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I guess the first few questions are why, what is it and why is is so
appealing as a hobby. I think these photos really answers all 3 questions, but
it's still only half the picture without the noise and the atmosphere.
Most High Powered Rocket (HPR) fliers start with model rockets, but a
few go straight to HPR. HPR is a very exciting, fun and rewarding hobby
and is appealing to many walks of life. It involves model building, engineering,
maths, physics, electronics, chemistry and you can take it as far as your
imagination and wallet will allow you.
HPR is far more advanced than model rocketry in many ways,
including recovery and the high powered engines used. There are also some
legal restrictions with regard motors and storage, but we hope through this
introduction, we will interest you enough to investigate further. HPR uses
engines of size H though to N.
What engines do they use?
Engines come in 2 main flavours, AP and Hybrid. AP motors are solid
propellant made from Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant. Hybrid motors
use a solid fuel and a liquid oxidiser. The liquid oxidiser is NOX (Nitorus
Oxide), whilst the solid fuel varies and can be anything from paper through to
plastic.
Do I need any licenses?
If you propose to use AP motors, then yes. You will need an Explosives
Certificate from your local police. You also need a registered store
certificate and also an RCA document in order to transport them to and from
launches in your car. The cost of all these pieces of paper is about £100.
As long as you dont have a criminal record, then they are all straight forward
to obtain. It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months depending upon how
busy your local firearms officers are.
What does it cost?
The honest answer is not as much as you think, but it's also not the cheapest
hobby in the world. It will cost approximately £250 for your basic launch
supplies (Ground Equipment as we call it), however these if cared for will last
many years. From that point on the costs vary depending upon your choice of
buying kits or scratch building rockets from the bare components.
A typical HPR kit can cost
anything from £40 - £400, it really depends how big you want to go. There are
even kits in the US that you can purchase for about £800, but that will get
you a 21ft rocket. Most HPR fliers are flying kits that cost from £40 - £200.
Scratch builds allow you to input your design flare into the
style of your rocket. Using specific rocket software you can design your own
rocket from standard components available at HPR rocket stores. Scratch builds
tend to cost less because you are doing the design yourself and just purchasing
the raw components.
AP motors come in 2 parts, the outer casing and then the
reload. The motor cases cost from £25 - £500 depending upon size. These will
last a lifetime if cared for. The engine reloads cost from £25 - 500 per
flight. Hybrid engines costs are very different. The initial Ground Support
Equipment needed can cost up to £400, and the engines themselves are between
£30 - £500. However once the initial outlay has been made the flights are
cheaper with the solid fuel reload costing from £10 - £100 and then a few
pounds for the NOX.
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