Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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SOUTHERN ARIZONA ROCKETRY ASSOCIATION NEWS **HELLO AND WELCOME OK . . . you absolutely HAVE to drive out of the city this weekend and attend tomorrow's SARA launch (Saturday, December 20, 9:00AM to 1:00PM). Here's why . . . . **TWO VENDORS ON SITE What, you say? . . . You haven't completed your Christmas shopping yet? Well, I have great news for you! We will have TWO new vendors on site selling rocketry related item. If you have visited our web site lately, you might already know that Just Rockets . . . http://www.justrockets.com/ . . . and What's Up Hobbies . . . http://www.whatsuphobbies.com/ have BOTH planned to be in attendance selling merchandise! Please make it a point to welcome their presence with the hope that they will return to our subsequent launches. Rumor has it that there will also be some hybrid high power models and hardware (like we have been talking about here these last couple of months) on hand. This is a priceless opportunity to see what this sort of technology looks like. **HOLIDAY PRIZES We are also happy to announce that long time SARA member Dave Williams plans on decorating his I-ROC as a Christmas package and launching it filled with bundles of Christmas candy. This will be a candy bomber which will eject 35-50 candy bundles on mylar streamers at apogee for the kids who attend the launch to collect. Some of the streamers will also be marked as a prize streamer and will entitle the finder to one of several rocket kits I will be giving away. The plan is to launch this rocket around noon. **BOARD ELECTIONS December is also the month that we hold our annual SARA board of directors election. We will take a very short break from launching (around 10 minutes at around 11:00AM) to take care of final nominations and voting. Last month, we accepted a slate of nominees which is listed below. Please involve yourself in the future of our club's affairs by voting. Nominations are still open right up until election time for those that would like to serve on our board. **ROCKETS! The weather should be FABULOUS tomorrow with temperatures in the 70's by late morning and almost no cloud cover which should set the stage for some spectacular flying. Most of the kids are out of school and some you have family members visiting for the holidays. Why not break away from the typical hustle and bustle of the shopping malls (you'll still have four in-town Christmas shopping days left after Saturday) and pass on the cineplexes this weekend? (hey . . . no cool rocketry movies this season) Load the gang into the car and make that beautiful drive through the west desert and make our launch part of your early holiday outdoors itinerary. So, even if you only want to come out and watch, this will be THE launch to attend! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **MEMBERSHIP IN SARA It's about the time of year that we start thinking about collecting our annual membership dues. These are, technically, due in January but you are welcome to pay for calendar year 2004 during tomorrow's upcoming launch too. SARA welcomes your financial support and there are benefits for those that join Anyone can participate in a SARA launch by paying the $5.00 daily TIMPA range fee but you can save money each month by joining as a member. We encourage you to consider joining SARA at any of the following annual levels . . . Junior (18 years or younger) . . . $10.00 Members pay only $3.00 for the daily TIMPA range fee so annual SARA membership basically pays for itself if you join and attend our monthly launches on a fairly regular basis. It should be noted that the range fee money that we collect DOES NOT get deposited in the SARA bank account but is handed directly over to TIMPA as payment for our use of the launch facility. The membership fees, on the other hand, are what pays for SARA's anticipated annual operating expenses (NAR chapter membership, etc.) as well as any unexpected ones. SARA also reaches out to the public several times a year with youth oriented building sessions and static rocket displays at special events. There is also the ongoing expense of maintaining and/or improving our launch equipment. Now that may begin to make choices about purchasing a hybrid motor ground support system, those dollars from membership fees are now more critical than ever before. SARA also makes public appearances at various social functions throughout the year and organizes youth oriented model rocket building sessions. We think that these activities and endeavors are important enough to ask for your annual financial support. Please consider renewing you existing SARA memberships or by joining up for the first time if you haven't already done so. Application forms are on hand at each monthly launch. **MY FINAL NEWSLETTER For the past three years I have been the author of this monthly newsletter and this will be the final one (for now) that originates from my computer. One of the newly elected board officers will be taking over in the capacity of newsletter editor beginning next month. My plan is to keep my fingers slightly less busier as far as typing on the computer and slightly busier in regards to building some new models and to get some more flying time logged. Needless to say, I will continue to attend as many future SARA launches and special events as possible as a "civilian". My thanks goes out to the support that I have received from my fellow board officers and other SARA members over these past few years. Benjamin Nead, SARA Membership Director/ Vice President ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **WEB SITE The Southern Arizona Rocketry Association maintains a web site 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 . . . http://www.sararocketry.org Even if you don't own a computer, you can check our web site for free by visiting your local public library. Library staff can also provide assistance if you are unsure exactly how to dial up our web site from one of their computer terminals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **NOVEMBER 2003 LAUNCH REPORT SARA held its monthly sport launch at the TIMPA site on November 16, 2003. An FAA waiver to 4500 feet was in effect. The author was unable to attend the launch and this report is prepared from only the flight cards. The launch was moderately busy with 25 fliers making 75 flights of which only 58 (77%) were clean or nominal. There were 5 separations, 3 shreds, 2 lawn darts, 2 no deployment of a planned recovery device, and 1 each: CATO, 'motor failure', tangle, unstable flight and a glider which did not fly with its booster. The most frequent flier made 8 flight a and other activity was (#flights each-# of fliers): 7-1, 5-3, 4-3, 3-4, 2-8, and 1-5. Motor use was: 1/4A-1, 1/2A-1, A-10, B-18, C-26, D-9, E-11, and 4 others. There were 4 staged-flight attempts with 2 two-stagers being successful and 1 each 2- and 3- stage not so. A Thanksgiving Day theme flight was made 'giblets of the wonderbird'. Thanks are given to all who helped with the range. Jerry King, NAR Senior Section Advisor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **2003 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND APPOINTEES This is the group of people that were elected or appointed one year ago (December 2002) that have kept things running smoothly. President . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Lubliner Vice President . . . . . . . . Benjamin Nead Secretary/Treasurer . . . . . . Doug Forester Member at Large . . . . . . . . Jay Dickhous NAR Senior Section Advisor . . Jerry King Range Operations . . . . . . . . Tony Gonzales Webmaster . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Koenig 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 (as well as the new nominees, listed below) at the launch. **2004 BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINEES, ELECTIONS THIS MONTH The following is the current nominating slate that was compiled at the November 2003 launch. Nominations are still open up until right before the actual election. President . . . . . . . . . . . Jay Dickhous We are pleased to announce that the following SARA appointees will be returning this year . . . NAR Senior Section Advisor . . Jerry King ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **SARA 2003/4 LAUNCH CALENDAR / TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE Below is the schedule for the TIMPA launches for the calendar year 2003/4. SARA is able to accommodate high power rocket models at each scheduled launch. Each launch is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waivered event. Waivered launches are where The FAA grants approval to SARA to launch models that are limited to a maximum altitude of 4500 feet above ground level (AGL) and use a K impulse motor or less . . . . restrictions imposed by our launch site dimensions. 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. We are now in our Fall / Winter 9:00AM to 1:00PM launch window and this will continue until Spring of 2004 **TENTATIVE 2004 LAUNCH CALENDAR / TIMPA FIELD While we can not be 100% sure that this will comprise the correct launch calendar for next year just yet, these are the dates that we have submitted to TIMPA. It is possible that other event that are held at TIMPA which enjoy a national reach, such as the annual R/C jet rally, may take precedence and it is possible that we will have to reschedule one or two of these dates. Please refer to future editions of SARANews or the SARA web site for date changes and other updates. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2003 9AM to 1PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 9AM to 1PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 9AM to 1PM SUNDAY, MARCH 21 9AM to 1PM SATURDAY, APRIL 17 8AM to 12 Noon SUNDAY, MAY 16 8AM to 12 Noon SATURDAY, JUNE 19 8AM to 12 Noon SUNDAY, JULY 18 8AM to 12 Noon SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 8AM to 12 Noon SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 8AM to 12 Noon SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 9AM to 1PM SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 9AM to 1PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18 9AM to 1PM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **DIRECTIONS TO TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE From I-10 and Speedway, Exit 257 . . . 1) Travel west on Speedway past all building developments. Proceed with caution as Speedway crests over Gates Pass and turns into Gates Pass Road. The road is very narrow, winding, and often used by bicyclists. Enjoy the view. 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 1 mile past the museum entrance (about 10 miles past I-10 and Speedway), Kinney Road changes it's name to Mile Wide Road. 3) The next intersection, about 6 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 2 bridges. After the 2nd 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 it's 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 1mile past the forced right turn. Continue north for approximately another 1/4 mile. 6) The launch site entrance is on the right side of the road and marked with a sign. Proceed with caution and park to the west of the main launching activity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **STANDARD LAUNCH PROCEDURES Anyone may launch model rockets with NAR or Tripoli approved motor at a SARA launch. All models first require inspection by The Range Safety Officer (RSO) and a SARA flight card must be completely filled out for each individual launch. After this is done, the model and flight card can be taken to The Launch Control Officer (LCO). It is here that a launch pad will be assigned to you. A range fee of $5.00 is to be paid at the beginning of the launch day. This fee for SARA members is $3.00 for the 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 events you must be either a current National Association of Rocketry (NAR) or Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) member. The TIMPA caretakers have been instructed to call The PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF and to pursue trespassing charges if no previous arrangements exist. Tony Gonzales is The Range Operations Director for SARA. He can be reached at . . . rangeops@mail.sararocketry.org or 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. Smoking is only permitted on the dirt road adjacent to the launch site. Cigarette butts and ashes are to be placed in a metal container or ash tray. 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. The 55 gallon drum near the launch control area is also filled with water. 3) Unless you are using a Nomex parachute heat protection cloth in your rocket, you will need to use a FLAMEPROOF wadding of some sort. Toilet paper and paper towels are not acceptable. If you need clarification on what to use, check with the Range Safety Officer. Many flyers will have extra wadding on hand and they will be happy to lend you some. -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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