March Madness

Our next launch will be the regular 3rd weekend, March 20th & 21st., weather permitting. Brad will not be able to attend due to proir travel plans so it'll be myself (Doc) there for set-up and I could use some hands. I still have a weight limit of about 20 lbs. so I could use some "muscle" to get the set-up done.

Set-up time will be 10:00, as usual, with launch activities to commence right after set-up, about 11:00. We can probably fly till about 6:00 because of daylight saving time.

WEATHER UPDATE:
Wind forecasts: currently Wunderground is predicting 4-6 MPH winds from 200 to 180 degrees, so recovery should be straight across the runway to the right hand fields.

Percip & temps look to be beautiful for Saturday, in the low 70's with hardly a chance of rain. Sunday however is looking dicey, with a 60% chance of thunderstorms. We can make the call about Sunday when it gets a bit closer, maybe even on Saturday. I know there is a scout troop wanting to come out on Sunday but if there is any way we could accommodate them on Sat. it might be the better bet.

RSO
The new process worked well but we didn't have high volume. We plan to stick to the RSO all rockets model for the next launch. Please be aware that any rocket without RSO initials on it will not be launched until this is addressed.

Volunteer Please
We will need volunteers at the next club launch. Multiple jobs are available and I will send my sign up sheet template to the others for them to use. Please chime in online if you know ahead of time that you can be available to assist. Jobs are listed below:

Setup - 2-3 people to help carry gear and setup pads. May need someone with a truck to help haul equipment back and forth.

Tear Down - 4+ people to help tear down the gear, move it and stow it. May need someone with a truck again.

RSO/LCO - We need people 3+ people each day to sign up for 2 hour shifts at LCO & RSO (6 people total at a minimum). LCO's can be any adult member of NAR or Tripoli (L1 preferred). RSO requires L2 or higher certification. LCO's need to be aware of the rules including verifying the skies are clear and avoiding launching at an angle that brings rockets back over the crowd during recovery.

March 2010 continuing - Golf Ball Loft - LPR Competition
The complete discussion is located on the ROCC Rocketry Planet blog. The basic idea is a fun reinvention of bowling ball lofting with LPR rockets and golf balls. Key aspects: B motor, Must keep the ball on the field - no off field recovery, ball can recover by itself - only the ball is timed, "booster" must recover safely but need not be on field or returned, ball must stay with the booster even if turned upside down until the rocket is launched.

Doc set the bar by flying his with > 1 min duration! Roy Potter flew for a :58-second duration and is right in the #2 slot right now. Way to go Doc. Doc & Roy are the only flyers with qualified flights so far.

Certify and FLY
Remember that APCP is no longer regulated as an explosive so you are free to certify and fly up to your certification level with only minimal regulations (FAA, DOT, etc.). Remember that our field does not support motors over K.

Performance Hobbies ?
I have not yet checked with Ken Allen. You can contact Ken if you want to confirm this or order from him. (DR note, from his website calendar it looks like he will be with us, but in April it looks like he'll be at Red Glare in MD.)

NAR HPR H Eggloft - April 2010/b>
Doc has agreed to step up and be our Contest Director for the NAR HPR Provisional contest. We plan to fly this one in April 2010. See discussion on Rocketry Planet. The official (provisional) rules are located here.

(From DR), Please read the "read More" link for some info I'd like to propose for the H-Eggloft in April.

Last thing... (from Doc) The Mitchel Community College USLI (University Student Launch Initiative) team coordinated by our own Dr. Doug Knight & Rocket Clan Ogino (motto: we likey big motors) is working on getting their cash together before they must travel to the Huntsville, AL launch at NASA on April 17th. They are competing against some pretty heavy hitters, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Iowa State, University of Alabama, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, just to name a few. They have a great deal of information available here. They are looking for tax-deductible donations, with some "perks" available (think PBS fundraiser) as incentives. These young folks are doing some real rocket science folks. The site is well worth a visit even if you don't donate. Some of you may recall a very strange looking nozzle on top of a white 4" airframe going off at the last few launches. That's what this is all about.

Thanks
Thanks to all who help make this a great club. We have had good participation with setup and tear down and plenty of additional help in other areas. Pat yourselves on the back - you make this club a great place to have fun.

Sincerely,
Brad Shea
ROCC President
roccprez@rocketrycarolina.org

Thanks for reading this far!
Here's what I'd like to propose:

1) I'd like to run the contest from 1:00 till 4:00 both days, weather permitting. (I'm still getting my stamina back, and I can handle being there for at least this amount of time. If someone else wants to step up and guarantee that they'll be there when I might not be, then I'd love to open the hours up but I know I can be there for at least 4 hours both days come April.)

2. I need to get a handle on how many folks are going to participate in the contest, and how many eggs you'll need. I will need to purchase and weigh the eggs before hand and I don't want to buy a lot more than we need, but don't want to run out either. Feel free to drop we an email at rocketrycarolina@gmail.com and let me know.

3. I don't think I am going to build a rocket just to run this contest. I spoke to Sandy at the Y-Guides launch and I don't think he is either. It's open to anything you can fly an H-motor in and think you can be competitive. So don't think that you have to make a special rocket unless you want to.

4. By the rules, this one is open only to NAR members. It is not, however, an official point-generating contest. Since all of the high power contest rules are provisional right now, they haven't gotten the points thing in place yet. The unofficial point weighting factors are on the NAR website, (link is above) but the more eggs you fly, up to 6, the more points you're awarded. It tops out at 6 though, so you may want to forgo a dual deploy and fly more weight figuring that you can get a better time. Just a thought.

That's about it. Drop me a note if you have questions or if you want to participate and let me know how many eggs you'll want to fly. Too bad this isn't a camp out launch, we could take all the unbroken eggs and have breakfast!

Thanks,
Doc R.