Don't let the GRITS Winternationals creep up on ya!

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PropellantHead

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It's almost here!! Reminder: Pre-registration ends soon so if you've been procrastinating, go ahead and get it done! ***Click here to register***

In addition to the best hi-power flying area in the world*, we have:
  • Three confirmed vendors (possibly a fourth)!
  • Hot food!
  • Unlimited use of port-o-potties! (we spare NO expense!) (no launching of potties, please...unless you cover our damage deposit fee)
  • Cool T-shirts!
  • A special guest appearance by Jorge Blanco, star of the classic YouTube video, "Static launch of the Cuban's Missile Crisis"!
  • An Air Force "Thunderbirds" fly by! (no, not really, but wouldn't it be cool!?!)

How can you NOT be there?!?!

* - and by "the world", we mean the area within 10 miles of the launch site.
 
Weather's looking pretty iffy over the weekend. (Why does it always rain for this? Last time I came down and found out it was cancelled. (Shoulda called Jorge before I left. Whoops.)) What's the weather contingency plan?

I would almost come just to see Jorge! Anyway, I've registered and am looking forward to flying with y'all!
 
Weather's looking pretty iffy over the weekend. (Why does it always rain for this? Last time I came down and found out it was cancelled. (Shoulda called Jorge before I left. Whoops.)) What's the weather contingency plan?

I would almost come just to see Jorge! Anyway, I've registered and am looking forward to flying with y'all!

I'm not sure our plan would qualify as a "contingency" but this is where we're at: Forecasts that are a week+ in advance are often very inaccurate so our current plan is to monitor the forecasts and react accordingly. I do not foresee any chance, however, that we would cancel the event entirely. We will be at the field each day and, if it's raining and the forecast is for continuous rain and the radar backs that up, we might cancel a single day (like we did for Sunday last year). But, otherwise, we'll be there and if the skies open up for a while, we'll fly rockets.
 
The forecast shows rain for every day the entire week before and during the launch. The field needs at least 2 days of sunny weather or it will be a quagmire.
 
Tom, thats a 10 hr drive for me, should I reconsider? Not worried about losing launch fees but cant afford the trip for nothing.
 
Anyone interested in an Estes upscale drag race/multi launch please let me know. I have a 4" and 6" SWAT.

SWAT_days.jpg
 
I have everything ready to go just got to load the truck up Wednesday evening. I'm heading up Thursday should be in there around 3pm or 4pm. Ready to have a good time.
 
Right now, Weather Underground is predicting significant rain only on Wednesday and Saturday:

https://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/US/GA/Tifton.html

So, unless the forecast gets worse over the next few days, we are still planning to make the trek up from Florida.

-- Roger

It looks like the forecasts are getting better as the hours tick on by.

While the following links won't tell you what it will be, it will tell you what it *has been* (important, at least as concerns rainfall amounts in the days leading up to the weekend) - 'GAEMN', the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network -- put together by the Univ. of GA mainly to help the farmers:

https://weather.uga.edu/aemn/

Looks like the closest is Alapaha

https://weather.uga.edu/aemn/cgi-bin/AEMN.pl?site=GAAH

... only about 10 miles away from the site.

Check out the 'Current Conditions' as well as 'Yesterday's Conditions' (which actually looks back about 4 days). I notice no rainfall except since midnight today - and that less than 1/4". Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, obviously - but the latter part of the week looks workable.

-- john.
 
My two builds for GRITS are coming along but not as fast as I'd hoped...just not much time to build with everything else going on. My H Altitude Contest scratch build is close to being done - just need fillets on the fins, a launch lug and a few holes in the payload area for the altimeter. In case they don't make it down to Tifton here, they are as they sit now.

gritsrockets.jpg
 
Not to tempt fate, but I'm getting stoked about the weather forecast! Friday is looking to be just about perfect and Saturday isn't too shabby either. The forecast for Sunday is for it to be overcast so we'll have ceiling restrictions, but still lots of potential fun to be had.
 
Not to tempt fate, but I'm getting stoked about the weather forecast! Friday is looking to be just about perfect and Saturday isn't too shabby either. The forecast for Sunday is for it to be overcast so we'll have ceiling restrictions, but still lots of potential fun to be had.

I'm leaving in the morning. See you Soon
 
Before I forget, we would like to invite y'all to come with us to dinner Saturday after the launch at the Logan's Roadhouse, across the street from the official GRITS hotel, the Comfort Inn & Suites in Tifton. The staff at Logan's are saying they can handle a big crowd with no problem so please come and join us. You're guaranteed to hear some amazing tales of rocketry daring-do, and at least a few of them might be true. :cool:
 
I'm batting 0-2 on GRITS with the rain for the past two years. I think I'll call ahead before making the drive next time. Despite the nasty weather, it was still a fun time getting to catch up with the good fellas of SoAR.
 
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