Model Forum / General / Rockets / May 2004

And that's all you'll find...

There is no (repeat, no) legal place to launch in all of Orange County,
for example.  The only field in all of LA County that I am aware of
where you can launch (in urban areas) is the aforementioned launches
held in Irwindale.

Please don't scoff at the flight cards, and management, of what Fred,
Martin, et al do to put those launches together.  First, they go out of
there way to provide outreach to hundreds (maybe thousands?) of kids
each year, and many of those who show up at the launches are the
'newbies' like that.  Because of that, they have to be a little bit more
wary -- after all, the only reason that the Parks and Recreation
department even lets them host a launch is BECAUSE it is a group,
controlled activity, and because they have pledged to keep it 'legal'
and clean.  By the way, Irwindale is NOT for A's only.  In fact, they
are cleared up to a 'G' engine, so I don't know where you got the 'A'
restriction from.

The problem isn't really that of finding a place that looks like you can
launch from it, it's finding a place that's large enough, AND where you
can get permission, AND where you can get a fire department permit.

My best suggestion -- find a spot that is large enough, then try and
convince the owner to let you use it.  Once having done that, you need
to approach your local fire authority and talk to them.  They will
probably give you a permit if you speak to them as though you know what
you're doing, but the problem is that they will charge a substantial fee
to do so.  However, if you can convince them that you're willing to
'help out' in educating folks about rockets, for example, and in showing
how it's done LEGALLY, they will sometimes waive the fee.

You'll be a lot better off if you can get some like-minded folks
together to form a club, or NAR section, but that isn't easy, and it's a
tremendous amount of work.  I honestly don't know how Fred and Martin
have done it all these years, because it's a pretty thankless task.

David Erbas-White

The law is pretty strict...thus you are pretty much SOL. We are going out to
El Mirage this weekend (Sunday) and you are welcome to join us.

All Rocketeers are Welcome to come up to KERN county and do their
flying. I do my flying in thefield next door or in the fields the
otherside of the I-14 freeway. And it's a all freeway drive up to
here.

Welcome to the PRK (People's Republik of Kalistan)

Hell, man... the area you describe (LA/Valley/orange county area) has a two
hundred mile diameter!

Ain't ya got a big desert just to the East?

If the drive bothers you... do the camping thing.

Ahhh!  Now THAT'S how memories are made!!!

Error, error error.

Read the website.
http://home.earthlink.net/~mebowitz/
Power limit is "G" motor. That is WAYYYYY beyond "A" (64 times the power). I have
absolutely no idea where you got "A".

And flight cards are absurdly easy to fill out and SCRA flight cards are much easier
than many other clubs around the USA. You can download the card, fill in your name and
info that does not change and make copies. Then you just need to write down a date and
the rocket, motor, and motor manufacturer. What is so difficult about that?

And for obtaining your own launch site, SCRA provides semi-detailed information on the
website. Go to "Links", then click on the "Get Your Own Launch Site" link and read the
document. SCRA did not write the regulations, but they read them, talked to 'the
authorities' and whipped up this digest to help you understand and cut through the
confusion. It's better than a $1000 fine and/or a year in jail for EACH illegal launch.
http://home.earthlink.net/~mebowitz/siteaid.pdf

And if you are thinking of coming to a Snat Fe Dam launch, the site is HUGE - hence the
G motor limit. Also, the end of the school year can be quite insane since the teachers
who put off their flying until the very end of the school year are all coming out of the
woodwork. The next launch will be crowded by one large group but they will only fly once
per student, so they will be gone before the launch session ends. They will also show up
early so they are ready to fly early.  After school ends, there are no crowds and seldom
any sort of 'line'. In the Summer it's super easy paced all the way into the fall. Once
in a while a smart scout leader will schedule their group for the 'slow months', but
they are usually very well prepared and zoom through.

It's fun to launch legally, with some other folks, without having to be ready to run
away, or post bail. That's why so many people do so. Please review photos of the people
launching at this site - scroll down to the bottom of the photo page:
http://www.dars.org/jimz/gallery.htm

Rosamond, CA
Lucerne Dry Lake, CA
El Mirage dry lake, CA
Santa Fe Dam (SCRA NAR club)

Thanks for all the suggestions. Went to El Mirage today with my boys and had
a total blast!!! Just like it was when I was a kid!. load and launch! over
and over!. Lots of rockets and freedom! (safety too. even brought a fire
extinguisher because I was not sure what I would find in terms of ground
cover )
Thanks for all the advise and suggestions.