Great News! We have a launch site! 9-3-2022

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We are proud to announce we have an official legal launch site on private land. After three years our efforts have finally paid off. We never gave up.

Launches will be twice a month on Saturdays in Moorpark centrally located between Venture, Santa Barbara and LA counties.

Our first launch will be September 24th at 8 am. The field is private. All launches are Ventura Rocketeers only. You must be on our mailing list or a member of our section to fly rockets there. 

We can launch up to D engines although the TARC teams and Students have been allowed up to F. For general use overall we will be using A-D. The launch site is about 20 acres and there are strict rules we must follow.

Mary listed the rules sent out to all our members:

To launch with us as a Ventura Rocketeer please read the following:

1) if you do not want to be a member, but want to launch, the cost is $5 a family for the day of the event

2) if you want to join the Ventura Rocketeers, the cost is $30 per year

3) Spectators ( ie, you just want to come and watch) is no charge

4) Attached is a flight card, please print it out, and fill one section out per each rocket

5) All Rocketeers and Spectators must park in the parking lot and walk out to the launch site (about a half a mile)

6) This is a private farm. Entry is only allowed on prescribed launch dates. They are a business and you will not be allowed in. 

7) We must be aware of horse traffic on the property. We will keep a close eye on horses near our launch at any given time. If they are close to us we must wait until they are at a safe distance before launching. That means out of sight.

This site is being used mainly to support students and youth in their education in aerospace rocketry.

If you are interested contact us: ventura.rocketeers@gmail.com

Wings Over Camarillo Air show 8-22-2022

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We had a great time at the air show this weekend where we spent two days in a hangar talking to many interested families who would like to get the children involved in model rocketry.The airshow was spectacular and a lot of fun. We were invited to attend to participate in the STEM Pavilion with our Ventura Rocketeers NAR section 855 group.

Here’s a few pictures from the event. I’ll have video and more pictures posted later this week.

In closing I’d like to point out that many parents saw the extreme importance of listening to their child’s interest and supporting it. Model flight of any kind is the gateway to a better life for these children that will grow up to have amazing careers in aviation and science.

One family had a 3 year old that craved rockets and airplanes. I asked the parents where this came from? They replied he was born that way.

We let him hold a rocket in his hands and his face lit up like a newborn star. It was an amazing moment. This boy will probably walk on Mars one day and it’s because his parents saw and supported the light in his eyes.

This is why we keep trying to find that field locally so these children can build their dreams and see them fly into the sky. It’s the most important thing we can do.

Please listen to your children. Support their interests. I saw that many parents didn’t share their children’s interest and just tugged them away from our table. It was very sad. Others said they were sending their kids to Space Camp. That’s what we call, “The Right Stuff”.

Thank you! 1-17-2022

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  I wish to thank you all for the orders we have received recently. We still make the current kits listed in the stores. Please note that the kits will no longer include the decals. You can get them directly from http://www.stickershock.com  

Please note when ordering a kit there will be a week to 2 week wait. I hand craft every kit myself. We do not have them on the shelf as we don’t have them mass produced overseas. Everything is bought in the USA and hand made at my studio in Ventura.

Once purchased you can watch your item being made in daily reports here:

steveneills.art.blog

It’s flies! Resin cast V-2 with scale fins a success!

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Flew the V-2 for the first time today on a D-12-5. She lumbered off the pad and got tp about 250, started the very scale like return to Earth and the chute opened and landed safely. Scale fins are stable and I added no nose weight.

Here’s some not so good cell phone video. I believe a better one today was made today by our new member Nathan and I’ll post that later.

And this video show the aftermath.

I couldn’t be more pleased. Next time I’ll use a E for more power. First flights I always use low power to see it flight capability.

BTW I didn’t use 1/2 oz. cloth on the fins for this build. Just CA without kicker and they held very well with no cracks or breaks.

V-2’s are selling 7-20-2021

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Thanks for the orders for our new V-2 Resin cast kits.

Made another kit up yesterday that ships today. Every one is hand cast in resin and evenly hollow.

I also want to thank Space Monkey Models for their kind gift of there instructions and awesome decals.

I plan to build another V-2 for my V-2 using them and you can get yours from: https://spacemonkey-models.myshopify.com/ They even include a template to for a scale fin to replace the oversized Estes fins that come with their kit.

Here’s some pictures of the latest V-@ kit and Space Monkey’s decals and instructions.

first V-2 Kits shipped

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On the very first kit I worked all the parts to fit correctly so I would have instructions. I also included some plastic chutes because I had them on hand. All the centering rings are sanded to fit.

BTW instructions are posted on this site.

Here’s some pictures.