Crazy advice from local hobbyshop manager

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eugenefl

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Lately I have been starting to visit brick and mortar hobby shops in an effort to cautiously rekindle my rocketry interests. I say "cautiously" because I don't need another closet filled with 100+ unbuilt kits. :) So, each time I've gone to the rocket aisle I inevitably ask the question to whoever is interested in actually helping me - "So, I'm looking to get into this hobby, and being that I am new to the area, was wondering where I could safely launch these rockets?" I am basically fishing for information to someone who maybe allows people to fly rockets on their land. I won't mention where I heard this, but the store's manager - evidently a hobby enthusiast himself - suggested I either fly them at a local school, park, parking lot, or even in the street in front of my house. I asked "Aren't there regulations that prohibit launching on school property or in parks?" The guy responded with "Probably, but I wouldn't worry about it so much. You'll be alright to fly them. If someone asks you to leave, then I'd probably pack up and go home. I tell parents to just let their kids fly them in their front yards. The kids have a great time chasing the rockets in the neighborhood." He continued, "Yeah, I've flown some in the parking lot here, but I just try and keep the power down so I get them back." :surprised: Mind you, there is a busy intersection about 50 yards from the corner of the store! I guess I am not so surprised to hear that kind of answer. I'm sure they just need to make some sales.

In all seriousness - I'm getting a bad itch and need to find some open space to launch even some low power <700ft flights. Somebody HELP me! I don't want to drive 2 hours to go launch some rockets.
 
Got any schools nearby???

If so, go talk to the school administration and ask if you can launch when there is no school or school activities going on.
 
Got any schools nearby???

If so, go talk to the school administration and ask if you can launch when there is no school or school activities going on.

I'm such a pessimist. I just can't see a school, for legal/safety/insurance reasons, say yes.
 
... talk to the school administration and ask if you can launch when there is no school or school activities going on.

Or, talk to the school administration and ask if you can launch when there ARE no school or school activities going on, unless you want to be sent to 2nd grade grammar class.




Sorry, just couldn't resist.....you know, school...... after school......all that......
(Remember to ask 'May I' and not 'Can I' )
 
Google Earth, or https://local.live.com/ ?

You can see from above what's nearby and available. For the record, I use a small public park, where all our youth soccer and baseball teams play, as my cosmodrome. Cs are kinda sketchy depending on what you're flying, but the rest are OK.

Co-ords: N 39.740&#176;, W 84.410&#176;.
 
While living in NJ I regularly launched with the kids at the local elementary school playground, which was big enough to contain a couple of ball fields, etc. It was usually empty. No one ever complained, and people walking would stop and watch every now and then. The police knew we were doing it (the school was across the street from the police station, and they occasionally drove through the school parking lot on patrol. I am absolutely sure that if I asked permission I would have been told no, for insurance reasons. I made the mistake of asking at my church, and their response was basically "we're not sure, so no."

I considered the local park off-limits. A lot more people and scheduled activities to "disrupt" and cause complaints.
 
I have launched at schools several times, never a problem getting permission or launching.
 
When I was in high school, I flew from the practice football field. It was small, I never flew anything over a C motor and most of those C motors were usually flown in my helicopter recovered Estes Skywinder but it was better than nothing IMO.

Even my teachers said it was fine for me to do so.
 
I'm sure I'm going to get a crap-ton of flak for this, but so be it. We grabbed a county park up here and just started launching. We didn't ask for permission, we went in and if there was someone there, we left. If nobody was there, we stayed.

Somewhere, Stones has a story (try searching "OTRFA" to find it) about the time the Sheriff's SUV shows up and pulls over to where we're launching. We're thinking "well, it's been a good run while it lasted." Didn't help that I was showing Stones my progress on my L2 attempt bird (Loopy, you just shush now) and am holding it up as the guy comes up. Turns out he was an old rocketeer and they had done egg launches at Easter and the whole 9 yards years before. Also turns out they didn't feel the need to ask anyone for permission either. He gave us his card and asked us to call next time we were going to Bong or doing anything really cool at the county park.

Since then, we've gotten crap from groundskeepers and such, but we just hand 'em Sheriff Ed's card and tell them to ask him if it's okay. To date, we've never gotten shut down.
 
We were told not to fly rockets from my school's property in 2005 for our SCHOOL SPONSORED TARC TEAM after we asked to fly when events/sports weren't around. And our school is in the middle of no where with close to 20-30 acres of open field, and lots of surrounding farm fields.
We flew our rocket anyway and we even waived to the administrator who told us not to as he walked to his car one evening, with no problems. In our case I think it was a liability issue of they didn't care but didn't want their head on the line for giving the OK. So sometimes it is just better not to ask and graciously quit if someone asks you to, cause most people won't say anything. But we were minors, and your mileage will vary.
 
I'm sure I'm going to get a crap-ton of flak for this, but so be it. We grabbed a county park up here and just started launching. We didn't ask for permission, we went in and if there was someone there, we left. If nobody was there, we stayed.

Somewhere, Stones has a story (try searching "OTRFA" to find it) about the time the Sheriff's SUV shows up and pulls over to where we're launching. We're thinking "well, it's been a good run while it lasted." Didn't help that I was showing Stones my progress on my L2 attempt bird (Loopy, you just shush now) and am holding it up as the guy comes up. Turns out he was an old rocketeer and they had done egg launches at Easter and the whole 9 yards years before. Also turns out they didn't feel the need to ask anyone for permission either. He gave us his card and asked us to call next time we were going to Bong or doing anything really cool at the county park.

Since then, we've gotten crap from groundskeepers and such, but we just hand 'em Sheriff Ed's card and tell them to ask him if it's okay. To date, we've never gotten shut down.

Is that a violation of NAR rules? Putting a cop on your side and using his to launch at a park??!! Automatic loss of powers. (in Seinfeld soup nazi voice) No power fo you! ;)

Ben
 
This summer our Cub Scout Pack was looking for a place to launch and I suggested the local soccer field. The city never gave us an answer. They asked a state park and got some mumbo jumbo answer that Homeland Security won't let state land be used that way (something about the use of explosives - I didn't want to argue the point about explosives vs. propellants). Eventually we just gave up and we are planning to use the empty field behind the Pack leader's house as soon as the soybeans are harvested.
 
I have a school a few minutes away from me (in fact, it was my elementary school 2 1/2 years ago) and I didn't really ask to launch there, I just started to. I *figured* it was ok to launch there because the '06 class (5th grade) had a launch with all their students' rockets. In fact, I've had a small audience once and I think a school staff member or official was included. I haven't been asked to leave once either.
 
:mad: Sorry, I was going to post something profound about lazy Americans and "liability" but I got so mad thinking about it, I had to stop. :cry:
 
Eugenio,

I know of one sure fire way to get permission to launch on school property. Do what I do, go teach a rocketry course with the after school program.

1 night a week for several weeks, perhaps with a repeat (or several). You will become a known with respect to rocketry and teaching at the school and no one will give you any grief (so long as you aren't interrupting a sporting event)

I have about 6 area schools where I launch without a hitch :)

jim
 
I began my model rocketry "career" in 1969 by launching my model rockets at
our local middle school property (C.W.Ruckle Jr. High School) in Niceville, FL.
Had no problems and we all had a great time. Place was excellent for the purpose it was used for.
 
I launch from school's here in NJ, but only on weekends when there aren't any classes or soccer games going on etc... Once in a while a cop will drive through on his patrol, but never had one even get out of their car. I'm sure if I was 15 years younger, maybe the cop would take a closer look to see if we were doing anything crazy, but me and my brother are in our 30's and try not to do anything nutty. I always figured that if the cop said we can't launch there, I would stop. Only place I was ever told rockets can;t be launched was Mercer County Park, so I stopped launching from there :).

SS
 
I am almost certain I have seen signs posted in front of at least two different schools' open fields that prohibit trespassing on school grounds. Either that, or I want to say there was language to the effect of "no fireworks." There are 3 schools nearby that have decent sized open areas including soccer fields with adjacent parking lots that are deserted on the weekends. I think I'll drive past one or two of them on my lunch break today to see if there are signs posted.

Back in Tampa my brother and I used to go to local school's football fields with a track ring around them and fly smaller or low flying rockets. There was once a groundskeeper walking around and he didn't seem to mind us out there.

I'm just so used to the rejection or the rudeness of some folks to get bent out of shape. The thoughts of getting kicked off of our last flying field in Florida still linger.
 
Years ago (pre 9/11) I used to launch at
a small county park near our house,
set up on the back field and rip a few
1/2A's to B's. I never overflew the field or
landed in the middle of soccer game that was
usually going on the front field. Never had anyone
show up to complain...

Until one day there was a brand new big sign
next to the entrance stating 'No Rocket Flying'...

They could have just told me no, but obviously county
budget had some surplus and somebody liked wood carving...

Launch fields are getting very scarce around
Tampa Bay area nowadays, even our current field
is just about gone thanks to development...
:(
 
Wow. I am really spoiled here in the heartland.

We can fly at the local high school any time there is not another activity going on there. It is a rural location surrounded by farmland. I have flown up to F motors with no problems.
 
We have flown (lp As and Bs) many times at a local field next to an elementary school, with out any problems. We only fly when school is NOT in session and only for an hour or so. The only time we have ever gotten any grief was from a dog walker, we just took a break until she left. The field was nearly doubled in size over the summer.
 
Around here in Lakeland, there seems to be a lot of parks but usually too much going on at those to fly solo.

Within 3 miles of where I live is my old junior and senior high schools. The JH has a heck of a flyable area behind it, remember a lot of good flying there. That site could likely support low end HPR actually. The senior high has the usual track/football bleachers bit on one side of a fence with the tennis/baseball stuff on the other. Not really roomy, but I certainly lit this place up plenty back in the flatbelly days.

So, why cant I fly at either or both? Simple. All schools around here have been fenced in and usually have someone living there on the grounds, and with all the 'protect the children' mania around here, forget about an adult showing up near school grounds. Heck, Id bet Jim Flis wouldnt even be able to do his programs around here without ongoing investigations!
 
When I was young (teenager...back in the late 70's) I would fly at the ball fields of the local elementary school. The field was (is) narrow but very long. I'd fly there with A motors and if the winds were right, I could move up to B's and even a C or D on occasion. Later, I began flying at the spillway off of a dam at a nearby state park (same situation...much longer than wide, but still a good 100 yards in width). I still launch there on occasion, and others apparently fly there too as I frequently come across spent engines. As a BAR, my launch areas include my backyard (fine for 1/4A and 1/2A motors), the afore mentioned spillway, and a couple of county parks (one nearby and one farther away). I've had police drive by while I've been flying but never a complaint. Only complaint I had was from a R/C flyer at the spillway, who arrived AFTER I had been flying for a while. He claimed that my rockets might damage his aircraft. I just told him that maybe he should be careful where he flies. :p
Craig
 
Don't assume that use can use a field just because it is a school. School fields have been "for atheletics only" and antone wanting to do anything else is banned.

Usually, they want you to put up an insurace coverage (1 million) just to go onto the property. When school officials here the mention of model ROCKETS, they think fireworks.

School officials need to be educated, and, they also have to realize that everyone isn't into sports......HELLO !!!!
 
Years ago (pre 9/11) I used to launch at
a small county park near our house,
set up on the back field and rip a few
1/2A's to B's. I never overflew the field or
landed in the middle of soccer game that was
usually going on the front field. Never had anyone
show up to complain...

Until one day there was a brand new big sign
next to the entrance stating 'No Rocket Flying'...

They could have just told me no, but obviously county
budget had some surplus and somebody liked wood carving...

Launch fields are getting very scarce around
Tampa Bay area nowadays, even our current field
is just about gone thanks to development...
:(

Susan, I feel for you. I used to attend THOR launches back in the day. Ask Manuel about me. He should remember. I was the only one that ever had any type of electronic devices onboard my rockets. I also had a helicopter recovery egg capsule I designed for a contest they used to have. Anyways, check out <a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=3583&highlight=THOR">these aerial pics</a> I took of the THOR field. Good times.

Like I said, I really feel for you. Jetra2, my good friend Russ, some other former TRF groupies, and myself used to fly on a few fields in Tampa that are now developed. It's sad really. There is a park called Azalea in St. Pete. I don't know if that's close for you at all, but we used to get away with D-D staged rockets, Deuce flights, small boost glider rockets, etc. Contact jetra2 via the forum. I am certain he'd be thrilled to meet up with you for a launch. If anything, you could always scope out the field. There were times when he'd go check things out to see if there was any soccer practice and he'd call me to give me a coast-is-clear. We had good fun there.
 
I don't mean to sound like Mr. Obvious, but I didn't pick up the following suggestion in scanning the thread:

Get on NAR's site or Tripoli.org and find the closest club. Call the prefect/president. Heck, maybe a club launches fairly near you. Don't forget: You don't have to be a member of either organization to fly at the launch (although you'll have to pay a range fee) and you'll be welcome to fly whatever you want, even MicroMax, at a Tripoli launch.
 
Years ago (pre 9/11) I used to launch at
a small county park near our house,
set up on the back field and rip a few
1/2A's to B's. I never overflew the field or
landed in the middle of soccer game that was
usually going on the front field. Never had anyone
show up to complain...

Until one day there was a brand new big sign
next to the entrance stating 'No Rocket Flying'...

They could have just told me no, but obviously county
budget had some surplus and somebody liked wood carving...

:(


Weren't you tempted to haul out a pocketknife and leave your signature to personalize your sign?;)
 
Anyways, check out <a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=3583&highlight=THOR">these aerial pics</a> I took of the THOR field. Good times.

I'd reckognize that &*%$# RET even in my dreams... Or that orange grove from Hades...

Pippen,
I was livid enough to look for a chain saw...
:eek:
BTW, its still there after all these years...
 
Pippen,
I was livid enough to look for a chain saw...
:eek:
BTW, its still there after all these years...

How about this: build the back half of an Alpha and cut the body tube off at a slight angle about 2" in front of the fins. Paint it with a good waterproof paint. Then, one night when no-one is looking, epoxy the cut end of the body tube to the sign so it looks like a rocket has penetrated the sign. :D
 
I don't mean to sound like Mr. Obvious, but I didn't pick up the following suggestion in scanning the thread:

Get on NAR's site or Tripoli.org and find the closest club. Call the prefect/president. Heck, maybe a club launches fairly near you. Don't forget: You don't have to be a member of either organization to fly at the launch (although you'll have to pay a range fee) and you'll be welcome to fly whatever you want, even MicroMax, at a Tripoli launch.

As always, I'll take any advice I can get and I do appreciate the suggestion, but yes - I have already gone this route to locate the nearest clubs. As it stands, ROCC out of Charlotte, NC is the closest and it's still near a 2 hour drive according to Google Maps.

I am currently interested in getting some LPR in the air. I have a nice stash of motors still from my peak days in rocketry and have no doubt it will be a while before I *need* to buy any motors. (Same goes for MPR stuff.) If I was in full swing again and flying MPR/HPR I would most definitely reinstate my NAR membership and make the trip every other month or at least once a quarter to the ROCC club flights. As for LPR, the furthest I'm willing to drive is probably 20-30 minutes. If it's a large field good enough for staging or high altitude flights for LPR then I might consider a 45 minute ride.
 
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