Nowaczyk

Unflustered, Nowaczyk methodically prods the computer.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Nowaczyk turns his attention to the flight computer.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Nowaczyk, his partner, Tim Covey, and their friend Gary Stroick arrived last night after towing their trailer 30 hours from Missouri.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Nowaczyk, 40, is a mechanical engineer who came to rocketry by chance.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Photograph: J. Bennett Fitts The rocket is so big that Nowaczyk transported it to Black Rock in dozens of pieces, planning to assemble it on the launchpad.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Nowaczyk has sunk too much sweat equity and too many dreams into this project.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Gene Nowaczyk (left) and Gary Stroick assemble the 17-foot, 375-pound Piperr-8.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Wedge Oldham counts it down: 10, 9, 8, 7 ... Nowaczyk punches the launch button and the rocket streaks skyward on a white plume that sends dust clouds roiling away from the pad.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

Nowaczyk has made room for a payload compartment to hold various pieces of memorabilia, including a baseball signed by members of the Chicago Cubs, and an experiment he's ferrying on behalf of a Missouri high school that will correlate altitude with temperature.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008

After consulting the computer manual, Nowaczyk is finally able to boot the machine, and he calmly buttons up the rocket with four minutes left on the clock.

Pyro Geek Hobbyists Experiment With Homebrew Rockets By Preston Lerner 2008