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What starter kits to buy and where to launch?
You want to get into rocketry, but with so many different rockets and many different vendors where do you start? Here are some tips on starting your rocketry hobby.
Before you buy anything or launch any rockets, you first want to make sure you have a good understanding of the hobby and all of the steps and safety precautions that need to be taken. There are also some HUGE rockets out ther for sale that launch on big motors, but for your first ten or so launches you should start on some smaller rockets that are are 8-14 inches long. I would recommend going to the NAR's website here and reading about the safety code. Also, you can look around the low power rockets section of my website for more information.
Now that you know about rocketry and the safety precautions the next step is to find a starter kit. You could go out and buy all of the individual components needed but for your first few launches it is just easiest to have one kit that has almost everything you need. These starter kits usually contain recovery wadding, launch pad, launch controller, 1-2 rockets, and motors usually of A or B size. I would recommend purchasing another pack of of A motors usually A8-3's but you should check the package of the starter set you want to see what motors it recommends. More info about the different motors and things you need to fly can be found on this website in the Getting Started tab.
Finally, you want to determine where you want to launch your rockets. The 2 paths to go are to have your first few flights at a large local park or field or at a sanctioned rocketry club. Most rocketry clubs have launch pads for you to use but you want to contact them first. If you are flying at a local park or field below is a graph showing how big the field size should be for each class of rocket motor.
From Estes.com
Hopefully, now you know more about where to start model rocketry. Have fun and may you have blue skies!