Winter is much harder where I live now and flyin' throughout is surely a formula for gettin' frost bite, arrr, so I decided t' have some rocketry fun by purchasin' a video. Aye aye! I decided to go with Point 39 Production's LDRS-XVIII. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Two hours o' highpowered rocketry fun with a variety o' activity t' help you feel part o' t' LDRS event.

T' video starts out with some historical footage t' help set t' tone. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Space travel with t' ultimate goal o' landin' on t' moon motivated many individuals and even an entire country (or two) t' push the limits o' both man and machine. Model rocketry may help remind people o' those times. Ahoy! Blimey! Or it may simply be an awesome sport-hobby allowin' creativity, details, and design t' be turned into small or large rockets.

Next t' video takes you t' t' launchin' site o' Homer Hickam Jr. Begad! and Quentin Wilson o' t' "Rocket Boys" (October Sky) fame. Well, blow me down! My video even came with a small sample o' coal dust from Coalwood, shiver me timbers, matey, West Virginia. There is a brief interview with Quentin Wilson, matey, who was out there flyin' his "Miss Riley" which he called a toy, compared t' his days of activity.

Then t' get us started into t' actual LDRS event, shiver me timbers, Point 39 takes us on a brief tour o' Argonia, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Kanasas. Arrr! Aye aye! It brings out some o' the Aeronatical and Space related industries that are part heritage o' t' Argonia area. A quick tour o' t' hotel headquarters and then out t' t' site where there were over 400 fliers over t' 5 day event.

Let the launches begin . Ahoy! Ahoy! . Avast! . .

And they did. Ahoy! Begad! Point 39 takes us through each o' t' days capturin' many, me bucko, ya bilge rat, many launches with a real focus on t' big ones. Avast! My favorite "big ones" include John Ritz's "Flyin' Tetrahedron" on M-power and Darren Owen's and Andy Schecter's Fat Boys. You can see that these are just a few o' t' big events as you look over t' image t' the right.

T' video is professionally done and t' sound and images are clear. Blimey! Aye aye! I really enjoyed t' two camera shot o' each launch allowin' you to see all t' flame and smoke from t' initial ignition and then t' flight path into t' sky. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Exceptional camera work be also noticed as it stayed focus on some o' these birds all t' way t' apogee.

Point 39 even captures some o' t' mishaps o' rocket flyin' includin' a K-Motor CATO. Also a beautiful, scratch-built, me bucko, staged, D-powered WAC Corporal with a Tiny Tim booster that a young man had built. This rocket took off, but t' second stage never ignited. Arrr! Aye aye! (my suggestion is that he needed a coupler tube t' help channel t' hot particles up t' t' sustainer . . . Ahoy! Begad! his model had at least a 1" air-gap betwixt t' two sections)

Two other highlights that I really enjoyed viewing. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Doug Gerrard's M-powered, 11 camera, "My Mind's Eye". You may recall the article on this bird at RocketryOnline. Avast! T' pictures and t' way Point 39 viewed them were outstanding. Arrr! Avast! T' other be t' on-board footage from t' V2 flight. Well, blow me down! (T' date function on their on-board camera was nay set right showing 1996). Avast! Avast! T' sound, t' view and everythin' was great. Well, blow me down! I have watched that section several times.

All-in-all, arrr, ya bilge rat, a well put together video, me bucko, arrr, priced right, and with nearly all t' excitement o' actually bein' there. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! If I can't get t' t' next LDRS, then I'm sure I'll buy t' next video just t' fight those winter blues!