Jonathon,

Lots of hobbies are expensive. Guys spend thousands on golf (greens fees!), fishing (rods, reels, boats, boat gas), boating (see fishing) and hot rodding, just to name a few. I agree that rocketeers can burn thru some serious money at the launch field, but I went thru 140 bucks worth of boat gas in only a few hours last Sunday. (What's that? A K or L motor reload?)

Any hobby can be expensive.

Doug

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YORF member #11

I respectfully disagree with you on this point. All of rocketry is a RICH man activity. We just don't think if it because the costs are spread out and we generally don't take the time to add up the costs. Let me explain:

Say you buy a dumbed down outfit, say $20 at Walmart or your local LHS. That is rocket, launch pad, rocket and motors (unlikely the motors are sold with the outfit, but lets say they are).

$20 hell that is nothing if I go out for Sushi lunch and a beer along with it.

I get three flights averaging $8.33 per flight less the cost of AA batteries.

Everything goes well, and the rocket, and launcher are ready for repeat flights.

So now I have to buy a pack of B6-4 motors. A quick google yields the average costs is:

$7.50 plus tax. Lets round that to $8.00, and each additional flight is $2.66 per flight!

Now an entry level no thrills R/C Outfit with everything you need to get airborne from Hobbyking.com (I shop there and post there in the forums, and facebook as Jonathan D, check out the little discussion we had about the ME-262, British 1930's Comet under the new arrivals and the beautiful DH-88 Comet ...just drop dead gorgeous aircraft! You want to know what turns my crank, just check out the lines and curves on the DH-88!) is $35.00 and is a VERY good flyer! I use this little two channel Cessna to have fun while I am waiting for my fully molded EP Sailplanes to recharge ( $35.00 Cessna I highly recommend as a fun toy flyer: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...idProduct=22408 Good range, good speed and joy to fly!)

So lets do the math now: Costs neglecting shipping for the HK Micro Cessna is $35.00.

Cost for the first flight ... $35.00, cost for the second flight pennies, cost for the third flight pennies, cost for the nth flight ... pennies. I did neglect the 4 AA batteries as I did in the $20 Estes RTF outfit.

So lets wrap this up:

The Estes outfit with an initial cost of $20.00 then an additional costs of $8.00 for every 3 flights there after = the Micro Cessna in costs after the 9th flight. After the 10th flight of the Estes offering, the costs now start to rapidly move ahead of the R/C Micro Cessna.

So while it may seem that the Estes intro is less expensive, it really isn't when you look at the medium and long term use of the product.

It gets far worse for mid-power, high-power, then amateur.

Even though I have an income, and make decent money, I can't justify nor afford high-powered rocketry. Bless those who get the money together, I just can't. Its not that I can't, I would just rather buy a fully molded (all fibreglass , carbon fibre, wings, fuse, tail) for $300 - $600, install $100 - $150 of radio gear , motor, lipos) and get 50 - 100 flights for just my initial costs), then spend the same amount for a high powered bird, and get 1 maybe 2 flights for it for the same about of money. Plus I get that warm and fuzzy feeling when I take one of my EP gliders, find lift and work her to a speck over head.

Bottom line, we all engage in a 'rich man' hobby (Rocketry) whether we want to believe it or not

Jonathan

Doug,

Here is what I found on a quick on-line search:

AeroTech High-Power M1850W-P Reload Kit HAZMAT - Special Order
$394.99
Sale Price: $315.99

That doesn't include the casing...

So for the price of an M, that is a one time use, I can buy a lot of R/C plane for many times use ... face it, we are all in denial ... we are really rich or make some serious sacrifices to afford the hobby

Jonathan

Motorcycles, guns, guitars, R/C, rocketry.....I'm totally screwed.

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I love sanding.

Nah ... I'm not rich. 'Course, I was wealthy ... before I started spending so much money on rockets! :-)

-- Roger

Yep, Ammo and motors ... you are not planning to leave the kids anything eh?

J

At the rate I've been stockpiling them compared to using them, I may be leaving the kids a fairly large stash of LPR motors......

(For example, I just bought 41 motors on the recent Quest sale and used perhaps a dozen motors at an all-day launch the same weekend).

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Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

tbzep-
If you threw Poker, Muscle Cars, and Vintage 80's pinballs/video games into your list of Motorcycles, guns, rockets, and R/C, your list would be the same as mine for hobbies.
The one that dies with the most toys WINS !

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Just remember. ALL "reality" shows are SCRIPTED. Even when reality does intervene, the writers hurry up and figure out how best to incorporate stuff they can't avoid (like the "housewives" star whose husband offed himself a few months ago).

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Roy
nar12605

Maybe if I run into Tim at NARAM, and he is in a mood to take my question, I should ask him if he REALLY paid $2700.00 for that rocket?

Its interesting that Tim, and that Miner guy, and the motor cycle sales woman, ALL had thousands of dollars of cash in their pockets ready to deal!

Hell, just hit the sales woman over the head, take the money and flee on the motorcycle! Just joking of course

J