CONWAY, Arkansas USA — A suspected explosive device rendered safe by the Conway Fire Department Bomb Squad Monday turned out to be a model rocket motor taped to a stick, Division Chief Jon McMahon said.

The device was found in the yard of a Brierwood Circle home Monday afternoon by a survey crew. When it was brought to the attention of the property owner, she promptly called 9-1-1.

"The woman did exactly the right thing by calling 9-1-1," McMahon said.

The cylindrical, tape-wrapped object was found to be a commercially available model rocket motor. It was taped to a stick, presumably to give the homemade device stability in flight. It did not seem to have been created with malicious intent, McMahon said, though it is bomb squad policy to always assume the worst.

"When we get a call we don't know what the device is, how it functions and especially we don't know the intent of the person that put it there, so we take the worst-case scenario: that it was designed with the intent to hurt somebody. I don't believe that was the case with this, but I don't want to say that it was not a dangerous deal."

Though not in themselves considered dangerous devices, a hobby-grade rocket motor does contain explosive propellant that could, under certain conditions, produce a potentially dangerous explosion, McMahon said.

Copyright © 2008, Log Cabin Democrat.

10-08-2008 12:01 PM  #1
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: "The woman did exactly the right thing by calling 9-1-1," McMahon said. The woman did exactly the right thing — she allowed the bomb squad to justify their jobs and budget. Quote: It did not seem to have been created with malicious intent, McMahon said, though it is bomb squad policy to always assume the worst. Assuming the worst allows them to justify their jobs and budget. Quote: I don't believe that was the case with this, but I don't want to say that it was not a dangerous deal." An inert, spent model rocket motor casing taped to a stick is always a dangerous deal. Quote: Though not in themselves considered dangerous devices, a hobby-grade rocket motor does contain explosive propellant that could, under certain conditions, produce a potentially dangerous explosion, McMahon said. Yeah, like when placed in a news article designed to scare the hell out of the local populace.

10-08-2008 12:20 PM  #2
tmacklin Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 124	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor I've heard about "Log Cabin Republicans", but the "Log Cabin Democrat"? Must be an Arkansas thing?

10-08-2008 12:28 PM  #3
billspad none   Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 142	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: An inert, spent model rocket motor casing taped to a stick is always a dangerous deal. You could poke out an eye with that stick.

10-08-2008 12:41 PM  #4
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Or beat your wife!

10-08-2008 01:23 PM  #5
rcktnut NAR #76531-L2   Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 63	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Good thing the conditions were not just right, the whole frick'en block could have gone up!!!!!!!!

10-08-2008 02:20 PM  #6
Sono_6 Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 405	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor This will be the end of rocketry as we know it!

10-08-2008 04:27 PM  #7
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 3640	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Though not in themselves considered dangerous devices, a hobby-grade rocket motor does contain explosive propellant that could, under certain conditions, produce a potentially dangerous explosion, McMahon said. Someone quoted me a statement made about PML - Policymakers / Media / & Lawyers... and said that since the Berlin Wall came down this unholy trinity has been trying to make us afraid of something (anything) internal and protectionism became the new religion rather than anti-communism. Hummmmm....

10-08-2008 05:23 PM  #8
Just Jerry Freeform rockets advocate   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1299	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: This will be the end of rocketry as we know it! This is just the dead cat bounce. Just Jerry

10-08-2008 05:58 PM  #9
Matt Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 50	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: An inert, spent model rocket motor casing taped to a stick is always a dangerous deal. Thanks telling me my painting stick could kill me, I was so foolish!

10-08-2008 11:20 PM  #10
lawndart Certified Level Three   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 169	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Well that answers my question of where the hell did that thing go?

10-09-2008 10:03 AM  #11
R2K Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 273	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor So this was a 18mm paper tube (or at worst a 24mm massive E engine maybe...) attached to a wood dowel. It was probably hard to see, and certainly looked EXACTLY like a bottle rocket!

10-09-2008 11:41 AM  #12
Loopy NAR Level 1   Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 147	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Someone quoted me a statement made about PML - Policymakers / Media / & Lawyers... and said that since the Berlin Wall came down this unholy trinity has been trying to make us afraid of something (anything) internal and protectionism became the new religion rather than anti-communism. Hummmmm.... On the other hand, they produce some AWESOME kits! I love my Smal Endeavour, and the 2.1" Amraam should be in everyone's arsenal...

10-09-2008 12:02 PM  #13
heada Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 1078	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: So this was a 18mm paper tube (or at worst a 24mm massive E engine maybe...) attached to a wood dowel. It was probably hard to see, and certainly looked EXACTLY like a bottle rocket! A 18mm or even a 24mm tube taped to a dowel or stick looks exactly like some of the larger fireworks that are publicly available around July 4th time. If it had a very colorful wrapper, I wouldn't have given it a second look. What was it about this paper tube and dowel that made people think it was an explosive? -Aaron

10-09-2008 12:55 PM  #14
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: What was it about this paper tube and dowel that made people think it was an explosive? Nothing. Until the bomb squad got ahold of it. And the media. Just like a box of hot dogs. Yeah, I commonly open my refrigerator and think someone stuck a pack of dynamite in there...

10-09-2008 02:58 PM  #15
Loopy NAR Level 1   Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 147	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Nothing. Until the bomb squad got ahold of it. And the media. Just like a box of hot dogs. Yeah, I commonly open my refrigerator and think someone stuck a pack of dynamite in there... I've needed hazmat to clean out my 'fridge sometimes, but never the bomb squad... People seem to overreact to many things nowadays. Everyone is soooo on edge, and conspiracy theories are everywhere. We all just need to relax a bit. Crack open a Fat Tire and chill...

10-09-2008 03:42 PM  #16
Sono_6 Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 405	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: I've needed hazmat to clean out my 'fridge sometimes, but never the bomb squad.... I have a "CAUTION-BIOHAZARD" magnet on my refrigerator. (got it from a friend @ Pfizer ) Old Silver Streaks you don't trust not to cato your rocket make the most impressive bottle rockets you've ever seen. I've never had one fail either..

10-09-2008 04:12 PM  #17
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: I've never had one fail either.. Had you of put it in a beautiful rocket though...

10-09-2008 04:20 PM  #18
R2K Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 273	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Oddly, a large shell from a fireworks show would look much more like a bomb. A big round thing maybe with a fuse hanging out. We are in a culture of fear now... the reaction to 911 was pointless and aimless fear. Not education on the topic, not sacrifice, but just fear. Vote for this guy because... fear. Buy this because... fear.

10-09-2008 04:58 PM  #19
tmacklin Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 124	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Anyone remember these words? "IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW TO USE THIS PRODUCT IN A MANNER INCONSISTANT WITH ITS LABELING" Perhaps they dropped this threat in order to make room for all of the foreign language translations?

10-10-2008 01:42 PM  #20
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 3640	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Anyone remember these words? "IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW TO USE THIS PRODUCT IN A MANNER INCONSISTANT WITH ITS LABELING" If I misunderstood you - I apologize ahead of time. Do you mean that using the motor attached to a stick is wrong? If so I disagree - stick stabilization is safe. Do you mean that a lack of recovery device is assumed because of how this is reported and that is unsafe and inconsistent? We don't know if one was attached and if one wasn't we don't know if it was lost before this came to rest where it was found.

10-10-2008 03:39 PM  #21
tmacklin Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 124	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: If I misunderstood you - I apologize ahead of time. Do you mean that using the motor attached to a stick is wrong? If so I disagree - stick stabilization is safe. Do you mean that a lack of recovery device is assumed because of how this is reported and that is unsafe and inconsistent? We don't know if one was attached and if one wasn't we don't know if it was lost before this came to rest where it was found. I mean using a commercialy made motor attached to a stick is not in accordance with NAR rules and would probably be viewed by the authorities as an "illegal firework" as opposed to a "model rocket". Now if NASA ever straps a chimp to a telephone pole and sends his ass screaming into orbit with an APCP motor, then Estes can make a scale model of the contraption and sell it to us, The Children. Perhaps my reference to the warning..."It is a violation of..." which used to appear on package labels for everything under the Sun is a bit before your time? Drano and Chlorox come to mind.

10-10-2008 03:47 PM  #22
R2K Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 273	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor What nar rule was violated? No metal, safe stable flight, and recovery via feather weight - tumble. Or is the Gnome or Mosquito a violation? I love rockets on sticks. I wonder how they perform past transonic?

10-10-2008 04:29 PM  #23
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor I have to agree: taping a model rocket motor to a stick is not within the constraints of intended use. Model rocket motors were made to be used in model rockets, not being converted to fireworks. Just like model rocket igniters were made to ignite model rocket motors, not improvised explosive devices. A model rocket motor taped to a stick is stable, it does fly, but that is not the intended use.

10-10-2008 04:54 PM  #24
heada Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 1078	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor And if a kit maker comes out with a kit that is basically a motor mount tube attached to a section of dowel rod, does that change things? It could be complete with motor retention and recovery device. I'm of the belief that all forms of rocketry, fin stabilized, spin stabilized, rod/dowel stabilized and even gyro/gimbal stabilization are valid types of model rocketry. Taping a motor to a dowel or rod is no different than building a scratch rocket using nothing but toilet paper tubes and glue. It uses a certified motor and propels the rocket in the vertical direction. As long as all safety rules are followed, who am I to tell someone that their body design doesn't qualify as a rocket? -Aaron

10-10-2008 04:56 PM  #25
tmacklin Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 124	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: What nar rule was violated? No metal, safe stable flight, and recovery via feather weight - tumble. Or is the Gnome or Mosquito a violation? I love rockets on sticks. I wonder how they perform past transonic? I love 'em too. I think I'll tape a couple of G80-10's to an old broom stick at the next DARS event. I'm sure the power company won't mind if it hangs up in one of their lines. Maybe paint it Florescent Orange. KEWL!

10-10-2008 05:09 PM  #26
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 3640	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor I stand behind dowel/stick methods of stablity - every sputnik model out there uses the same method. I also think that these fail to tumble well and tend to need some form of recovery device. That's where I think this might have jumped out of rocket - and landed in bottle rocket/fireworks territory. So if no parachute and not tumbling - not safe. If parachute or tumbling - probably just fine. It does not have to look like a rocket to be OK. Pyramids, flying saucers, qubits, tube fins, ring fins, funnel fins, sputniks - all do the job as long as they fly in a predictably stable fashion and recover at safe speeds.

10-10-2008 07:59 PM  #27
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 4025	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Pyramids, flying saucers, qubits, tube fins, ring fins, funnel fins, sputniks That's why model rocketry is such a widely loved hobby, there's a home for everyone — including me, who has never built any of the above, doesn't think any of the above are rockets, and never will build any of the above. Love me or hate me, I am just me.

10-10-2008 08:10 PM  #28
Just Jerry Freeform rockets advocate   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1299	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: And if a kit maker comes out with a kit that is basically a motor mount tube attached to a section of dowel rod, does that change things? It could be complete with motor retention and recovery device. I'm of the belief that all forms of rocketry, fin stabilized, spin stabilized, rod/dowel stabilized and even gyro/gimbal stabilization are valid types of model rocketry. Taping a motor to a dowel or rod is no different than building a scratch rocket using nothing but toilet paper tubes and glue. It uses a certified motor and propels the rocket in the vertical direction. As long as all safety rules are followed, who am I to tell someone that their body design doesn't qualify as a rocket? -Aaron U.S. Rockets had a kit called Push-Pull which was essentially a stick rocket with a motor on both ends of the stick. That was clearly a model rocket. I don't think removing one motor would make it less of a model rocket. No cite. It's not on the web. Just Jerry "Model rocketry is too diverse for the Estes catalog." - Jerry Irvine

10-11-2008 02:11 PM  #29
shockwaveriderz Model Rocket Historian   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 37	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor In Vern Estes patent for the toy rocket motor in 1959, one of the intended uses was as a replacement for pyrotechnic skyrockets. terry dean

10-11-2008 10:52 PM  #30
DishonestJohn New Member   Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 1	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor You guys should give the Conway Fire Department Bomb Squad a break. After all, weren't there a number of Saddam's nuclear bottle rockets unaccounted for? You can't be too careful these days ya know.

10-14-2008 11:30 AM  #31
R2K Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 273	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor If you got a Stick rocket 36DD squared from estes for $45, it would be proper use. If you taped it to your own anarchist dowel it would be an explosive.

10-14-2008 12:30 PM  #32
Loopy NAR Level 1   Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 147	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: If you got a Stick rocket 36DD squared from estes for $45, it would be proper use. If you taped it to your own anarchist dowel it would be an explosive. So, what happens if I use my own anarchist tubes to build a rocket that wasn't a kit? Do we assume that the "intended use" in the case of Estes rocket motors was to be used in Estes rocket kits? Would a kit from a manufacturer other than Estes be taboo? Or, can we assume the "intended use" is to provide thrust to any stable flight configuration that falls within the guidelines of *insert your favorite safety code/federal guideline here*?

10-14-2008 01:49 PM  #33
tmacklin Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 124	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor It ain't how "we" view things. It's how the cops view things. If the cops find a model rocket with a spent motor laying on the ground behind a dumpster at the local park, they'll probably take it home for their kids to play with and go get some KrispyCremes. If on the other hand they find a spent motor taped to a stick behind the very same dumpster, they'll call in the bomb squad, donn hazmat suits and notify the media. Dosen't anyone watch The Simpsons" anymore?

10-14-2008 01:55 PM  #34
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 3640	Re: Article: Suspected explosive device actually model rocket motor Quote: Dosen't anyone watch The Simpsons" anymore? No.