"Amateur rocketeers who have been waiting for a chance to shoot their own rockets skyward may be just a step away from lighting the fuse." So goes the opening sentence in this October, 1957 article from Mechanix Illustrated. The article was written by G. Harry Stine, a well-known promoter of hobby rocketry who served fellow rocketeers for years with his tireless efforts to promote the well-being of the hobby.

Stine's article covers the Rock-A-Chute, a cardboard and balsa model rocket created by Orville Carlisle of Norfolk, Nebraska. Carlisle went on to become member ID #1 in the National Association of Rocketry. Stine was #2.

The article has been captured and converted to Adobe PDF format to share with the readers. Seven pages in length, the article is 1.4 meg in size. To view the article, click here. You will need Adobe Reader to view the article. If you do not have Adobe Reader, a copy may be downloaded for free from the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.com/.

Part of the challenge we face in the hobby is the archival and preservation of these old sources of information on our hobby. Adobe PDF format makes a great medium for the collection and storage of these types of documents because of its portability and cross-platform approach.

We would like to extend our thanks to Sean Lannan for sharing this document with the readers. If you have an article you would like to share with the readers, send email to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  with details on the article you have to share. Previous submissions have consisted of submitting the magazine in whole, which were be returned upon completion of the scanning process.