Okay, here’s the bad (badd?) news:
- Badd Azz Rocketry will be shutting down soon. Owner Eric Foster needs more family time, and has health issues.
And here’s the good news:
- Flight Systems Inc. will be coming back soon. There’s not much at the web site but they say they’ll launch their product page on 1 Sep 2014.
I’ve never flown a Badd Azz rocket though I’ve seen a few. Definitely interesting: PVC airframes and nose cones, aluminum centering rings and bulkheads, fiberglass fins, ripstop laundry, stainless steel screws — rockets that are built to withstand a lot. And there have been heated discussions as to whether model rockets should be built that way, and indeed whether or not such rockets violate the letter and/or spirit of the NAR Safety Code. I’m not going to weigh in on that. Regardless, these things were beautifully designed and engineered.
FSI was started up in 1966 by George Roose. They made both black powder and composite motors as well as rocket kits. The original company closed in 1994 — long before my rocketry time. Dave Lucas and Dave Bucher bought the company’s assets in 2012 and are behind this new incarnation.
Rich's Rockets 