing. The government is all too happy to accuse you of testing rockets for terrorism if you make anything that is over-sized/over-complicated. If it doesn't look like a small model rocket, they wont think it is.

 

[n72.75]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuKKzG-JFWw"]YouTube- Q motor[/ame]

As long as you comply with the NRA and the FAA you can do anything, remember NASA is a civilian organization.

 

[ijuin]

But seriously, any rocket that carries more than one pound (450 g) of fuel requires that you get clearance from whoever controls the airspace where you plan to launch it. Such clearance generally includes scheduling the exact time and place where you will launch.