Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT LAUNCH - SATURDAY, 16 APRIL 2005, 8:00 AM to 12:00
Noon **LAUNCH PAD CHAT FROM THE EDITOR Thanks to those who volunteered for SARA activities over
the past month. We held a "field" maintenance day on Saturday, 9 April. You'll see the fruits of our labor on Saturday when you see the weed free launching areas and new clips on some of the launch pads. Many thanks to all who helped, including Eric Burch and family, Ken Weaver, Jerry King, Tony Gonzales, Dan Pape, John Grove, and others. Please, if I missed your name, let me know so you can be recognized for your efforts (or if other folks who were there can fill in the missing names it would be appreciated). The National Association of Rocketry (NAR) is hosting its
National Sport Launch 2005 (NSL2005) near El Centro, California from May 6
through May 8. Note that this is our first launch on the summer schedule launch. We will fly from 8:00 AM to Noon until the October launch. Steve Lubliner ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **JUST ROCKETS Las Vegas based rocket distributor "Just Rockets" periodically attends SARA's launches. Just Rockets carries a selection of mid and high power rocketry materials including reload kits, motor casings, building materials, and electronics. Check their website at www.justrockets.com to see what's available. Let's make it worthwhile for Just Rockets to make the trip and support us in Tucson. Their phone number is 702-655-3538 if you want to coordinate your order over the phone in advance of the launch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **WEB SITE The Southern Arizona Rocketry Association maintains a web site at "http://www.sararocketry.org" that details all of our club activities. It's always a good idea to check it to see if there is a last minute launch cancellation or other late breaking news. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **MARCH LAUNCH REPORT The Southern Arizona Rocketry Association (SARA) held its monthly sport launch at the TIMPA site on March 20, 2005 with a FAA waiver in place. The weather turned out to be very nice, although early on it was cool, cloudy and moderately windy. The clouds dissipated, the wind calmed and it became pleasantly warm, not hot. A total of 28 fliers made 91 flights of which 79 (87%)
were clean. There were many flights that weather-cocked into the briisk wind
early in the day, but this situation improved as the wind intensity dropped.
There were no separations recorded for the first time in my recollection, but
none-the-less recovery system failures were most common with: 4 tangled recovery
devices, 2 lawn darts, 1 kicked motor, 1 unstable flight and 4 miscellaneous
modes of failure. There were 2 fliers who each made 10 flights for a tie for
most active flier; other activity was (# flights-# There were several interesting flights. A rocket was retired after having made its 25th flight. There was a very nice unusual 20 year old rocket flown. Several flights were made by 3 person teams for the Team America Rocket Challenge competition. There were 5 clustered flights with only 1 having a motor failing to lite and 3 staged-flights were all successfully staged. Considerable effort was made cleaning weeds from the field. Many thanks are due to all who helped with the range. Jerry King ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **2005 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND APPOINTEES President . . . . . . . . . . . Jay Dickhous If you are new to SARA, please feel free to introduce yourself to any and all of the new and returning board officers or appointees at the launch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **SARA 2005 LAUNCH CALENDAR / TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE Below is the schedule for the TIMPA launches for the
calendar year 2005. SARA is able to accommodate high power rocket models at each
scheduled launch. Each launch is a Federal Aviation Administration We do several non-launching activities each year, such as building sessions and static displays, and we will add these to the calendar as planning begins to develop and exact dates are confirmed. Please check the SARA web site for last minute updates on all launches and events. We try to keep our calendar as up-to-date as possible but there are always new events being added and the occasional last minute substitution. We recommend confirming any last minute changes by visiting our web site before making the long drive. SATURDAY APRIL 16 8AM to 12 Noon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **DIRECTIONS TO TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE From I-10 and Speedway, Exit 257 . . . 1) Travel west on Speedway past all building developments and the Wildlife Museum. Proceed with caution as Speedway crests over Gates Pass and turns into Gates Pass Road. 2) Continue on Gates Pass Road until it ends at the "T" intersection, Kinney Road. Turn right here as if you were headed towards the Desert Museum. At about one mile past the museum entrance (about 10 miles past I-10 and Speedway), Kinney Road changes its name to Mile Wide Road. 3) The next intersection, about six miles past the Gates Pass/Kinney "T", is Sandario Road. Come to a complete stop as the north/south traffic does not. Proceed through, heading due west. You will eventually cross two bridges. After the second bridge, Mile Wide Road turns into a dirt road. 4) At about 3.5 miles past the Mile Wide/Sandario intersection, Mile Wide Road makes a forced turn to the right and changes its name to Reservation Road. You are now heading due north. 5) The main TIMPA Driveway (marked by a sign) is on the right at about one mile past the forced right turn. Continue north for approximately another 1/4 mile. 6) The launch site entrance (gate) is on the right side of the road and is usually marked with a sign. Proceed with caution and park to the west of the main launching activity. See the TIMPA web site at www.timpa.org for a map to the site. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **STANDARD LAUNCH PROCEDURES Anyone may launch sport rockets with NAR or Tripoli approved motors at a SARA launch. A SARA flight card must be completely filled out for each individual launch. All models require inspection by the Range Safety Officer (RSO). After a successful inspection the model and flight card are presented to the Launch Control Officer (LCO). The LCO will provide a launch pad assignment. Stay in the area of the LCO as you will be allowed to launch your rocket. A range fee of $5.00 ($3.00 for members) is to be paid at the beginning of the launch day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **TIMPA FIELD USAGE Use of the TIMPA site is only permitted at club events or
by prior arrangement. To access the TIMPA field outside of scheduled club
eventsyou must be either a current National Association of Rocketry Tony Gonzales is The Range Operations Director for SARA. He can be reached by phone at (520) 790-1006 Tony will need to know how many models you intend to launch as well as their respective launch weights and propellant loads. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **FIRE SAFETY 1) Please note that there is NO SMOKING permitted on the
range area. 2) Fire is something that needs to be taken seriously. If you see smoke or flames, yell it out loud and clear. If we have fire on the range, EVERYBODY needs to drop what they are doing and assist in containing the fire. There are water bottles, ABC rated fire extinguishers, and shovels on hand at every launch. 3) Only FLAMEPROOF, biodegradeable wadding (no fiberglass)
is allowed on the flying field. Toilet paper and paper towels are not
acceptable. If you need clarification on what to use, check with the Range
Safety Officer. |
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