On Nov 9, 6:27*pm, JR North wrote:
Prolly just a harmless amateur rocket club or lone guy. Plenty of 'em in
the wide-open areas. You can buy some honker rocket motors, not just the
weeny Estes variety.
JR


Rocket motors are rated in total impulse (newton-seconds) ranges. The
ranges are alphabetical, as in A, B, C, etc. (The Estes ones actually
started at 1/4A) Each range is a doubling of the last, so a C is 5 -
10 NS, a D is 10 - 20, an E is 20 - 40 NS. You get the picture, they
get big quick. :-

High Power Rocketry uses motors up to an O. A military Stinger
missile is reputed to be a K class motor. I've personally flown a
rocket that used an L, two J, and two I motors that combined put it in
the M range. Six inches in diameter, 13 feet tall, 30 lbs. Hit about
6,000 feet, and recovered on the field. Fun stuff, but I've been out
of that for some years now.

Do a search on Tripoli Rocketry Association, LDRS, TRA to get some
hits, video, and articles about this stuff. It can be very serious,
very expensive, and very fun. Before you say it's dangerous, just
remember that at least a few years ago, no one had been seriously
injured or killed flying these rockets. Several have been killed with
control line and R/C airplanes. These groups are self-governing to an
extent, with a certification process to allow access to the big
motors.

It's worth seeing a launch if you ever get a chance.