I thought I'd misplaced this one!
Here's a letter I received from Mr. Estes dated February 19, 1970.
I had hand written a letter to Estes (not directly to Mr. Estes) explaining my troubles getting a BP engine permit in California. Rocket engines and fireworks were tightly restricted back then.
Mr. Estes asks: If I had an area (a flying field) to launch cold powered Vashon rockets why couldn't that same place be used to fly BP model rockets?
I couldn't buy BP engines without a permit.
My mother made a few calls and got the Assistant California Fire Marshall to approve the family artichoke ranch for BP rockets. He drove 3 1/2 hours to Watsonville from Sacramento, the state capitol.
The Fire Marshall gave us more than just a permission form, he gave me a permit to buy and sell engines! I never went into business selling engines.
The letter from Vern Estes shows how model rocket companies handled customer service in rocketry's golden age.
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