I was awarded this kit as a DESCON 7 prize. The owner of USR was on vacation, but promised it would ship the week he came back. It arrived on my doorstep packed well and with all the parts contained in closed bag.

This rocket is a popular LOC kit for people new to composite motors. I liked the looks of the rocket and was in need for a new kit in that power range (D-G). The Graduator came promptly and packed well, however, the shipping company had still managed to kink the body tube. I contacted Barry, the new owner of LOC, and he shipped out another tube without question that also arrived on my doorstep in a timely fashion.

Just before Thanksgiving I was discussing motor retention in minimum diameter rockets with Ed Shihadeh at Giant Leap. He was pretty excited about a new product that he was going to introduce after the first of the year. Ed said that this product would cause rocketeers to rethink the way they retain their motors because of two factors.

G-Wiz Partners manufactures rocketry electronics that can be used to collect maximum altitude, control parachute deployment and ignite the motor of a two-stage rocket. With some creative thinking the devices can probably be put to other uses, too, like camera activation upon launch. There actually are two partners that comprise G-Wiz Partners: Robert Briody and Larry Lynch-Freshner. Like most of the companies that make rocketry electronics, G-Wiz Partners is a part-time business. The partners decided that they could build a better device than what was already on the market.

At a launch in Orangeburg, S.C. I had the opportunity to evaluate both the new deployment Freebags and the new "Classic II" Skyangle parachute offered by B2 Rocketry. They currently offer their deployment bags in three sizes to fit their line of "Cert-3" main parachutes. (bag sizes 9x11,9x14,and 10x17 inches)

This is a classic Loc kit that is very popular. Many people use it to certify or as their first high power bird. I was drawn to it by it’s large appearance. For someone used to Estes rockets it appears huge. I received it as a Christmas gift and started construction immediately.

As I was browsing on the internet I found an awesome looking rocket, the Rocketman Space Hawk. About a week after ordering, the box containing my kit came packed well and without any damage. Upon opening the box I realized this was one quality kit. It contains PML body tubes, Rocketman R4C chute, G-10 fiberglass fins, and heavy-duty strap nylon with hardware. I checked to make sure all the parts were there and to my disappointment the 38mm motor tube was missing. I had to place an order from PML anyway so I just ordered another one.

It was my 14th birthday-- my birthday present was a mid-power starter set. My dad and I headed down to the hobby shop to browse the selections. This particular shop had two choices. The NCR Phantom 4000 set and the Aerotech Initiator set. We looked at each and chose the AT Initiator, not only was it a good value, but it looked like a nice kit and came with two engines. Included were several components in the set.