Brad Wright of Redmond, Wash., carries his rocket to the launch pad.
Peter Ekstrom, fingers crossed, as rocket left a trail of smoke.
Posted on 10/14/2006 7:53:25 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
GERLACH, Nev. — Wedge Oldham, a 49-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles, finds nothing sweeter than spending a fall weekend in the Black Rock desert, barking rocket launching commands like “Are we good to go?” into the hot dusty wind.
Nerves jangling, he awaits the moment when Carpe Diem, his homemade 18-foot-long rocket, hurls itself heavenward with 737 pounds of thrust, shockwaves — or “mach diamonds” — surging from its supersonic exhaust. With dazed exuberance he watches it recede into deep blue sky, and then, with the release of parachutes, gently drift four miles away, preserved for another flight.
At a cultural moment when billionaires like Paul G. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, and Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic chairman, are getting into the space business, the members of the Tripoli Rocketry Association are the ultimate do-it-yourselfers — backyard versions of Burt Rutan, the legendary engineer of the first privately financed manned rocket.
From Florham Park, N.J., and as far away as London, 100 launchers came — plumbers, paint contractors, firefighters, bankers and Silicon Valley techies united by their passion for building rockets capable of blasting 94,000 feet into the air, at nearly three-and-one-half times the speed of sound, as one record-setter did this weekend.
Members of a gonzo subculture, the hobbyists have been known to launch Weber grills, Port-A-Potties, bowling balls and pink flamingos. But once a year, on this bleak, 400-square-mile dry lake bed, they meet for the Indy 500 of rocketry, with waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration.
This year, the subculture itself is on the defensive, unsure whether it will soar or come crashing down in a “cato” — lingo for a catastrophic failure. Since Sept. 11, the rocketeers, about 6,000 nationwide, have had to contend with tougher restrictions...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Brad Wright of Redmond, Wash., carries his rocket to the launch pad.
Peter Ekstrom, fingers crossed, as rocket left a trail of smoke.
Any idea who the rocketman ping list person would be?
Are you freaking kidding me? I love America. I love American engineers...
Yeah, no kidding... wonder how that compares to Goddard's first few attempts?
Ping
Modern versions of a fine American tradition.
"Please don't try this at home. Especially in the home.
Perhaps a cruise missle to take out that Apple store replica in Mecca?
The PGI has had to contend with them as well. Those idiots from ATF have been sniffing around their events for the last couple of years.
L
I'm still working on the ultimate anti-spam system. A cruise missle that can do a tracert.
As long as they don't make an automatic pumpkin gun they're likely OK.
Wow, when I was a kid in the 60s, all I wanted was access to 'D' engines.
Washington State BTTT to WA flyer! (God knows the liberals would never allow us to do this here :(
Love these guys! Nice hobby, how do people think we actually developed these kinds of sciences? LOL May your rockets fire higher and faster!
Remember BATF is now BATF(E). It wouldn't suprise me to find that PGI gets shut down and all their wonderful events declared illegal.
That would be a darn shame. I saw a home made 10 inch mortar go off one year. Most impressive.
L
did you mean to ping someone besides me? ;>)
PGI? 'splain me, please.
At that time my high school rocket club built a six foot solid fuel rocket that went over a mile high. It was fired at the Army's artillery range at camp A.P,Hill in VA. There were about 100 amateur rocket makers from the NYC area launching rockets that day.
See link at #6.
(OS, pinging you assuming this is why you chose your screen name)
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