Hello All,

I have an idea and suggestion for an addition/improvement to the Quest FLICS paper rockets. If un-printed (blank) FLICS were also available, they would fill other "use niches."

One reason (among several reasons) why I say this is because there is an art-themed store next door to my apartment building that I think would be interested in carrying un-printed FLICS (that buyers could custom-decorate) as well as the printed FLICS. (I think they would be interested in carrying just the printed FLICS, but un-printed FLICS would "sweeten the pot" for them.)

Beyond my neighborhood store, I think that school programs, scouting programs, and science museum summer camp programs that use the FLICS paper rockets would welcome un-printed FLICS that the children could decorate themselves. (Quest could offer both un-printed FLICS assortments and mixed printed/un-printed FLICS assortments.)

The un-printed FLICS would also be useful as teaching tools for teaching students and scouts about rocket CG/CP (Center of Gravity/Center of Pressure) relationships, as the CG and CP points could be measured and marked on the un-printed FLICS. Adding a paperclip weight to the nose of a FLICS (or is it FLIC in the singular?) paper rocket could be used to demonstrate how it moves the CG farther ahead of the CP, and flying the rocket without and then with the paperclip would demonstrate the rocket's greater margin of stability (probably more than 1 caliber) with the extra nose weight.

I hope this information will be helpful.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

I load a lot of PDF file rockets into Illustrator and color them to my liking.

I was thinking in terms of manual methods of custom-decorating un-printed FLICS rockets (colored pencils, felt-tipped pens, crayons, brush paint, spray paint, etc.).

Children would sharpen their manual dexterity, and they could also learn pattern layout and masking techniques (using "Post-It Notes" to mask off areas on the FLICS rockets prior to spray painting them).

In his 1996 book "Halfway to Anywhere: Achieving America's Destiny in Space" (which deals with the DC-X test vehicle and proposed Single-Stage-To-Orbit [SSTO] spaceships), G. Harry Stine wrote that many of today's young engineers have difficulty thinking in three dimensions when designing parts and systems because they grew up doing everything on two-dimensional computer screens. Giving children experience with designing or modifying three-dimensional objects in the real world will help them to think in three dimensions.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

That is true. I've been learning that stuff since Jr High Art and High School Drafting. And still have a hard time with some objects. And later, learning the difference between inverse and converse...

I sort of did this with kids and a tetrahedron Christmas ornament. They liked the plain cardstock ones to color themselves. (instead of my pre-colored ones)

So, doing it with white cardstock rockets is a neat idea!