UPDATE - LATE START for launch March 16th & 17th

OK, we've had some discussions with Kip and, because of the late Friday rain, we think it would be good to hold off on the start time for tomorrow, with setup not starting before NOON.

I'll set the NOTAM to run a bit late as well, so we'll still have a good day, but please hold off on starting to arrive until 12. Sunday looks perfect, so normal times will apply for that, 10 AM start and we'll finish up by 6. 

Doc R.

So I don't wanna' jinx it, but as of mid afternoon on Friday we're looking good for the weekend at last. As I look out of the building through our live Sky-Cam on the roof of the CMGC in downtown Charlotte it's looking awfully cloudy still, but the rain guage has received just a trace of rain in the last 4 days so we may be in luck for our first 2-day launch! Unless it lets loose later today we should be OK. 

I will not be available on Saturday (I have to work that day) but Roy and Doug have said they will be in attendence. Anyone else that knows the set-up routine and wants to report to the field to help set up that'd be great. I'm going to set the waiver to open at 10 AM and close it at 6 PM. Set-up I figure should be 9:30 or so, but you can check the FaceBook feed as well for any updates. 

Thanks all, remember to be kind to the runway and don't do anything to make the guys in the CLT tower call my cel phone!

See ya Sunday...  Doc R.

Rain and more rain...

We were trying to see if we could manage a Sunday make-up day on the 10th of March but it looks like it's not in the cards, what with the rain continuing through Friday night and on and off drizzle on Saturday. 

We're still planning on the 16th & 17th weather permitting, so keep your fingers crossed. If anyone feels like sacrificing a bucket of KFC to the rain gods be my guest!

dr

Weather Update for 2/17 as of 5PM Saturday

Looking at the forecasts, TAF's and METAR's for the area it's not looking good for Sunday. I was hoping for some sun and breeze for Saturday afternoon so the field could dry a bit. That didn't happen so it's still a soggy situation out there. 

The TAF for tomorrow has the day starting under a 1,200' ceiling with that dropping to 800' by early afternoon. Rain is prediocted to crank up by 1 PM. Just doesn't look like a rocket flyin' kind of a day. 

Looking ahead to next week it's kind of a rain fest all week, save maybe Monday. At least a 50% chance on each day and some significant accumulation by Thursday, so next weekend is probably not going to be possible either (but we can live in hope of the weather folks being wrong). 

Sorry folks but weather is the one thing we can't fight. 

dr

Launch report from February 3rd make-up launch day.

Sorry, this has been in my in basket for way too long, but here's Roy's detailed report on the goings-on during our 2/3/19 make-up launch. As always, Thanks Roy!! Just click on that old "read more" link... dr

Click to read more ...

Roy's launch report from Jan. 27, 2019

Here's Roy's report on the long-awaited first launch of our 2019 flying season at Kip's farm in Midland, NC on the 27th of Jan. As usual, click that "Read More" link to see the whole thing, and thanks for visiting! dr

Click to read more ...

Sunday Feb 3rd make-up day!

ROCC Make-up launch day! We've had a whip-round on the officer's email list and it looks like we will have a fine day for a make-up launch on this Sunday, the 3rd. The Patriots and the Rams don't start until 6:30 so you should be home in time.

Same as last Sunday, let's do set-up at 10 AM, I'll post the waiver to open at 11 and we'll fly till 5 PM. Ken will be available and on site with us again. Posting this on the ROCC site as well. The winds are low and out of the north east to north, so we shouldn't bother you-know-who. Temps are into the 60's!

See ya Sunday!

Saturday's off but Sunday we FLY!

Update for the weekend... I checked the rain gauge at Belk scout camp and got an update from John B. who lives not far from the farm. We got right about an inch or maybe a bit more overnight at the farm. That's a lot of water on top of the massive surplus we've been dealing with. I've also heard from a few other officers, and since since Ken can only be with us on Sunday we are going to err on the side of safety and nix Saturday's launch date (the 26th). This will give the field an extra day to shed the rain and dry up a bit more. Really hate to do it but the officers think it's for the best. See you on Sunday though! It looks like it's going to be a great day.

Because of the freezing temps on Sunday morning PLEASE don't plan on arriving before 10. We'll set the waiver open at 11 and fly till 5 PM. Remember when you're driving in and out go extra slow, try to keep the number of in's & out's to a minimum and tread lightly! Also, you might want to choose footwear that can handle the mud once you go out to retrieve rockets, it'll still be muddy out there off the runway.

dr

Spoke too soon!

Well, the weather forecast for this weekend has gone to he-double-toothpicks!! Rain is expected for most of tomorrow and overnight into Sunday. HOWEVER... the long range outlook for next weekend is a bit colder but MUCH drier, so we're going to push back a week to the 26th & 27th. Right now they both have less than 10% chance of rain and good prevailing winds forecast. Fingers Crossed, if any one wants to make a sacrifice during the blood moon on Sunday night be my guest! Oh, and as a bonus, Ken can make it next weekend as well.

(dr)

Saturday looking like a good possibility, Sunday not so much.

We're tracking the weather and it looks like we might actually be able to run a launch day on Saturday. Right now it's 40% chance of rain by 4 PM, but definately getting rain over Saturday night into Sunday. 

Stay tuned, we'll make a go/no-go decision by Friday morning once the weather outlook is more solid. 

Please remember, the field is still fragile, so please be gentle, keep the traffic to a minimum and drive slowly on the sides of the runway. 

Keep your fingers crossed!

Doc R.

Wondering why we're not flying? Here's why...

I went out to the farm on Saturday, 12/29, to put the repaired HP pads and cables back in the storage crib and got about 3 feet off the driveway, right near the house where you'd figure the drainage was pretty good. It seemd like it was anyway when I pulled in. When I went to leave, I realized quickly just how saturated the ground is out there when I rapidly got stuck...  

 

It's a squishy, muddy mess out there folks, and until we get some really nice dry weather for more than a few days at a time it's going to stay that way unfortunately. The weather folks say that this has been the 9th wettest year on record for the Charlotte region, and we've got a surplus of a foot and a half of rain right now. 

We'll keep you posted as this develops.

dr 

Update on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at 4:35PM by DOC R.

The weather forecasts for this next week look pretty good, with mostly dry weather for the whole week. I'm hopeful this gives the field the break it needs to shed the excess water and get back to being able to cope. Let's all keep our fingers crossed! Man has it been a wet winter so far. 

Update on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 9:39PM by DOC R.

UPDATE.... as of Thursday night, Kip got his 4x4 stuck today on the runway. No way the field is dry enough yet, sorry folks.