Weather update for New Years Weekend as of Wednesday (12/29) evening:
ROCC 2023-2024 Launch Schedule:
All launches are at the Midland, NC site unless otherwise stated.*
Midland is Closed for the season
Here are some other launch opportunities in our area:
ICBM & ROSCO, better known as Rocketry South Carolina, flies near Dalzelle, SC., Just NE of Shaw AFB. More information can be gotten at their site HERE
The Saturn Rocketry Club in Hendersonville is currently switching their launch field. As soon as we know where they land we will post it. Their FB site is HERE
NC Rocketry flies at Bayboro, NC in the northeast part of the state, information is HERE
Set-up starts at about 9:30, launches commence about 10:30. Field closes about 60 min. before local dusk so we can clean up. Watch the site front page for specifics. Also visit us on FaceBook. You can also check for the FAA NOTAM at https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html#/ and using KCLT (Charlotte) as the location. This will give you the starting and ending times for HP flights.
* If field is available due to crops, etc.
Roy Potter's back with his eminently readable Launch Reports, this time from November 2021's launch weekend. Press the "Read More" button to read, well, more obviously! dr
November's launch went great thanks to the folks who came out and flew on one of the most beautiful November weekends I can remember. Winds were low, no one landed in Mr. Simpson's cow pasture (well, Paul put one farther down the road) and it was shirt-sleeve weather for most of the 2 days.
Our next launch will be December 18th & 19th weather permitting. Keep an eye to the website and our Facebook page for updates.
Just thopught I'd pass this along, Ralph went out to the farm a few days ago and sent me a few shots from the fields. I've got one word... CORN! Lots of it...
Hi everyone... the last few days have been challenging to say the least for all of us.
First, work from Kip is that the barley (?) in the north fields is budding out and is now very fragile. That means that the winds would have to be PERFECT for us to be able to fly.
Second, the Colonial Pipeline gas situation. We had a briefing earlier today (Wednesday) with the CMPD and they're saying, as is the state government, that all un-necessary travel should be avoided right now. I had a conversation with a buddy in Spartenburg that has a contact at the fuel terminal for the western side of NC and they're essentially dry. Not expecting to get re-fuled until early next week. Pumps in CLT are running dry quickly, Raleigh area is the same. Lines are around the few stations that still have gas and it's getting a bit crazy out there. Shades of 1975 all over again (yes, I was an even-day car driver) and from my observations we're generally not the most fuel-efficient folks, what with the cars I see at the field, me included.
All this is leading me to be the bad guy again.
It's not the weekend to fly in Midland this weekend and we're looking at the Midland field being closed down for some time unless we can get lucky and get in between the north crops getting harvested and the south crops not being up too far. That's life on the farm.
On the bright side, SC in looking at a new, larger field right now. Saturn up in Huntersville is flying probably all summer, and we could use help cranking up in Monroe to get a Mercury capsule up to showroom condition.
That's all for now... if the situation changes in the next few weekends maybe we'll try and get a launch in but it'll be a thin chance.
Thanks everyone for your understanding.
dr
According to the calendar we're supposed to fly at the Midland field on May 15th & 16th, but the crops are coming up FAST because of all that rain we got earlier in the season.
I've sent a note to Ralph to check in with Kip to see if it's a possibility but I'm thinking probably not. If you were out there in April the north fields were already at lease knee deep.
I'll post as soon as I hear anything.
dr