Make and Fly a Shingle Rocket
(Page 2 of 2)
Next, you'll need a
rocket launcher to blast your creation into the clouds. For this
task, I use a stick that's about two feet long and an inch thick.
(If the wood is green-say, a good springy branch of ash or
oak-it'll give the shingle more kick.) Then tie an 18" length of
strong cord (3/16" nylon clothesline works pretty well) near one
end of the wand, and loop a tight overhand knot into the free end
of the line.
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Before the corn gets knee-high here in Iowa, we have
plenty of wide open fields for firing ranges, though any pasture
or uncongested playground will do. But until you get the hang of
aiming your shots, it's wise to practice away from greenhouses,
beehives, and the patch with that prize melon you plan to take
(unperforated) to the county fair.
Make your final
preparations for blastoff by grasping the launcher in one hand as
if it were a fishing pole. Hold the rocket (with its point away
from you and the notch on top) in the other hand, and slide the
cord across the notch until the knot is snugged up tight against
the missile.
The launch itself involves a motion similar to that
of hurling a pailful of cool water over your own head on a hot
July day. With your arms straight out, swing the rocket and
launcher back like that water bucket, then whip them forward and
up in a smooth arc . . . letting go of the wooden arrow the
instant the launcher is directly over your head. A good throw
will sling a shingle missile two or three hundred feet straight
up, where it'll hang for a moment . . . and then come blasting
back to earth (ssswah-THUD!).
A LAST WORD OF
WARNING
You can, of course, modify your own missiles by
creating different shapes, sizes, and weights ... but whatever
the configuration, make sure you're quick on your feet! "If you
don't make the point of the rocket too sharp, there's no real
danger," my granddaddy assured me, "but once that thing's
airborne, run like an Iowa tornado's about to drop down on you!
'Course, that's the fun of the game . . . havin' a little
uncertainty hanging over your head. Gets the adrenalin pumpin'
and makes you live longer."
And—if anyone needs proof of
his claim—Granddaddy's been running loose under shingle
rockets for nigh onto 83 years!
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