The area was a very open range located about 30 miles south of the Great Salt Lake. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze from the north.
Rockets varied in size, from a few inches to nearly 10 feet.
One of the gentlemen who had a couple of very impressive rockets explained that it is possible to 
get certified to fly with different rocket motors. As the day progressed, we soon learned that the motors are rated in alphabetical order with a number. An announcement would say, "This rocket has an A128 motor, is ten inches in length, and is built by…" However, when you would hear something like, "This rocket has a J587 motor…", you knew immediately this was a serious rocket about to launch. The big boys would make a tremendous roar and disappear quickly into the sky. When one of the bigger rockets was launched, I could actually feel the heat from the flame, it was pretty intense. Another rocket had a specialized motor in it that would take the rocket just beyond mach 1. We were told to listen for a sonic boom as it broke through, but I didn’t hear it, I was too busy trying to keep it in my viewfinder. There was another rocket that had only a half-second burn, but it flew so quickly and high that all I could capture was the smoke trail it left.
get certified to fly with different rocket motors. As the day progressed, we soon learned that the motors are rated in alphabetical order with a number. An announcement would say, "This rocket has an A128 motor, is ten inches in length, and is built by…" However, when you would hear something like, "This rocket has a J587 motor…", you knew immediately this was a serious rocket about to launch. The big boys would make a tremendous roar and disappear quickly into the sky. When one of the bigger rockets was launched, I could actually feel the heat from the flame, it was pretty intense. Another rocket had a specialized motor in it that would take the rocket just beyond mach 1. We were told to listen for a sonic boom as it broke through, but I didn’t hear it, I was too busy trying to keep it in my viewfinder. There was another rocket that had only a half-second burn, but it flew so quickly and high that all I could capture was the smoke trail it left.
Benjamin thought the little rockets were fun, but the big rockets scared him as they roared into the sky. The best part for Benjamin was riding his Tonka truck in the dirt and eating his crackers.
Benjamin is always popular with our friends; here, Edwin is playing with him. 
Mom walked with Benjamin to check out the launch site when the range was open. However, when the rockets started firing, he would run back to the car where he was safe with mom.
The launch site consisted of launch pads that were wired to a control panel. The announcer would tell everyone about the rocket, such as the size, the motor configuration, if it was a kit, and the owner.
There were rockets of all sizes. One was made from a plastic soda bottle, another looked and flew like a flying saucer. Others were as tall as 10 feet and could fly to 8,000 feet.
This hobby is an expensive endeavor, especially for those who are into the seriously big rockets. I asked what it cost for a motor to power a two-stage rocket and it was over $150 for the two motors. That, mind you, is for a single launch to propel a rocket several thousand feet into the sky with the hope that the parachute will deploy and that you will be able to find it once it lands. One of the racketeers had a large rocket that had a digital camera mounted inside to record the launch and return to earth. It also had a GPS beacon to provide a signal to help with the retrieval. Some rockets are capable of launching to heights of 20,000 feet; try recovering that on a windy day.
This hobby is an expensive endeavor, especially for those who are into the seriously big rockets. I asked what it cost for a motor to power a two-stage rocket and it was over $150 for the two motors. That, mind you, is for a single launch to propel a rocket several thousand feet into the sky with the hope that the parachute will deploy and that you will be able to find it once it lands. One of the racketeers had a large rocket that had a digital camera mounted inside to record the launch and return to earth. It also had a GPS beacon to provide a signal to help with the retrieval. Some rockets are capable of launching to heights of 20,000 feet; try recovering that on a windy day.
We had an "incident" that could have caused some serious damage, but luckily it didn't. More of that in Part II....stay tuned.
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