HUGE ROCKET TO BE FIRED AT SCHOOL OPENING DAY

When: Thursday 21st October 2010 7:30pm

Where: Ormiston Victory Academy, Norwich

The Laffin-gas Rocket Car team will be firing the biggest rocket ever to fired at a School.

Last Tuesday, we conducted a site inspection at the Ormiston Victory Academy to make preparation for the first public static firing of one of our Hybrid Rockets.

The Ormiston Victory Academy is an amazing new institution rising from the ‘ashes’ of Costessey High School in Norwich. We were greeted at the door by the Deputy Head and Rod Stevenson (a teacher at the school who is also a well-known person in the world of Rocketry). We were then treated to a quick tour of their engineering and technology facilities. At last: A school with lathes, milling machines, band saws, two forges, CNC equipment, a laser-cutter and so on! These tools weren’t sitting idly as ‘not safe enough to use’ but actually working, teaching and producing product!!

We met a few staff members and caught the infectious ambition and enthusiasm they all project. Is English Technical Education finally turning the corner and starting to produce the ‘hands-on’ engineers we so badly need? If this school is anything to judge by, the answer has to be a definite ‘YES’.

In an example of a spirit of ‘Education-Over-Caution’, the school approached us and not only asked us to bring our ‘Laffin-Gas’ Xperimental Hybrid Rocket Car to their Grand Opening Day, they also asked if we could FIRE one of our rockets for them. After agreeing on safety arrangements, and conducting a site visit to test the ground and ensure this can be done with a reasonable degree of safety, we have decided to go ahead.

At over 1,000lbs Thrust, this Nitrous Oxide and Bio-Diesel rocket will be far-and-away the largest rocket ever fired at a school, probably anywhere on the planet.

We’ve long been advocates of this kind of approach to technical education and we are delighted to have the honour of being part of this celebration of a truly ground breaking new school.


Contact: carolynnecampbell@gmail.com 01933 313816 (Rocket)
G.Howe@ormistonvictoryacademy.co.uk 01603 742310 x3438 (School)