Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT LAUNCH - SATURDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2005, 9:00 AM to 1:00
PM **A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT (JAY, NOT GEORGE) Let me start by saying thank you to everyone for making
the 10th Anniversary launch a big success. There was a lot of skepticism as the
big day grew closer, but everything worked out better than anyone had dreamed. I want to also make sure I thank all the flyers, that's what this whole day was about! We had many spectators who just came to watch, and I believe the got quite a show! They got to see a large variety of rockets and motors, most were successful and they got to see a few that weren't quite successful too. I don't think I have never had so much fun at a rocket launch and I never flew a rocket, I did take time to talk to lot of people and you what? Everyone else was having a great time too!!! People were already asking to do it again next year or even this spring. I figure by this next launch we will have had time to relax and talk about it after recovering, but it's your club as well as mine, so be sure to let me know your thoughts and wishes, and remember it's enrollment time so become a member. Thanks again, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **LAUNCH PAD CHAT FROM THE EDITOR I'd like to echo Jay's thank you's from his note above. It
took a lot of work to accommodate the visitors and flyers (almost 400 flights by
131 Many thanks to: Tony Gonzales, Jay Dickhous, Jerry King, David Hirashima, Jay Dennis, Ken Weaver, Bob Z., Doug Forester, Ellie Warder, James Warder, Brandon Bates, Joe Reynold, Will Taylor, Alex Zhang, Sandy Bates, Mike Bates, Margaret Reynold, and Yuting Zhang Also, many thanks to the school group that provided drinks and food, Just Rockets from Las Vegas and Recovery Technologies from Phoenix for their vendor support, and all those folks who donated door prizes (I did not get a name list of people who donated prizes so please accept SARA's thanks as a group). As a thank you to those who helped, SARA is considering a
"worker's day" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **TENTH ANNIVERSERY LAUNCH REPORT The Southern Arizona Rocketry Association, SARA, held a
very successful and active 10th Anniversary launch on January 15, 2005 at the
TIMPA site with a FAA waiver in effect to 4500 feet AGL. The weather was
wonderful with sun, warm temperatures and only low winds. There were a few
delays for aircraft The 10th Anniversary launch consisted of 396 flights made
by 131 fliers over an 8 hour time span. As best I can tell, the success rate was
very high (about 90%) with documented problems of: 9 separations, 9 lawn darts, There were many interesting and beautiful flights. Four 2-stage rockets were flown (3 successfully), one very impressive flight air-starting motors, and 1 successful flight using a cluster of 3 motors. Many very nice rockets were seen and flown, one of the most remarkable was a very old classic Estes space shuttle full stack, and a classic Estes Alpha 3 (as opposed to the modern Alpha with plastic fins) was flown many times. A Estes Fat Boy flight duration competition was held with
9 fliers making A 'Rent-a Roc' program was wildly successful with 89 flights made, 52 with A and 37 with B motors. I believe that all the 58 fliers were youngsters, but there were many very excited accompanying adults. A great deal of effort was put forth by many people to make this launch a success and they deserve our thanks. Special thanks are due to the vendors who came to support the launch: food by the CDO rocket club, Just Rockets from Las Vegas and Recovery Technologies from Phoenix. Jerry King ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **2004 YEAR END LAUNCH REPORT Last year SARA held 10 launches (2 were cancelled
completely because of Jerry King ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **2005 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND APPOINTEES President . . . . . . . . . . . Jay Dickhous Vice President . . . . . . . . Larry Foster Secretary/Treasurer . . . . . . Doug Forester Member at Large . . . . . . . . Ken Weaver 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 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 FEBRUARY 19 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 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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