My Rocket Recovery Practice

Raymond Caswell posted on the Facebook Model Rocketry Fanatics page:
"I wanna see someone on here build this." :)

My response:
There is SO many detail pieces in that design. I would only launch and recover it on a soft grass field with a good sized parachute.

I've learned - If there is detail pieces on the rocket, I'll stop and look over the model when I pick it up after the flight. I don't walk back to the launcher until I've searched the immediate "touch down" area for broken pieces.

I'll then pack the parachute and replace the nose cone before returning. Don't let the chute inflate in the wind while you walk back. Your nose cone will swing in and out of the shroud lines and tangle them.

While I appreciate their enthusiasm, I try to discourage kids from picking up my models. I have often (politely) yelled: "Let me pick that up!" as a youngster is running over to retrieve my rocket. A kid won't inspect the model or pack the chute. They'll run away from the landing area leaving a small broken piece that will never be found again.

I love a good challenge build. But now I try to justify all the build time (cleaning up all the little pieces before paint) and how the model will look after some flight damage.