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dconnor
Site Admin


Joined: Mar 05, 2003
Posts: 2264
Location: The Beach
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_________________ Have Questions? Need to speak to Vonage before signing up? Call: 1-888-692-8074 Both Business and Residential customers can call and speak to a Vonage Sales Rep 24 hours a day. |
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LuisPR
Vonage Forum Master


Joined: Oct 08, 2004
Posts: 292
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No way this is real. It is a total fake. I had dozens of these rockets when I was a kid. They are called Estes Rockets.
The engine ignites quick and disburses all of its energy within a fraction of a second.
I conclude that at least three rockets were used and a fourth engine was used to ignite the fire on the tailgate of the pickup in this video. |
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scerruti
Vonage Forum MVM


Joined: Feb 05, 2005
Posts: 1424
Location: Carlsbad, CA (finally)
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This has been repeatedly discussed in Internet forums. I don't think there is anyone who, having any exposure to model rocketry, thinks this is real.
The real question is;
(a) Did Vonage stage it? (b) Did Vonage acquire it without realizing it was fake? (c) Did Vonage acquire it and knowing it was a hoax decide to use it because of the humor factor?
I hope it was (b). |
_________________ Stephen P. Cerruti (ISP: TWC) |
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dconnor
Site Admin


Joined: Mar 05, 2003
Posts: 2264
Location: The Beach
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Oh, I am CERTAIN it is real.
That is just one crazy rocket!
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_________________ Have Questions? Need to speak to Vonage before signing up? Call: 1-888-692-8074 Both Business and Residential customers can call and speak to a Vonage Sales Rep 24 hours a day. |
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Brendan63
New Forum Member


Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 1
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It's an obvious fake. Not only does the acting not sound real, but model rocket engines just don't fire for that long. The one in the commercial is firing for more than 5 seconds which is impossible. I've seen rockets freak out when fins are placed wrong, but it's immediately after launch and not after it's gone straight up like in the commercial.
I wouldn't be surprised if the initial launch in the commercial is real, but the two horizontal rocket passes are CG.
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bjmiguel
Vonage Forum Senior


Joined: Jun 23, 2005
Posts: 93
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Fake or real, it's still cool!  |
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Frostbite
Vonage Forum Associate


Joined: Jul 05, 2005
Posts: 13
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Zach
Vonage Forum Associate


Joined: Jul 16, 2005
Posts: 17
Location: Arizona
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Thats cool... It reminds me of October Sky |
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JCam369
New Forum Member

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Joined: Jun 05, 2005
Posts: 5
Location: Rhode Island
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My dad knows rockets and there's no way a rocket could do that. |
_________________ U talking to me? |
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SkyGuy
New Forum Member


Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 1
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I am the cameraman on the video.
Really. I am. I can tell you all about it if you want, but that might take away some of the magic.
Here is the generic stuff that I can say without giving too much away.
This was filmed just a few hundred yards north of the Mexican Border in California east of San Diego. I filmed it. The star is my best friend, Ed, and that's his wife with the fire extinguisher.
This video origially aired on America's Funniest Home Videos in the spring of 1997, I do believe it was. It was the very last series with Bob Saget as host. Ed appeared on the show when the video first aired, and it won $10,000 as the top prize. When Bob Saget came over to talk to Ed, he asked what went wrong - if it was one of those "Estes rockets or something."
Ed explained, "No, it didn't come from a kit. It was kind of a home-built thing." Then Bob asked, "So what made it go crazy like that?"
Ed's response was, "That's what happens when you violate every rule of the Model Rocketry Safety Code."
If you want to know who I am, I appeared on the $100,000 show, seated next to Ed. We did not win; we lost to a couple of whiny kids.
Such is life, I guess.
Vonage acquired the video from AFHV. They paid us a very small royalty to gain all rights to the footage when AFHV sold it to them. A very small royalty. Just a token, really. We didn't want to force the price up or otherwise Vonage probably would have just chosen some other video. Oh, and when we agreed on a price, we did not know that it was Vonage that wanted the rights. We suspected it, but did not know they were the buyer.
Anyway, that's about all I can say without giving too much away. If you want me to lay out all the details I can certainly do so, and prove beyond any doubt that I know what I am talking about.
But I don't want to spoil it unless you want me to.
Oh, and I can add this:
That was the second take.
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