Dan Riehl points to an update on the Goose Creek story:
The men were pulled over Saturday night on Highway 176 in Goose Creek during a routine traffic stop for speeding. Police became suspicious when one of the men tried to hide a laptop computer. A search of the car turned up pieces of pvc piping, various model rocket motors and other items considered suspicious.
It sounds to me like they’re going to claim that these guys had HPR (High Power Rocketry) motors that were handled improperly. HPR is a hobby that I have some knowledge of. Almost anyone can participate and it’s relatively harmless. It’s basically model rocketry on steroids. However, the feds are worried that some of the tools and motors could be used by people with sinister motives. I haven’t been involved for many years but I know that there’s been increasing regulation of motor purchases and handling by the BATF. The video above will give you some idea why.
Wikipedia has a small entry on the hobby:
As with low power model rockets, high power rockets are also constructed from lightweight materials, but instead of paper, plastic, and wood, usually fiberglass, composites, and aluminum are needed to withstand the higher stresses during flight which often exceeds Mach 1 (~700 mph) and over 10,000 ft altitude.
High power model rockets are propelled by larger motors ranging from class H all the way to Class O and can be over 40 feet tall. Their motors are almost always reloadable rather than single-use in order to reduce cost. Recovery and/or multi-stage ignition may be initiated by small on-board computers, which use an altimeter or accelerometer for detecting when to ignite engines or deploy parachutes.
High powered model rockets can carry large payloads, including cameras and instrumentation such as GPS units, and are not much different from their military counterparts. However, unlike military rockets, high-powered hobby model rockets do not carry guidance systems.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, high powered model rocketry became a much more controlled activity. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) classified the propellants used as explosives (this continues to be contested in courts) and as such, access to any appreciable quantity (more than a few ounces) is now strictly regulated.
All engine manufacturers and rocket launch participants must be licensed, and all launches of high powered rockets require FAA notification and clearance. The high powered rocket activity is further regulated by National Fire Protection Association Regulation 1129. Due to these strict rules on propellant storage, the vast majority of rocket enthusiasts bring their rockets to launches unloaded, and obtain the propellant from licensed vendors on site.
Even with the strict rules on propellant access in place, many launches are held each year in wide open spaces throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. At each of these events one can see many adult rocketeers realizing their dream of building bigger, more powerful, and higher flying versions of the model rockets they enjoyed as kids.
The HPR angle is just speculation on my part. I’m not sure how possessing readily available low power model rocket motors could be a crime, unless they had a significant number of them, but the laws may have changed. We’ll know more in the morning.
Update:
More on the rocket connection in a new post.
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August 6th, 2007 at 5:25 am
Charleston.net is reporting that authorities will hold an 11:30am press conference on Monday.
August 6th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
2007.08.06 Long War // Dhimm Perfidy Roundup…
“One of the most important First Amendment cases in the past 25 years”Michelle Malkin Alyssa Lappen at Frontpage magazine spotlights intrepid Rachel Ehrenfeld’s battle against speech-squelching Saudi billionaire Khalid Bin Mahfouz. See also Mark …
August 6th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Thanks for that video…
You see something like that and realize that people have access to some powerful stuff. It makes me wonder about things like TWA 800 all over again.