Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ **HELLO AND WELCOME The Fall flying season officially got underway this past My mention of storage magazines and hybrid motor ground Nobody that I spoke to, however, seemed too excited about What do YOU think? We really want to hear from all paying members about these options as it is membership money that will be the largest source of revenue for any club purchase such as this. Please talk to us at the next couple of launches and let us know how you feel. Speaking of membership . . . it's about the time of year that we start thinking about collecting our annual dues. These are due in January but you are welcome to pay for calendar year 2004 during the November and December launches. We also hold elections for next year's board of directors at the December launch. Nominations for the board positions are open from this point forward. Ask any of the current board members during the next 2 launches for additional information. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- **MEMBERSHIP IN SARA SARA welcomes your financial support at any time but we typically collect our membership dues at the beginning of the calendar year, 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, There is also the ongoing expense of maintaining and/or improving our launch equipment. Now that may begin to make choices about purchasing storage magazines and/or hybrid motor ground support systems, those dollars from membership fees are now more critical than ever before. 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. 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 2003 LAUNCH REPORT SARA held its monthly sport launch at the TIMPA site on October 18th with an FAA waiver in effect. The weather was nice even if breezy for part of the launch and pretty hot and dry by the end. There were few holds for aircraft. This was an active launch with 34 fliers making 102
flights of which 85 (83%)were nominal. There were 8 separations, 4 tangled
recovery devices, 2 unstable rockets and 1 each early ejection, no ejection and
no recovery device deployment. The busiest flier made 9 flights and the other
activity was (#flights ea.-# of The launch was quite busy with a number of visitors and fewer than usual 'regulars'. A 4H group was visiting and actively flying. There were 2 cluster flights and a 2-stage flight. A Halloween theme flight of a Jack-O'lantern was made and there was a successful dual -deployment flight. Once again thanks are due to all who helped out with the range. A few more volunteers to take a spell at LSO and/or RSO duties would help relieve the burnout potential of the 'regulars'. Jerry King, NAR Senior Section Advisor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **2003 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND APPOINTEES This is the group of people that were elected or appointed
this past December that keep things running smoothly. President . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Lubliner 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. The next board of directors election is slated to take place during the December 2003 launch and nominations are open from this point forward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **SARA 2003 LAUNCH CALENDAR / TIMPA FIELD LAUNCH SITE Below is the schedule for the TIMPA launches for the
calendar year 2003. 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, NOVEMBER 16, 2003 9AM to 1PM We are now in our Fall / Winter 9:00AM to 1:00PM **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. SUNDAY, JANUARY 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 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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