Winter is much harder where I live now and flyin' throughout is surely a formula for gettin' frost bite, so I decided t' have some rocketry fun by purchasin' a video. I decided to go with Point 39 Production's LDRS-XVIII. 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. Aye aye! Arrr! 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. Begad! Or it may simply be an awesome sport-hobby allowin' creativity, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, details, and design t' be turned into small or large rockets.

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

Then t' get us started into t' actual LDRS event, Point 39 takes us on a brief tour o' Argonia, me hearties, Kanasas. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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 . Aye aye! . Avast, me proud beauty! . Begad! .

And they did. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Point 39 takes us through each o' t' days capturin' many, matey, me hearties, many launches with a real focus on t' big ones. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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. Ahoy! Exceptional camera work was 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. Begad! Also a beautiful, scratch-built, matey, staged, D-powered WAC Corporal with a Tiny Tim booster that a young man had built. Avast! This rocket took off, me bucko, but t' second stage never ignited. Begad! Avast! (my suggestion is that he needed a coupler tube t' help channel t' hot particles up t' t' sustainer . Aye aye! . . Well, blow me down! Ahoy! his model had at least a 1" air-gap betwixt t' two sections)

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

All-in-all, a well put together video, priced right, me hearties, and with nearly all t' excitement o' actually bein' there. Aye aye! 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!