Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
Tucson, AZ
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ **HELLO AND WELCOME October is a great month for rocketry. Our weather is always fabulous this time of year and, with the occasional wind and rain being the only distraction, it's a great time to come out and fly with us. October is also the anniversary month of many historic rocketry related events . . . Chuck Yeager's transonic X-1 flight in 1947, the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, and even the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. More germaine to our more modestly proportionioned flying activities is that October is also the time when SARA starts making a transition into the next fiscal year. Our annual meeting, where the entire general membership is invited, includes the board of directors elections. While tentatively slated for early November, we will have an exact date for this soon. All of us on the SARA board welcome you opinions, comments, and input. The annual meeting and election is your opportunity to become involved and let us know how you feel. Also on the agenda for November (possibly Saturday the 30th) is a "Fat Boy" altitude contest at TIMPA that will also be attended by the Phoenix based NAR affiliated Superstition Spacemodeling Society. Steve Lubliner is organizing this event and will have more information for us at this Saturdays launch. Jerry King's flight report is included below as well as a tentative schedule of events for the remainder of the year. See you Saturday! 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 byvisiting 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. **SEPTEMBER 2002 LAUNCH REPORT SARA held its monthly waivered launch at TIMPA on 9/22/02. The weather conditions were very good with clear skies, little wind and reasonable temperatures. There were a few holds for small aircraft and the field was nearly covered with moth larvae. Thirty two (32) fliers took advantage of the launch to make 70 flights of which 58 (83%) were nominal. There were 5 unstable flights, 3 separations, 2 instances of no ejection and 1 each Cato and tangled recovery device. John and Remi Gentry each made 5 flights for a tie for most active honors, other activity was (#flights-# fliers): 4-3, 3-4, 2-13, and 1-10. There were 2 2 stage flights, both successful and 2 cluster flights, both with problems, one a single motor ignition with an unstable flight and the other suffering a separation. Motor use was: 1/2A-1, A-10, B-24, C-20, D-3, E-3, F-8, G-2, H-2, and I-2. We had 10 scouts from Cub Scout Pack 299, Den 1-Catalina council out flying under the guidance of Kevin Houser. The scouts made 21 flights. Don Richard had a nice flight of his really beautiful Cosmodrome Vostok. Michael Houser and Jay Dennis both had successful 2-stage flights. The writer had to leave the launch early so did not see the two cluster flights: Kevin Houser and Michael Houser both unfortunately having problems of some sort: much better luck next time. There was a CATO of an Ellis mountain I65motor. This is one of the few non Aerotech composite motors to be flown at TIMPA, hopefully futher attempts will be successful as a variety of motors is always nice. Many thanks to all who helped with range duty, 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 Here is the launch schedule for the remainder of the calendar year. All scheduled launches will be conducted at the TIMPA launch site unless otherwise noted. 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. We should have the 2003 launch schedule available soon. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2002 9AM to 1PM It's October and we have now made our annual switch back
to our 9:00AM to1:00PM cool weather launch widow. Late Spring next year is when
we revert back to our 8:00AM to 12:00NOON launch window. **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 . . . tgonzo64@myecel.com . . . 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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