Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT LAUNCH - SUNDAY, 15 MAY 2005, 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - SARA MEMBERS' MEETING ON 4 JUNE 2005 There is a discussion within SARA to change SARA into a joint National Association of Rocketry and Tripoli Rocketry Association organization. To facilitate a discussion and to vote on this change the board has scheduled a members meeting for Saturday, June 4th, at 5:00 PM. The location will be at Lasertel, 7775 N. Casa Grande Hwy (On the Southbound frontage road between Cortaro and Ina). It is the SARA Board desire to hear your thoughts, questions, and concerns. Other topics of interest may be discussed at the meeting following resolution of the joint operations proposal. Please note that you do not have to be a member of SARA to attend and participate in the discussions at this meeting. The only limitation is that non-members will not be permitted to vote on any motions made at this meeting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **LAUNCH PAD CHAT FROM THE EDITOR. See the note above relative to the SARA members' meeting on June 4. This is an important meeting so I urge all of the folks who are within the sound of this email (?) to attend the meeting. Several SARA members were in attendance at the NAR's National Sport Launch held in Plaster City, California from May 6 to May 8. I saw Larry Foster, Tricia Duffy, Jerry King, Jay and Jacob Dennis, Ken Weaver, and Doug Forrester at the launch. The weather was extremely windy on Friday followed by better flying conditions on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to San Diego's DART section for hosting this event. Temperatures should be pushing the 90's for this weekend's launch. Bring plenty of water and beware of the critters (snakes, scorpions) that inhabit our launch site. See 'ya at the launch, Steve Lubliner ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **JUST ROCKETS Las Vegas based rocket distributor "Just Rockets" periodically attends SARA's launches (Scott indicated at NSL that he will try to attend our May launch). 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. Their phone number is 702-655-3538 if you want to coordinate your order over the phone in advance of the launch. Remember, the more business Just Rockets does at our launch it's more likely they can attend more launches. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **APRIL LAUNCH REPORT SARA held its monthly sport launch at the TIMPA site with a FAA waiver in effect on Saturday April 16, 2005. The weather was great and the launch well attended. Thirty four (34) fliers made 108 flights with 96 (89%) clean. At 89%, this is the highest success rate we have had in a long time. There were 4 separations, 4 tangled recovery devices, 2 unstable flights and 2 assorted failures. Two people each made 7 flights for a tie for most active flier; other activity was (# flights-# fliers): 6-3, 4-5, 3-11, 2-10, and 1-3. Motor use was: 1/4A-2, A-9, B-12, C-60, D-11, E-4, F-6, G-6 and 6 others. A group of Scouts were very active making many flights. Several very nice flights were made. There were 5 flights using clusters of 2 motors, a 3-motor cluster flights, a 2-stage flight as well as a hybrid motor flight. Once again 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. SUNDAY MAY15 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, biodegradable 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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