Thank you for posting the 'Akela Leader's Guide.' Maybe Scott would put this up as a "sticky?" It would be perfect to accompany the Estes Viking 12-pack kits (with one note that if Vikings are built with the fins in a "high aspect ratio" configuration, a bit of clay should be pressed into the nose cone tip to ensure flight stability). The painting and DIY launch pad & controller instructions, along with its Question & Answer section, are perfect for Scout-age kids (and for adults who aren't familiar with model rocketry); it's a great little primer.

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

I never thought the use of an extension cord in that way was safe. They are shorting the plug to use it as a key, and if a child were to plug that into a wall socket "To see what it would do" it may hopefully only trip a breaker, but in this day where you never know what someone has done to the wiring in a house, especially old ones, fire or electrocution could result. I've seen outlets tapped off of dryer plugs, coins put in place of a constantly nagging blowing fuse, etc. I'd never publish something like that.

__________________
-Chr$
NAR 79536 TRA 15040 L1
Superstition Spacemodeling Society (SSS) Treasurer
www.sssrocketry.com
SAM 0488
"Prefers Plastic Nose Cones"

As long as the twisted ends of the wire are wrapped with electrical tape (which is advisable even with a 6 volt or 12 volt launch battery, especially a car or motorcycle battery, which can give nasty shocks), I see no problem with it. If plugged into a 120 volt AC outlet, the prongs and wire would simply form a shunt (a parallel path) to the path that already exists between the "blades" inside the outlet slots. At the very worst (depending on the wire gauge), it would blow a fuse or pop a circuit breaker. Also, some rack launchers use 120 volt AC outlets and plugs for the 12 volt DC connections.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

That is still a problem. the wires are shorted.

As for the rack launchers, that bothers me too. Nothing to stop a person from plugging in an extension cord, say in the garage, and not realizing it may be plugged into the rack, so now you have 110V on a couple of alligator clips.

__________________
-Chr$
NAR 79536 TRA 15040 L1
Superstition Spacemodeling Society (SSS) Treasurer
www.sssrocketry.com
SAM 0488
"Prefers Plastic Nose Cones"

Somehow three generations of children survived this since the hobby of model rocketry was born (as well as using chemistry sets, building Heath Kit radios using hot soldering irons, building plastic models using poisonous glues, building & flying model airplanes that used toxic dopes and fuels, handling firearms when hunting & target shooting with their parents, etc.). I do not believe in swaddling children in bubble wrap to protect them from every potentially hazardous situation, and I am thankful that I wasn't.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

Quite possibly true, but I have seen a kid plug a cord into an outlet with nothing on the other end. He was in more danger from his mother than electrocution, however.

You won't see this diagram from a commercial entity now anyway, liability.

I agree too with not swaddling them, Padding in the playground teaches nothing, other than a false sense of invincibility...

__________________
-Chr$
NAR 79536 TRA 15040 L1
Superstition Spacemodeling Society (SSS) Treasurer
www.sssrocketry.com
SAM 0488
"Prefers Plastic Nose Cones"

Could not have said it better myself, Blackshire.

You forgot to mention No Child Safety Seats, Leaded Fuel in automobiles, Almost 0% of people wore seat belts or even gave them a thought, no dammed helmets when riding a bicycle (that could have actually gotten ya targeted for a beat-down) or skiing, next to zero regulation of fireworks...M80's and the like were legal through the 60's, No ABS/air bags in cars, Master Caster and Vac-U-Form TOYS, 7 year olds with BB guns, FULL-FORCE Dodge-Ball INCLUDING head-shots, and all sports having scores with a WINNER an a LOSER, drank like fish in college, called individuals 'moron, imbecile, and idiot' where appropriate and not some numbskullian PC 'cranially impaired', as well as had REAL insecticides like DDT, Lindane, Dieldrin, Aldrin, and Chlordane without any stinkin EPA interference that actually killed pests for a LONG time.

We survived and were HAPPY.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

Well, the NHTSA data from then to now would change your mind on the Automotive safety results.

DDT and similar materials do cause cancer, so even though YOU survived it, many others did not.

But I agree with all the rest.

I was surprised that I was one of the few who was skiing without a helmet last month... I get helmets with snowboarding since most of it entails falling down, but skiing? Never though about it.

__________________
-Chr$
NAR 79536 TRA 15040 L1
Superstition Spacemodeling Society (SSS) Treasurer
www.sssrocketry.com
SAM 0488
"Prefers Plastic Nose Cones"

DDT has been PROVEN to NOT cause cancer....the others listed probably do in HUGE amounts.
DDT was villified by the idiot hack Ruckelshaus that was in charge of EPA at the time that IGNORED his entire team of research scientists and banned it anyway due to political NONSENSE pressure.

I see NHTSA safety data all the time. It should be the CUSTOMER's CHOICE.

Safety, schmafety.....life without risks and overemphasis on mamby-pamby safety is BORING. It should be the CUSTOMERS choice whether or not they want to pay for all that stuff, not the mandate of some alphabet-soup 'we know whats best for you' gubmint agency. Better than half the cost of new vehicle content amounts to items many customers would not pay for given the choice.
Give me a BIG fuel injected rear-wheel drive manual trans V8 on a real frame with a safety harness and little else.

Ever wonder why a city-block long Big-Block '67 Impala weighs only 3,450 lbs but a 2012 small-block V8 Pony-Car from one of the Big 3 weighs 4,000 ? It certainly is not due huge vehicle length/width.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

This Scout Leaders Guide put out by Centuri was published originally some 40 years ago. Society was a little different then. The guide was NOT intended to be used without adult supervision; to the contrary, this activity would have be lead directly by an adult.

And, it would have been used out in flying field conditions.......not too many 110 outlets around in those conditions. It outlined a way to allow a Den to fly rockets without needing to spend a fortune on launch gear.

Actually, I thought the use of the extension cord and all it's parts and pieces to be quite clever. If someone is stupid enough to abuse the materials contrary to the suggested use, then 'stupid is as stupid does'.

I don't go full tilt libertarian as GH does on some of these issues, but sometimes it's a good idea NOT to try to protect every person from everything......helps thin the gene pool of 'stupidity' in some cases. Sounds cold, but it's true.


Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970