I recently had the chance to visit with my brother, fellow S.W.A.R.M. member Mark Halinaty. He and I are also NAR teammates on H-Bomb. Although we have competed together at the past two NARAM's, we had never had the opportunity to actually work together on a build project. Until now. And what a great way to spend a weekend it was! We put together an Estes Ventris to use for NARAM-58's G-streamer Altitude competition. I learned how to use dope, silk span, and sanding sealer to get a smooth finish on balsa (or plywood in the case of the Ventris). We bounced ideas off of each other, shared stories of personal building mishaps, commiserated over endlessly re-organizing our shops, and just generally had a great time!
S.W.A.R.M. needs more of this. We meet once a month to take care of business and we try to launch once a month as well but we have yet to hold a build session. Having a mix of junior and senior members attend would be an excellent chance to not only build together but to inspire and mentor younger rocketeers. I hesitate to ask that we meet any more than we already do; I know I have too many other things on the go. What if we tacked on some build time to some of our meetings? Or maybe we could replace some of our meetings entirely with build sessions?
Just something to think about, fellow S.W.A.R.M. members. As much as I enjoy launching rockets, it is so much better with friends. I didn't realize it until now, but building works the same way. If you aren't a club member yet, join soon! S.W.A.R.M. has so much to offer, as do rocket clubs wherever you live. Enjoy!
S.W.A.R.M. needs more of this. We meet once a month to take care of business and we try to launch once a month as well but we have yet to hold a build session. Having a mix of junior and senior members attend would be an excellent chance to not only build together but to inspire and mentor younger rocketeers. I hesitate to ask that we meet any more than we already do; I know I have too many other things on the go. What if we tacked on some build time to some of our meetings? Or maybe we could replace some of our meetings entirely with build sessions?
Just something to think about, fellow S.W.A.R.M. members. As much as I enjoy launching rockets, it is so much better with friends. I didn't realize it until now, but building works the same way. If you aren't a club member yet, join soon! S.W.A.R.M. has so much to offer, as do rocket clubs wherever you live. Enjoy!