Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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Jan. 2001 SOUTHERN ARIZONA ROCKETRY ASSOCIATION (SARA) 2001 CALENDAR YEAR LAUNCH SCHEDULE NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SUNDAY JANUARY 28, 2001 WAIVERED LAUNCH SATURDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SUNDAY MARCH 25, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2001 WAIVERED LAUNCH SUNDAY MAY 20, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SATURDAY JUNE 30, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SUNDAY JULY 29, 2001 WAIVERED LAUNCH SATURDAY AUGUST 25, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SATURDAY OCTOBER 27, 2001 WAIVERED LAUNCH SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2001 NOTIFICATION LAUNCH SATURDAY DECEMBER 15, 2001 Until further notice, all launches will start at 9:00AM and end at 1:00PM. During the Summer months we typically start and end earlier to avoid the heat. Notification launches are where SARA notifies the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that we will be flying models up to 3.3 pounds of launch weight or containing up to 4.4 ounces of propellant. Waivered launches are where the FAA grants approval to SARA to launch rockets that exceed the launch weight and a propellant load imposed by a standard notification launch. Our launch site dimensions support models that are limited to a maximum altitude of 4500 feet above ground level (AGL) and use a motor of K impulse or less. All Launches are conducted at The Tucson International Modelplex (TIMPA). Direction to TIMPA and other launch information is listed below. **HELLO AND WELCOME My name is Ben Nead. I have already met many of you at the launches and, hopefully , I'll get to know all of you on a first name basis. I will now be compiling the monthly SARA News. There is quite a bit of new information to share with all of you. First off . . . Steve Lubliner, who has run SARA almost single-handedly since the beginning, is stepping back and turning over operations to a newly elected Board of Directors. This will allow Steve to concentrate on specific model rocketry activities that he has wanted to pursue more in-depth and to launch more of his own models at our monthly launches. I'm sure I speak for all of us in giving a profound thank you to Steve for all his hard work and positive energy in keeping SARA operating all these years. ** NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS The new Board was elected at the meeting following the December 16, 2000 launch. We began to discuss SARA related issues via email over the Christmas/New Years holiday and then met again in person on January 10, 2001. Here is a breakdown of the officers and their duties: President Doug Forester Vice President/ Outreach Dave Williams Secretary/Treasurer/Webmaster Mark Koenig Member-At-Large/Membership Ben Nead NAR Senior Advisor/Statistician Jerry King Communications Paul Trittenbach Range Operations Tony Gonzales Training/Safety/Outreach Steve Lubliner Equipment acquisition (trailer) John Hunnicutt All of us consider this to be a fresh start for SARA. We would like to encourage all who are reading this to share your thoughts and ideas with us and help to make our club grow and prosper. New projects are already underway and we welcome help and input from our membership base. Later this Spring (exact time yet to be determined), we will conduct a Board meeting where the general membership can be accommodated. **NEW MEMBERSHIP POLICY Since it's inception, SARA has never really defined any sort of standardized membership policy. All who wanted to fly simply paid a $3.00 range fee for each launch day to help cover SARA's annual fees to TIMPA. A "member" was one who showed up often enough to get to know Steve and supplied him with an email or ground mail address. Certainly the most far reaching policy agreed upon by the Board is the initiation of an annual SARA membership fee in addition to the standard range fee. This new policy will be in effect beginning with the January 28, 2001 launch. Here is a breakdown of the new annual membership fee and range fee structure: ANNUAL SARA MEMBERSHIP JUNIOR MEMBER (17 years of age or younger) . . . $10.00 SENIOR MEMBER (18 years of age or older) . . . $20.00 FAMILY MEMBER (Adults and children together) . . $25.00 DAILY RANGE FEE ALL CLUB MEMBERS (Unlimited # of launches) . . . $3.00 ALL NON-MEMBERS (Unlimited # of launches) . . . $5.00 **WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING . . . WHAT IS BEING DONE The Board decided to initiate this new fee structure to generate the funds needed to allow SARA to grow. We would like to make significant upgrades in our launch site and range equipment. Tony Gonzales is heading this up. To this end, SARA already now owns a new trailer for transporting the launch equipment. The new trailer, more compact than the large one we were borrowing, is easier to interface with a wider variety of vehicles. It is in the process of being registered with The Arizona Department of Transportation in the club's name. John Hunnicutt has made this possible. We also want to start a regularly distributed printed newsletter. Paul Trittenbach is beginning to assemble an impressive collection of printed material to get this underway. Expanding our educational and community outreach has been a long term goal of Steve Lubliner. Now that he doesn't have oversee every last detail of SARA operations, he and Dave Williams will be working on these projects. Expanding our options to fly more often and at other various locations is another goal of ours for the near future. There are current and ongoing expenses that have never been properly addressed in the past. SARA has to incur an annual fee for it's National Association of Rocketry (NAR) charter membership. We also have to pay a monthly fee to establish a business bank account. Additionally, there is the expense of establishing a registered website domain good for the next 2 years. Speaking of the website . . . it is already being updated and will continue to be updated and expanded in the near future. If it's been a while since you visited, please take a look . . . www.sararocketry.org While you are there, bookmark it on your web browser and stop back soon for additional features. Older out-of-date SARA websites that a computer search engine would bring up are now in the process of being disabled. All search inquires will soon be routed directly to our regularly updated official website. Past webmasters have included Scott Caldwell, Ed Bertschy, and Tadd Morgan. Mark Koenig will now be assuming this position. Thanks, gentlemen. **DECEMBER 2000 LAUNCH REPORT SARA held an FAA notification launch on Sunday, December 16, 2000 from 9:00AM to 12:00 Noon. Flight conditions were excellent with pleasant temperatures, a mild breeze, and few interruptions from passing aircraft. 32 flyers made 64 flights of which 50 were considered clean .. . . a 78% success rate. This represents a slight drop in our success rate as compared to other recent non-waivered launches. Two of those successful flights were considered complex in nature. One involved a cluster of 4 D impulse motors and the other was a 2 stage flight utilizing a C impulse motor on the first stage and an an A impulse motor on the 2nd stage. Problem flights included 6 separations, 3 tangled chutes, 2 catastrophic takeoffs (CATOs), 1 kicked motor, and 1 failed ejection charge. Tony Gonzales and Thomas Gonzalez each made 5 flights. One flyer made 4 flights, four made 3 flights, thirteen made 2 flights, and twelve each made a single flight. The following motors were flown . . . IMPULSE QUANTITY 1/8A (Micro Max) 3 1/4A 3 1/2A 0 A 12 B 11 C 6 D 7 E 0 F 13 G 11 H 2 Thanks, as always, to Jerry King for compiling this information. **STANDARD LAUNCH PROCEDURES Each individual model rocket flight must be documented on a SARA flight card. All models require inspection by the range safety officer (RSO) before they can be placed on a launch pad. The RSO has the authority to determine if the rocket in question is able to launch. We will have an extra table set up at all future SARA launches to facilitate RSO inspection and fee collection. This will help alleviate the crowds that appear around the launch control table during our busy launches. **SAFETY ISSUES It may be very dry at the launch site. Therefore, 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. 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, please check with the RSO. Many fliers will have extra wadding at the launch and they will be happy to lend you some. The fluffy household insulation that is blown into roof and attic dormers is used by many and is flameproof, inexpensive, and readily available. Fire is something that we all need to take very seriously. If you see smoke or fire, 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, fire extinguishers, and a shovel on hand at every launch. The 55 gallon drum near the launch control area is also filled with water. **TIMPA FIELD USE Flying rockets at the TIMPA site is only permitted at club events or by prior arrangement. Fliers who intend to use the field outside club events must be either current National Association of Rocketry (NAR) or Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) members. Tony Gonzales, our new Range Operations Director, is the person to contact. He will need to know the number of models you intend to launch. Information on launch weight and propellant weight will need to be available as well. The TIMPA caretakers have been instructed to call the Pima County Sheriff and to pursue trespassing charges if no previous arrangements exist. Here is how to contact Tony Gonzales . . . tgonzo@uswest.net or by phone at (520) 790-1006 **OTHER TIMPA INFORMATION We held our December 16 board elections meeting at the TIMPA ramada (where the R/C flyers meet) just south of our launch site. In attendance was a couple of the radio control model flyers. They extended an invitation to use the ramada area for our launch activities. While this at first seems like an attractive option (shaded area, toilets ,etc.), there are items that make this less than ideal for our free flight rocket activities. Specifically; the close proximity of overhead power lines and the presence of nearby property owners who have not welcomed our launches in the past. These details would also take us out of compliance with NAR safety codes. While we thank the R/C flyers for their generous invitation to share the ramada area, The SARA Board has determined that our present launch site (for now) better suites our needs. **SPACE MODELING SOLUTIONS (SMS) Peter Riddell and his wife from Space Modeling Solutions make the drive from Phoenix to attend almost all of our launches. He always brings an assortment of model kits, motors, and building supplies . . . many of which can't be found in Tucson area hobby stores. You can contact Peter in the days leading up to our scheduled launches. If he is planning to attend, he will be happy to bring down special items for you . . . riddell@prodigy.net or by phone at (480) 497-1960 and Fax at (703) 832-3237 **DIRECTIONS TO THE LAUNCH SITE >From I-10 and Speedway, exit 257 . . . A) 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! B) 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. C) 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 turns into a dirt road. D) At about 3.5 miles past the Mile Wide/Sandario intersection, Mile Wide makes a forced turn to the right and changes it's name to Reservation Road. You are now heading due north. E) The Main TIMPA driveway (marked by a sign) is on the right at about 1 mile past the forced right turn. Go another 1/2 mile past this and turn onto the next right turn. At this point, you should be able to see rocket launching activity. Please park to the north or to the east of the launch range. |
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