At 20,000 FPM, Just Get Out Of The Way

The FAA has given a group of high schoolers clearance to launch a home-built rocket up to 17,500 feet on May 13 … so if you’re flying in the area, watch out. The rocket can climb at 20,000 feet per minute while making a lot of noise, but somehow it’s “a hobby that doesn’t get a lot of recognition,” according to high school senior Joe Skitka, of Lower Dauphin, Pa. Skitka and his classmates have built a 20-foot-tall, 110-pound rocket, and plan to launch it to 10,000 feet sometime next month (hopefully, the 13th), The Patriot- News reported on Monday. Skitka and friends raised $4,000 for the project by washing cars and selling 600 T-shirts with slogans such as “Got rockets?” and “I’ve got a big rocket.” According to Skitka, “Absolutely no adults help us in building the rockets or the organization of the club.”