Sorry, Helen

It looks like model rocketry is yet another innocent victim in the War on Terrorism™ — albeit a somewhat obvious one. If TSA agents at airports are panicking over nail clippers, seeing "solid rocket motors" on a shipping form could send some folks into a seizure.

Nonetheless, it's sad... like the way plane spotters are finding themselves chased off as potential terrorists. (And I was just getting into it.)

Some rocketry fans are already claiming censorship, and the folks over at Slashdot have already exhaustively debated the issue.

Seeing as how model rocketry fans in Hawaii pretty much need to use express courier shipping to get their supplies, the UPS ban may put a big dent in the hobby here.

Any insights, Helen?

This post suggested by a little bird who really should join HawaiiStories already.

Comments

Obvious dangers aside, one could always build his own engines. It's not that difficult. Though, it's probably even more illegal to do that.

Oh, that brings back some fond memories. Smoke bombs. Termites. Potato cannon. Water bottle rockets. And a really cool Rail Gun.

See, what one learns in Physics and Chemistry actually do come in handy.

Trebuchets and potato guns; don't forget those. ;)

Speaking of Potato Guns, this is place is the best place to get them on the internet if you'd rather not build one yourself. We used to make them out of leftover PVC pipes from my friend's dad who was a plumber.

On the good side the US government is not directly banning the manufacture or the use of model rocket engines but making it harder for it to be transported to other parts of the country.

I suspect that the price of engines might rise if shipping companies are going to charge extra for to deal with the new procedures, paperwork or whatever it takes to ship them.

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