Modern High-Power Rocketry 2 [Paperback]

Mark Canepa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

This Second Edition of Modern High-Power Rocketry contains more than 800 photographs and illustrations specifically created to introduce the model rocket enthusiast to the exciting world of high power. Completely rewritten, photographed and designed, this book provides tips and simple advice on motor retention, ejection charges, the high-power launch and building your first Level One, Level Two and Level Three rockets.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Canepa is a member of the Central California and South Carolina chapters of the Tripoli Rocketry Association, an international organization devoted to the subject of high-power rocketry. He is also a member of the National Association of Rocketry. He is the former editor of The Central Valley Rocket News and he has authored numerous articles on high-power rocketry that have appeared in Extreme Rocketry and Sport Rocketry magazines. His coverage of rocketry events includes launches throughout the United States and in 2004 he covered LDRS23 for Extreme Rocketry.

Mark flew his first model rockets by Estes as a young boy and then as a teenager in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the mid-1990s he discovered high-power rocketry and has since flown rockets at local, regional and national events. Mark has successfully obtrained his Level One, Level Two, and Level Three certifications, and in 2000 he held Tripoli's national altitude record for clusters in the Open Class.

In his professional life, Mark is a trial attorney, who has practiced in California for sixteen years. his articles on the legal and medical profession have appeared in state and national periodicals including California Lawyer, California Physician, Kitplanes Magazine, Medical Economics, Los Angeles Lawyer, and Civil Litigation Reporter. Mark is also licensed to practice law in the states of New Mexico, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Mark received his undergraduate degrees in history (1985) and journalism (1986) from San Francisco State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hasting College of the Law, in 1988.

Mark and his wife, Valerie, currently reside in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412058104
• ISBN-13: 978-1412058100
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessity for the high-power rocket enthusiast August 1, 2005

By Terry McCreary

Format:Paperback

Modern High-Power Rocketry 2 is an ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL guide to the sport of flying and safely recovering large model rockets. This edition is thoroughly updated from the 2002 edition; it is much thicker (387 pages vs. 234) and discusses many of the changes and advances that have occurred in the last three years. The book is well-written and is jam-packed with very clear photographs and illustrations.

It covers the major areas of high-power rocketry, including: motors (several brands of solids as well as hybrids); motor assembly; igniters; basic construction features; electronics; altimeter bays; dual deployment; clustering; scratchbuilding, etc. It also covers many of the "little things" that are so very helpful in insuring a successful flight: BP calculations, shear pins, mach-breaking issues, static ports, eyebolts and U-bolts, switches, parachute packing technique; nose-weighting technique; cost-saving measures in construction; anti-zippering, etc. Safety codes, sample sets of Level 3 forms, a list of rocketry websites, and an extensive bibliography round out the book.

This book is a must-have for anyone who is (a) thinking about entering the sport of high-power rocketry or (b) already engaged in the sport. I wish it had been around way back, when I started...

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the beginner September 29, 2005

By J. Howard Smart

Format:Paperback

I am an experienced model rocketeer. This book was a terrific introduction to high power - all the way to Level 3. I might have given it 5 stars, but the two-column per page format made it difficult to read, and too often the photos were not on the page where the text referred to them (too much page-flipping). I would blame this on the publisher not the author. I especially enjoyed the individual stories of people making their certification attempts. In fact, I am going out this weekend to do my Level 1 certification. Thanks for the help, Mark.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Information is Great, but the Kindle Edition has some format issues November 19, 2010

By Martin C. Heermance

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

While my model rocketry ambitions are more scaled back than the author, I enjoyed reading about people who take it to the next level. Those big models take a great deal of effort, patience, and attention to detail. However, I'm sure they must be amazing to see fly. Some of the construction information was also applicable to the more mundane D and E powered kits I fly as well.

I purchased the Kindle edition and the price was right. But the Kindle edition has some odd formating problems in a few spots. In them a sentence will trail off and a new paragraph start. Later the rest of that sentence shows up out of context. I suspect this is a conversion artifact from the book where this text was boxed off and highlighted. I don't want to be harsh, and I think the Kindle edition is worth while, but this is to be up front about.