Was wondering

[gunbait]

What would a good kit be for a begginer at rocketry?

I would like something that goes pretty high (higher than 700 feet) and has electronics that measure height, force, speed, etc...

Thanks in advance

[CPMcGraw]

What makes a good first-time model? Generally, it's one that is simple to build, and simple to fly. Good beginners' models do not include other complicated features, like payloads, because the purpose of such models is to give needed experience to individuals who have never flown anything before. First-time flyers are coming into the hobby with no actual experience, and thus they need to have a model that doesn't frustrate them with complexity. A few examples of such designs include the Estes Alpha, the Semroc/Centuri Astro-1, the Quest Astra, and the Barclone Eaglet. All of these have similar features in common:

1. They are all single-stage models.
2. They only require one motor per flight.
3. They recover by deploying a single parachute.
4. They all use balsa fins instead of plastic fins.

A good beginner's model is one that teaches the basics of model construction, using typical components, to familiarize the beginner on what goes into a model rocket. This is also a model that flies in a predictable flight pattern each time, with no surprises. The models listed above fly in a simple flight curve, from ignition to touchdown. It is very important to see a model behave correctly each time in order to understand the whole sequence of events.

1. Ignition and boost: When you press the button, the motor fires and the rocket screams into the sky. As the motor burns, it produces thrust that pushes the rocket upward and causes it to accelerate until the motor uses up all the fuel.

2. Coast: Here the model no longer has any thrust to push it faster. Like taking your feet off the pedals of a bike after peddling hard down the street, the model rocket now trades speed for altitude. As its speed decreases, gravity takes hold. The model reaches a point where it no longer can climb higher, and starts to come back down.

3. Deployment: At a pre-determined time after motor burnout, the motor gives a puff of hot air into the tube, and this shoves the parachute (and the nose cone) out the top end of the body tube. When the parachute gets out of the tube, it opens and quickly slows the model to a gentle descent.

4. Recovery: The model slowly drifts down until it touches the ground. If there is a breeze blowing, the model will be blown along with it.

Trying to lift electronic payloads is an added complexity that can make the overall experience an unpleasant one, especially if the model does something unexpected and disappears forever. Having such payloads is not generally recommended for beginners' models. Leave these for later, perhaps after building and flying several beginners' models. Start by building yourself a collection of good-flying simple models which you can easily recover and fly again. Get comfortable with these, and as your experience increases, start looking at more complicated models. Work up to that electronic payload with a series of models that help you understand what's happening in flight, and by the time you get that payload package, you'll know what to expect before you fly it.

Do your homework, too. Locate, purchase, and read The Handbook of Model Rocketry by G. Harry Stine (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0471472425/ref=s9_asin_title_1/102-0256898-5428930). This book has a lot of practical information that you will use in this hobby. It covers some of these same topics, and explains in greater detail each of the four phases of flight described briefly above.