Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ **HELLO AND WELCOME The weather looks great and I'm sure many of you will be attending our launch this next Sunday, November 17. We will have plenty of time to launch but we also have some other important business to attend to. It's time to accept nominations for the new board of directors that will be seated in January 2003. We will take about 15 minutes during the launch to accept nominations for the board positions of President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and Member at Large. Elections will take place in December at the scheduled launch on the 14th. In years past, when we have scheduled special meetings that were not associated with a launch, attendance has been low and not representative of the membership. This year we decided to conduct our special meetings within the an actual launch. Flying activities are temporarily suspended and we have a large body of our membership already present. Expect this to happen sometime during the middle of the launch window . . . probably around 10:30AM. This nominating process will probably take no longer than around 20 minutes and, when completed, we will resume flying. In essence . . . if we can bring you to the meeting, we bring the meeting to you! So who gets to be nominated to the board of directors? Anyone who wants to! The current board has been in place for two years now (with some reshuffling of positions last year) and we would very much appreciate new input and ideas so that SARA can continue to grow. If you would like to become more involved with all the "behind the scenes" activities that goes on, then this is your chance to participate. On any given month, this may only constitute an hour or two of extra effort but this is what keeps us growing and lets us continue to prosper. Do you have ideas that you would like to implement? Are you able to envision activities that extend beyond simply showing up to a monthly launch? If so, we would like to have you join our team. I've said this before but I really mean it . . . IT'S YOUR MODEL ROCKET CLUB! Please feel free to talk to the current board members this Sunday morning prior to nomination time for additional information. If you would like , we can make sure you are nominated to any of the available board positions that you would like to serve in. See you there! 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. **OCTOBER 2002 LAUNCH REPORT SARA held its October launch at the TIMPA site on Saturday the 19th with a FAA waiver in effect. The weather was perfect for a rocket launch with very low winds, the temperatures pleasant and the sky clear. There were few holds for aircraft. This was a very busy launch with 33 fliers making 108
flights of which 88 Of special note were several exceptional rockets and flights. Doug Forester had a magnificent first flight of his beautiful scratch built scale Phoenix. David Williams had a very nice flight with a cluster of two I motors. Vince Hagerlin made the long trip from Pierce and brought a fleet of very impressive rockets, mostly scratch built of infrequently seen designs, with beautiful finishes. Jacob Dennis flew his upscale Gemini DC for another perfect flight. Sid Clarke, Ben Hord and John Wolfe all had models make successful 2 stage flights. All in all a very active and rewarding launch. Once again many thanks are due to all those who helped with the range duties, setup and tear down. Gerald King, NAR Senior Section Advisor **2002 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Here are the folks that keep everything running. If you are new to SARA, please feel free to introduce yourself to any and all of the board officers and appointees at the next launch. President . . . . . . . . Mark Koenig Appointees selected for 2002 NAR Senior Section Advisor . . Jerry King **SARA 2002 LAUNCH CALENDAR / TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE We now have the schedule for the TIMPA launches for the calendar year 2003. Notice that this next launch (Sunday, November 17, 2002) will include a meeting where we will accept nominations for the annual board of directors elections. These elections will be held in December . . . presumably at that months launch. We will suspend launch activities mid morning on November 17 (at roughly 10:30AM) long enough to conduct this business and then resume flying for the remainder of the launch window. SARA is now able to accommodate high power rocket models at each scheduled launch. Each launch is now an 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. Please check the SARA web site for last minute updates on all launches. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2002 9AM to 1PM **LATE NOVEMBER (SATURDAY THE 30TH?) "FAT BOY" ALTITUDE CONTEST SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2002 9AM to 1PM We have now made our annual switch back to our **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 but . . . THE CITY OF TUCSON IS CURRENTLY INVOLVED WITH AN EXTENSIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AT THIS INTERSECTION. WE WILL BE ALLOWED TO PASS THROUGH BUT YOU MIGHT BE ASKED TO WAIT SEVERAL MINUTES TO ACCOMMODATE THE CONSTRUCTION. PROCEED WITH CAUTION THROUGH THIS AREA AND OBEY ALL DIRECTION FROM THE ROAD CREW FLAGMEN. Just pass the construction are, 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 1 mile 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 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. **SPACE MODELING SOLUTIONS Pete Riddell and his wife of Space Modeling Solutions in Phoenix attend almost all of our launches and offer rocket kits, motors, and other hard to find building supplies. Contact Pete in the days leading up to the launch and he deliver that special order to you at the launch site . . . launch@smsrocketry.com . . . or by phone at (480) 497-1960 or by fax at (703) 832-3237 |
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