LUNAR’clips 2002                        Volume 9, Number 5

Copyright © 2002 by LUNAR, All rights reserved.

Zen and Rockets

By Kevin McGrath

A (mostly) true story regarding Zen and rockets:

When I was first getting into the hobby I went out the Black Rock desert to see my first HPR launch -- turned out to be BALLS. Big, beautiful rockets tore into the sky accompanied by truly prodigious amounts of fire, smoke and noise. I was Hooked. There were some great flights and more than a few CATO's, shreds and lawn-darts. Late that night I was wandering down the flight line, thinking. I had seen beautifully finished rockets end up in garbage bags. All that time, money and sweat could end up as so much confetti. "How do these guys do it?", I wondered. Could I do it?

With most everyone asleep, the place seemed deserted. At one end of the flight line, past the darkened tents and EZ-ups there was a light burning. I walked over. There was a guy preparing a 6" carbon-fiber rocket for the next day's launch. He was short and rail-thin with cowboy boots and a sweat-stained grimy western shirt. He looked like a man who spent had a long time in the desert.

So I asked him my question. He slid a 98mm M motor into the airframe with a solid "thunk" then installed the retainer. The night grew deathly quiet...he got a far-way look in his eyes. This is what he said:

"When you put 'em on the pad, you gotta let go of them. It's all in the prep. By the time you get to the pad, whatever is going to happen has already happened -- and all that's left to do is to...push the button."

Then he went back to work. The next morning his bird flew to 16,000+ AGL with perfect recovery.

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