Patent ID: 7934684

Claim:
A method for racing an actual rocket-powered vehicle having at least one rocket engine, the method comprising: providing race criteria to a group of racing participants; providing an aerial race course; horizontally launching from an air strip into a first aerial race course a first actual rocket-powered vehicle with at least one pilot or crew member in the first actual rocket-powered vehicle, the first aerial race course located near the air strip and visible to spectators viewing the race; horizontally launching from an air strip into a second aerial race course a second actual rocket-powered vehicle with at least one pilot or crew member in the second actual rocket-powered vehicle, the second aerial race course located near the air strip and visible to spectators viewing the race; igniting the at least one rocket engine of the first actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby boosting the first actual rocket-powered vehicle; shutting off the at least one rocket engine of the first actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby gliding the first actual rocket-powered vehicle; subsequently igniting the at least one rocket engine of the first actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby boosting the first actual rocket-powered vehicle; subsequently shutting off the at least one rocket engine of the first actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby gliding the first actual rocket-powered vehicle; igniting the at least one rocket engine of the second actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby boosting the second actual rocket-powered vehicle; shutting off the at least one rocket engine of the second actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby gliding the second actual rocket-powered vehicle; subsequently igniting the at least one rocket engine of the second actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby boosting the second actual rocket-powered vehicle; subsequently shutting off the at least one rocket engine of the second actual rocket-powered vehicle and thereby gliding the second actual rocket-powered vehicle; flying the actual rocket-powered vehicles within a proximity to the spectators so that the actual rocket-powered vehicles are visible to the spectators and the multiple ignitions of the rocket engines of the rocket-powered vehicles are audible to the spectators; horizontally landing onto an air strip the first actual rocket-powered vehicle; and horizontally landing onto an air strip the second actual rocket-powered vehicle.