BSD Rocketry

Yeah I ordered a kit last weekend. I wish I had found a dealer who had what I wanted as I dont think my order has even been acknowledged let alone shipped ! I cant get any response from them either, phone or email. And since I paid using paypal my money is gone so I guess I have no recourse but to sit and wait. :(

Anyone know whats going on ? I had always heard about their great service & support but nowadays non-existent.

- Bill

I think Mark is just a bit swamped with his day job.

Hopefully you'll get a response soon.

-Kevin

I think that the nature of the beast is that most/many of these companies, of necessity, are very small operations done mostly out of love of the hobby. It has been my experience, 99% of the time, that I'll get what I've asked for sooner or later. It has also been my experience with many vendors (ASP Rocketry, Fliskits, and QModeling are three that come to mind from recent orders) that they go above and beyond the call of duty to satisfy their customers, and I allow the good karma that they build up to offset the little bad karma that occurs on rare occasions. Life's too short to worry about the small stuff...

David Erbas-White

Bill Botook wrote:

I disagree that these operations are small by necessity. A fair number of these companies seem to be run by people wjho let their passion overwhelm their common sense and turn a hobby into a business. . Closer to the truth is that the few rocket manufacturers seem more inclined to where they want to subsidizwe their hobby while servicing the friends.The only driving force in their smallness is that most are part time.

I doubt that rocketry will ever be a booming industry supporting hundreds of manufacturers. Our community is a specialized segment of the market. I don't see us competing with hobbies like hot rodding, sewing, arts & crafts, and the like. These areas fall into way wider markets and both have non-hobby related applications. Yes rocketry does too, however the number of peopple who need a pair of trousers hemmed or their oil changed is vastly larger than the number of people trying to get into near space. I really find it hard to accept that any form of regulatory or organizational reform will change that.

Well, model rocketry was in the past and even HPR which is relatively new was about 10x its current size at one point in the past, measured by participation.

Jerry

Jerry's pulling numbers out of his butt again.

Don't forget ray, BIG numbers, from an even bigger ASS!

I was there. Not as a mere consumer either.

"Mere consumer"?

Your arrogance is astonishing

Have you noticed on rmr recently, there's been a fixation on rear ends, suppositories, etc? I think Sigmund would say there could be an "Oedipus-rectum" complex going on here. ; )

Randy

There simply isn't the interest among kids to do rocketry that there used to be. Yes, there are some 'problems', but the problems are really more at the local level than anything. For example, our school board used to allow rocket launches as part of educational presentations -- they now won't, because of concerns about being sued that have nothing to do with 'rocketry laws', but are simply a result of our current litigious society.

And kids, themselves, don't have the sense of awe and wonder that was present during the 60's, when space exploration was part of the headlines. Rocketry also didn't have to compete with 875 cable channels and video games, either -- and even the 'normal' afternoon sports for kids are far more organized/prevalent then they were back at that time. Even among kids who have an interest in aerospace (Civil Air Patrol cadets, for example), it is hard to get them to actually 'enter' the hobby as anything more than a once-a-year event.

Yes, current 'legal problems' lead to the smaller size of the hobby, but so does the present culture. I don't have a ready solution other than to continue doing outreach efforts.

David Erbas-White

snip

I agree David and your post is very accurate.

In 1986 I came up with a local solution back when I was coaching little league football. I held a launch on Sundays on our home football field for the kids at the park. We often had 50-60 kids show up on their own. Sometimes their parents would sit in the stands and watch. The area was small, so we were limited to B motors but it became very popular and lasted for several years. Those kids are all old enough to be out of college and I know at least a few that have degrees in engineering, math and science because they got hooked on this hobby at a young age.

Today, one of my sons is a high school math teacher and he still flies with me. He has helped the science teacher at his school begin a school rocketry club. They fly off of the football field after school on a regular basis.

On going outreach programs are part of the solution.

Randy

"...Yes, current 'legal problems' lead to the smaller size of the hobby, but so does the present culture. I don't have a ready solution other than to continue doing outreach efforts."

Personally Dave, I think what you said there will do more than any lawsuit, protest, or Boston-Tea-Party approach to changing the way things work. Me, I have my Mini-BBX hanging on the wall in my office. If someone asks why I have a missle in my office, once the jokes end, I do everything I can to encourage them to come to a launch. I sell it as a family outing, as a place for youngsters to see science in action, and even as a place for my co-workers to relive their childhood. That technique - and variations will do more to revive rocketry than even a music video of JI going to the guillotine .

Strength lies in numbers. The more we got, the more we vote. That get's their attention. IMHO all our lawsuits are doing is pissing the man off.

Of course I could be wrong, however I am a proponent of constructive action. Not caged animal reaction.

If any of our organizational leaders are reading this, then I for one, encourage you to consider speding a little less on lawyers and DC junkets and a lot more on marketing.

You said: "...model rocketry was in the past and even HPR which is relatively new was about 10x its current size at one point in the past, measured by participation." What is your source for these number? Can you even give the specific number of current participants?

Unless you have a valid, verifiable source, it must be assumed that you simply pulled these numbers out of some orifice.

And at this point we agree to disagree. You have my support where applicable in the path you follow to benefit the hobby and I hope I have yours. Hopefully some combination of the two efforts results in success.

Our associations contribute to the fear level.

What is needed is proof of good practice to mitigate fear of liability.

We already have insurance.

So that's not it.

Jerry

Also society generally is 400% more facist than 10 years ago.

We DO live in a police state.

Jerry