When my brother and I were elementary school student, I remember my older
brother attended
a local summer school class, Basic Rocketry. (The summer school also
offered an "Intermediate"
and "Advanced" class.) I don't remember what the class covered, but the
students were able
to build and launch a Skill-level-1 model-rocket. My brother said it was
quite fun, and
after his class was over he and I went to the local elementary school to
launch his rocket
a few more times. (He lost interest mainly because the engines cost money,
and his
words were "each launch burns money!")
Now, 20 years later, I went back to the local Hobby Shack (here in Orange
County, California),
the staff told me they don't stock model rocketry equipment anymore, due to
local regulations
and restrictions (basically, you'd have to drive 20+ min to the closest
designated launch
field.) All local public areas (schools, parks, etc.) no longer allow model
rocketry of any
kind (not that I blame them...the Orange County "parks" are so small, anyone
from the
mid-West would just laugh at what us Californians call "parks"!)
Come to think of it, I think they've also banned remote control models of
any kind (air or
ground.)
Living in an urban area, I accept certain tradeoffs have to be made in the
name of
safety. But reading this newsgroup, it seems like lots of areas in the US
are closing
their grounds to model rocketry, even areas that are less densely populated.
Is model
rocketry being slowly choked to death?
- posted 16 years ago