Great Launch, Thanks and Happy New Year!

Man, we had a GREAT turn out for our New Years launch. Lots of folks turned out and flew in the new year.

Remember, we have our regular January launch on the 21st & 22nd. Ken Allen of Performance Hobbies will be down on Sunday, the 22nd. You can order parts and motors from him and he'll bring them to the field for delivery.

If you have video or photos from today or from December's launch send them to me at:  rocketrycarolina at gmail dot com.

Also, remember that all memberships for 2012 are up for renewal in January. Please make sure to renew either by mail with Roy or at the regular January launch. I know that a few folks renewed on Sunday. Your membership helps the club maintain the launch equipment, keep the website running and provide the portasan on the field (no more running to the HESS station!).

Also at our January launch we'll have our elections for club officers. We haven't decided on which day but it probably should be Saturday judging but the usual attendance numbers.

A side note, I was talking about this NASA video earlier today while Bob's WAC Corporal was sitting on the pad, I thought I'd share it...

dr

Sunday, 1/1/2012 Launch WEATHER UPDATE #2

WEATHER UPDATE #2....   it's looking like it's going to be windier the later in the day you go, so plan on flying earlier rather than later.

We are going to start set-up at 9:30 to try and get ahead of the winds.

Ken is going to be with us as it turns out, so bring all that spare Christmas cash!

Happy Holidays to all

I was thinking about this photo the other day and remembering all that was going on in the world when it was taken. We hadn't steped on to the moon's surface yet, the internet wasn't around, and friends of older friends of mine were in far flung places that we couldn't pronounce. It was a christmas blessing in 1968,  and we all needed it.

LINK

Peace on Earth, good will to all... see you on the first at the farm....

dr

Santa’s December Pre-Launch announcement. UPDATE SAT

The farm got fairly significant rain on Friday night. Please, Drive down the sides of the runway SLOWLY and be aware we might have to have you park near the house and walk down... but hey, you're car will be near the porta-jon....

Be safe and have fun!

When : Sat and Sun, 17 – 18 December.

Where : The Williams Farm. See Web Site for directions if you are new.

Set Up : 0930.

Launch Start : As soon as set-up is complete.

Launch ends : 5:00 PM so we have some light to close up by.

Check the Web Site for any possible Weather changes.

If we get a lot of rain late Friday into Sat morning, it may cause a problem with the field.

(Note from Doc R.: Please remember that Brad will be attending a family funeral service, so keep your thoughts with him & his family. Also, I will be on a job so I won't be with you all either. Be Safe & have a great holiday... I hope to fly again on the first.)

Ken Allen, Performance Hobbies is expected to be there weather permitting.

Remember that this is a working farm and it is December, so dress accordingly, warm sturdy  shoes and suggest you dress in layers so you can take a layer off when its warm, and add a layer when it gets cool.

When the sun is shining it is like a solar collector out there in the open field so it can be 10 degrees warmer when the sun is clear than in the city.

I will have the ever popular fie pit out to keep your hands warm.

We always want to thank those who have provided us with photos of our launches in the past.

WE Still Want More.

Any pictures you have taken from this or from a recent launch that you would like to get posted on the web site for our embarrassment and your entertainment, just contact Doc Russell at rocketrycarolina at gmail dot com, or as some have done, pass it on a disk or flash drive. We can always get it back to you.

We are continuing with our Range Safety standards by making specific assignments of a :

 RSO=, Range Safety Officer to pre-inspect rockets before flights.

 LCO=, Launch Control Officer to check range conditions and control the launch’s in a timely and efficient manner.

So far this has worked fine with little to no effect on launch flow.

Check both the WEB site and at the launch’s for info on volunteering for RSO (Cert Lv-2 required) and LCO (Cert Lv-1 preferred, but any responsible and experienced adult can apply).

It’s great for anybody who isn’t flying that day but wants to take part anyway.

And it’s fun to push the little red button.

“KIDS” ROCKET RAFFLE.

We will continue our Rocket Raffle for the kids with a selection of about 17 Prebuilt, painted and ready to fly rockets to choose from.

The kid’s tickets are 50 cents each and we will keep it going over all the launches till they are all given away. Each rocket comes with a “A” or “B” engine with plug and wadding.

Yes, parents can buy tickets and select rockets for their kids.

Hope to see you on the pads and remember to keep those exhaust nozzles clear.

Roy, ROCC Sec.

Next Launch December 17th/18th

Our next launch is the weekend of December 17th & 18th so start planning.

Also, a reminder, we're planning a New Years Day launch on Sunday, 1/1/2012.

November Launch Recap

Roy Potter turned in his "Turkey Shoot" November launch report. It was a gorgeous weekend, with temps just about perfect for this time of year. We had lots of flyers and a scout troop as well. Thanks for all of you who came out and please, press the "read more" link to read the whole thing... Thanks Roy!

Click to read more ...

Proposed launch on 1/1/12, comments welcome

There was a suggestion that, since the 1st falls on a Sunday, we try a launch on New Years Day to ring in 2012 with some rocketry activity. Since this also means that the last day of 2011 falls on a Saturday we could do it then instead. 

Please, take a minute and post a comment so we can guage what the feeling is. Saturday or Sunday, general interest and likelyhood that you'd come, etc.

Thanks,

ROCC officers

DOT reverses, BP to remain a "Flamable Solid"

Check out the discussion section for more, but the DOT decided to keep BP motors a "Flamable Solid" rather than reclassifying them as "Explosives 1.4" which keeps them where they have been for the last 30+ years. This means they can be shipped without an additional HAZMAT fee.

Way to go with the letter writing campaign!

Thanks John for posting that up...

dr

11/19 - 11/20 Launch announcement... The Turkey Shoot

Attention all Rocket Nerds and Geeks. Missing the smell of Rocket exhaust?

Well your luck is about to change this coming weekend with the opening weekend of our

 “Back to the Farm” Rocket Launch season. Also known as “The Turkey Shoot”.

When : Sat and Sun, 19 – 20 November.

Where : The Williams Farm. See Web Site for directions if you are new.

Set Up : 0930.

Launch Start : As soon as set-up is complete.

Launch ends : 5:00 PM so we have some light to close up by.

Remember that this is a working farm and it is November, so dress accordingly, warm sturdy  shoes and suggest you dress in layers so you can take a layer off when its warm, and add a layer when it gets cool.

When the sun is shining it is like a solar collector out there in the open field so it can be 10 degrees warmer when the sun is clear than in the city. If it looks like it will be chilly for most of the day I will have the ever popular fie pit out to keep your hands warm.

Always check the Web Site for any possible changes due to weather or unknown circumstances.

“KIDS” ROCKET RAFFLE.

We will continue our Rocket Raffle for the kids with a selection of about 17 Prebuilt, painted and ready to fly rockets to choose from.The kid’s tickets are 50 cents each and we will keep it going over all the launches till they are all given away. Each rocket comes with a “A” or “B” engine with plug and wadding. Yes, parents can buy tickets and select rockets for their kids.

We are continuing with our Range Safety standards by making specific assignments of a :

 RSO=, Range Safety Officer to pre-inspect rockets before flights.

 LCO=, Launch Control Officer to check range conditions and control the launch’s in a timely and efficient manner.

So far this has worked fine with little to no effect on launch flow. Check both the WEB site and at the launch’s for info on volunteering for RSO (Cert Lv-2 required) and LCO (Cert Lv-1 preferred, but any responsible and experienced adult can apply). It’s great for anybody who isn’t flying that day but wants to take part anyway.

And it’s fun to push the little red button.

Hope to see you on the pads and remember to keep those exhaust nozzles clear.

Roy, ROCC Sec.

Update on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 7:18AM by DOC R.

Ken will not be with us, he is going to Red Glare in Maryland.

19th/20th launch is a GO

OK, so I didn't have a lot of time yesterday to get this up. Here's some follow-up...

Ralph got an email from Kip earlier in the week saying that the farm crops are in and we're good to go for the 19th/20th.

We spoke briefly yesterday at the scout launch (BTW, BIG Thanks to Ralph, Sandy, Adam & Brian for coming out to help, all were welcome and the kids, as well as some parents, had a great time) and here's what we worked out.

Set up as normal, 10 am, with launches to begin as soon as we're set up. The new launch system worked flawlessly yesterday so we should be good to go.

Che' Roberts is going to be open for business, doing the finest in tube steaks on his portable flame pit.

I'll bring some wood for the fire, if Roy might bring his little fire bowl. Weather looks good right now but chilly.

I'm going to write to Ken and see if he will be with us.

There is a scout troop coming one of the days and there may be a TRA L2 attempt. Brian Gossiax is going for his L1.

We can fly till about 5 but darkness decends early this time of year so come early, fly early and have a great time!

More details as they come...

dr