Ben Romashko on 3/4/2000 11:37 PM said:

>>A conversation in ROL chat got me thinking tonight. Why? Why does everyone fly rockets?

The following quotes were taken from the discussion which ensued on Rocketry Online.  It surveys the thoughts and feelings of those who love the hobby.

"It gives me as a father an opportunity to spend time with my daughters doing something we all enjoy. We can buy some rockets, sit at the kitchen table and pu t them together. There is also something beyong words as you watch the rocket you have spent time building, painting and preparing, streak toward the sky on a pillar of fire and smoke! For me it's amost a religous experience. Besides it FUN!"

Tom Jensen

"I fly for the fun, the interaction with people who share my interest in the hobby, the fire, the smoke, the noise....but most of all, I do it for the kids. My soul is warmed by the smiles, laughter and youthful excitement in a child's face seeing a model rocket fly for their first time. There's nothing more rewarding for me than that."

Tim Quigg

"Reletively speaking it is quite cheap compared to lots of hobbys.
I played golf a while back and that really takes a toll on your wallet. I also reload ammo for my hunting rifles and pistols, that even though reloading saves you 60% or more still is more expensive than rocketry. For me I will never forget the first time I saw 1 of my estes go up, then when I watched my level 1 go up 3000 feet, and so on and so forth. It is just very satisfying to see something from nothing, do something spectacular. I could go on forever.................B.H."

Bill Hingus

"Well, Ben, that's a pretty good summary for me too. I say smoke, noise and speed, along with the satisfaction of seeing something I built fly like that.

But there's more. Every time one of my rockets flies, I can fly along with it in fantasy. When I can teach someone to do it, and it works for him or her, that doubles the pleasure for me. When I can sit in someone's basement for hours and talk about something that interests us both, it shifts into another dimension. If I can discover a challenge that hasn't been met, and do it, so much the better.

I've concluded that finally it's not about rockets at all, this time around, but about people: and there is plenty of room in that circle of people for those who make mistakes and cause controversy. I owe a debt of gratitude to some of those people, and simply enjoy the company of many others."

Peter Clay

"I rarely get challenged in my every day life. When I build a rocket it's something to do with my hands, and a challenge. When I design it, it's a challenge. When I try to hit a new altitude or speed it's a challenge, or when I make a motor custom fit to a single flight (that's the fun of making motors) it's a challenge.

Then there's the spectacle. A roll of cardboard attached to stiff wire jumps off of the ground at 500 mph on a column of smoke crowned by a glowing flame. The noise rumbles in your chest, and that little piece of paper keeps climbing and climbing, I've seen them go 24,000 ft at mach 2. No other activity available to the average man allows this kind of a spectacle, and to make the rocket which does this yourself, that's awesome. Not to mention we all love the fire and power of it, it's the same thing that makes us love fireworks, jets, and fast cars.

Last, it allows us to get together and talk about something we all have in common. Let's face it, much of the launches are spent talking."

Dak Steiert

"I like the fire, smoke and sounds. Also,
I've always been fascinated by rockets,
growing up during the early years of the
space program, and this gives me a
chance to experience it in a small way.
Most of my rockets carry camera
payloads, which is the next best thing
to actually riding the rocket. :)

I also like the friendship at the group
launches, which I've really missed the
past few years when I had to cut back on."

Ray Dunakin

"Building something for a single purpose, if anything fails it is a total failure, nothing, a waste of time and money. But when it works, it flies the mission, it's 100% successful - it validates your designs, it's a total joy."

Dave Driver

"Except for the difficulties imposed by terrain, rocketry is pretty nearly the perfect hobby. It combines creativity, comradeship, exploration in half a dozen scientific disciplines, and mild pyromania. Further, it's so multi-layered that anyone can find a comfort level and/or specific interest area to suit himself. We all grouse about the cost, but the truth is that it's on the low end of the cost curve for adult hobbies, and model rocketry doesn't need to be the least bit expensive. MR building materials are very inexpensive, and the best launch equipment is home-made."

Joel Simon

"I keep a quote by Earle Cagle, Jr. under the glass on my desk at work. Earle said:

'It's not just about Flying...or the Smoke...or the Noise. No, it's more than all those things...it's about Discovery.

It's creating something that did not exist before and seeing it rise above the everyday reaches of the Earth, to Challenge the unknown and to Challenge one's own ability.

Just as we as a nation set a goal to reach farther and higher for the Moon, so do each one of us strive for our own personal goal...to see what we can make and to see what we ourselves are made of...to test our abilities and see our dreams come true...and in that pursuit we learn and share with each other.

That's why we Fly..That's what it's all about.' "

Tom Savoie

David Urbanek

>>Joel Simon on 3/6/2000 5:37 PM said:
>>Show-off>>

Oh, hey, that brings up another reason. I like to show off.

David Urbanek

"Here's my shot at a philosophical reply. If man is created in Almighty God's image (Holy Bible, Gen. Ch. 1), then Man has some of God's characteristics. A very obvious one is the possession and use of Power. Man has always searched out ways to create & manipulate power, in all kinds of forms. There's something deeply satisfying about creating (another of Man's God-given attributes), and launching a powerful device like a rocket..the bigger the better! The roar, smoke,& fire are viceral evidences of power being produced, manipulated, & displayed. ... I love to watch big lightning storms...they are an awesome display of power. ...But, I think the bottom line is that, when you find a legitimate way to create & manipulate power, it tranlates into FUN!!!!"

Brian Roberts

"When I was in third grade, My grandparents took me and my little brother to Fla. While there I got to see the last Apollo flight, the ASTP. Call it a life changeing/defining moment. I'd allways been into anything that flys since my earliest memories but there was something about being there, seeing and feeling it, that did something. Building and flying model and then high power rockets, brings me as close to that feeling I had as a kid as I could ever get. Add to that, I realy get charged waching power, force and a half dozen natural physical laws come perfectly together for a few glorious sceonds."

Troy Stanton

"My favorite quote of the weekend was on Sunday from our Tripoli Prefect. A boy was flying his Estes Explorer for the 4th time in about an hour and Scott was announcing. "He's certainly trying to wear out this rocket," then to the parents, "You are going to get him another rocket, right?" The parents laughed and said they would.