unfair cartoon in October 2004 issue of KITPLANES

(Bob Kaplow)
Date: 8/25/2004 2:14 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

From: EISNER::KAPLOW_R "Bob Kaplow" 25-AUG-2004 11:26:50.98
To:
CC: ,KAPLOW_R
Subj: October cartoon

As a model rocketeer with 40 years of experience in the hobby, I strongly
object to the cartoon I just saw on page 77 of your October issue of
Kitplanes. To infer that model rocketeers would endanger pilots or aircraft
is absurd.

Imply, not infer. I do see your point, but I don't think it was intended as a
slam on rockets.

I wonder if there has ever been a collision between an aircraft and a model
rocket.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

In article , (B2431) writes:
I wonder if there has ever been a collision between an aircraft and a model
rocket.

Never. One of our members was a Navy captain and had access to a DOD study.
Using Mach 5 sounding rockets and radar slaved launchers, they fired a
battery of rounds at target drones. They initially thought they'd be
successful about 1 in 10. Afterwards they revised that to less than 1 in
1000000. And that's with radar and many Mach 5 rockets. We have neither, and
we don't try.

Now we've got the BATFE on our case. We've sued them for illegally changing
regulations, and won. They still are trying to ban our motors. THe
propellant is almost the same as the shuttle SRBs. You couldn't make it
explode if you tried.

Sure you could use a model rocket, or for that matter a Ryder truck or 767
or USPS package to deliver a dangerous payload to some random location. But
it's not the BATFEs job to regulate delivery devices. If they have their way
it may impact general aviation as well. The same type of rocket motor is
used to deploy the parachutes used for spin recovery etc. Then there are the
air bags in cars...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD"
To reply, remove the TRABoD!
Kaplow Klips & Baffle: http://nira-rocketry.org/LeadingEdge/Phantom4000.pdf
www.encompasserve.org/~kaplow_r/ www.nira-rocketry.org www.nar.org

Save Model Rocketry from the HSA! http://www.space-rockets.com/congress.html

On 25 Aug 2004 16:45:33 -0500, oD (Bob
Kaplow) wrote:

In article , (B2431) writes:
I wonder if there has ever been a collision between an aircraft and a model
rocket.

Never. One of our members was a Navy captain and had access to a DOD study.
Using Mach 5 sounding rockets and radar slaved launchers, they fired a
battery of rounds at target drones. They initially thought they'd be
successful about 1 in 10. Afterwards they revised that to less than 1 in
1000000. And that's with radar and many Mach 5 rockets. We have neither, and
we don't try.

Sounds like the big sky theory... There are 10s of thousands of cubic
miles of atmosphere, but planes still collide (and they certainly
aren't trying either).

I would be willing to bet that somewhere, a model rocket has hit a GA
plane.

However, the risk is really minimal. Even if one hits a plane, it is
probably no worse than hitting a small bird.

Out of curiousity, how fast are the model rockets moving?

-Nathan

In article , Nathan Young writes:
I would be willing to bet that somewhere, a model rocket has hit a GA
plane.

Nope. Not that has ever been reported to anyone.

And the overall safety record: 47 years, over 600 MILLION flights, ZERO
fatalities, and ONE serious injury.

Out of curiousity, how fast are the model rockets moving?

Under thrust, fast enough that you wouldn't ever see it. Any where from a
few hundred miles an hour STRAIGHT UP to Mach 2.

When descending under a parachute, maybe 20 fps, again Z axis. THey drift
with the wind.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD"
To reply, remove the TRABoD!
Kaplow Klips & Baffle: http://nira-rocketry.org/LeadingEdge/Phantom4000.pdf
www.encompasserve.org/~kaplow_r/ www.nira-rocketry.org www.nar.org

Save Model Rocketry from the HSA! http://www.space-rockets.com/congress.html