GRITS 2016 is nigh!

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PropellantHead

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Registration is OPEN for GRITS 2016!



Details:
LOCATION: The Gaskins Farm near Nashville, GA
DATES: Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3
TIMES: 10am to 6pm all three days.
WAIVER: 20,000 ft. MSL (19750 ft. AGL)
MOTOR SUPPORT: Anything from 1/8A up to N
NAR HIGH POWER RULES: No research motors this year, sorry!
SPECTATORS: Are always welcome, and it’s FREE.
COMPETITION EVENT: H SuperRoc -- Yes, you read that right!

LODGING: Official hotel is the Comfort Inn & Suites, Tifton, GA. -- GRITS rate is $85 per night.

For registration and more information, go here: https://www.gritslaunch.com/
 
We just made our hotel reservations. The official hotel doesn't accept pets and Oscar The Rocket Dog won't let us go without him. So, we are staying just down the road at the Days Inn.

Let us (JonRocket.com) know if you want us to bring anything specific. Otherwise, we will bring a selection of low- and mid-power kits, supplies, and motors.

-- Roger
 
Sounds great, Roger! We look forward to seeing you there again this year. Hopefully we'll have a much less "humid" event. :)
 
We're two weeks away! I'm starting to get pretty stoked!

Is anyone here bringing any cool projects?
 
We now have a special event planned for Saturday morning to kick off the launch day:

A 32 GUN SALUTE TO OUR LOST BROTHERS

SoAR lost two of our most active members this past year: Steve Corrigall and Jim Phillips.
They both had BIG plans for GRITS this year. It wont be the same without them and their families there.
To honor them we will be launching a 32 rocket volley on Saturday morning to start off the launch day.
Well, actually they are all cones, not "real" rockets. The first time we did this volley Steve Corrigall, his step-son, and his grandson donned conehead "wigs" to set up the launch. (What great memories! ) Also, Jim Phillips was the king of tail cones and nozzles. He even gave them away sometimes so the rest of us would have better looking rockets.

It just seems right to do the volley once again in their memory.

81daecee-6257-4871-ad21-3051d8140fba.jpg
 
Hey, I saw in the registration camping is allowed. Is that something many people do... Will I be the only one bringing a tent? Thanks.
 
Hey, I saw in the registration camping is allowed. Is that something many people do... Will I be the only one bringing a tent? Thanks.

Sadly, I have to burst that bubble. That text you're seeing on the Lodging page is old and needs to be removed. The field owner has since stated that he does not wish to have people camping on the field.

I'll flag our web guy and let him know.
 
It's Good News / Bad News time...

First, the Good News: We have some press coverage of one of our featured flights, Everett Stowe's scratch built 14' tall Saturn V (Apollo 8 paint scheme)!

Here's the link to the story - https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/...cle_b8bbc138-f9e8-56c3-8b2e-faf288725921.html

And now for the Bad News: For the third year in a row, the weather is conspiring against us. The forecast is showing Friday to be pretty miserable. The projections for Saturday have improved, but it's still a potentially soggy morning. Sunday, at the moment, looks to be nearly perfect with sunny skies and a high temp of 72°. We may be forced to cancel for Friday but we're keeping our fingers crossed for now. The final go/no-go decision for Friday will be made tomorrow afternoon. Any changes to the event schedule will be published to the GRITS web site: https://www.gritslaunch.com
 
Looking at the weather forecast, Bracha and I changed our plans a little. Instead of driving up on Thursday and leaving early Sunday afternoon, we are going to head up on Friday and return home on Monday.

-- Roger
 
Yep, it's looking like Friday will be a bust. The forecast has held rock-steady for over a week. I'm sure we'll be down there just in case, but the first rocket will likely not go up until sometime Saturday.
 
Second year in a row, I cancelled my hotel reservations. Not going to pre-register next year.

It looks quite a bit better than this time last year. I'm still planning on driving down tomorrow evening. A year ago, I had already pulled the plug on my plans. Being from Oklahoma, I know well how random thunderstorms are. I would hate to stay home and see that T-Storms bypassed the field. It should be a fun weekend!

Cheers,
Michael
 
I'm not sure how much we can rely on the weather forecasts. Last year, the forecast for Saturday was light rain in the morning then nice, clear skies. The reality was light rain in the morning which got heavier as the day progressed.

But, one thing is certain. It won't be as cold as last time!

We're arriving Friday. We'll probably wait until Saturday morning to head to the field.

-- Roger
 
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I would advise that no one head to the field on Saturday until Noon, at the earliest...and even then, make sure you've checked the GRITS web site first. We will have people at the field to make sure that the roads are accessible and not a quagmire.
 
Thanks Glenn. Right now, radar doesn't show any rain in the area and the forecast is slightly better. So, I have hope that Saturday will be good. Fingers crossed.

And, look how well I am still able to type with my fingers crossed! :)

-- Roger
 
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The sun is shining!

We are waiting for an announcement saying that it's okay to head out to the field.

-- Roger
 
Yes...had a great time yesterday for certain! One good thing about a compressed launch schedule, we got to see several spectacular flights one after the other. The Apollo 8 recreation gave me chills, as did the 6" Black Brant II...

I'm working today on 2 hours sleep, but it was definitely worth it.

Cheers,
Michael
 
Dag nabbit, I knew I shoulda........

Well, maybe a plethora of pics can help the bitterness of regret. ;)

The Saturn V: https://www.flickr.com/photos/boyd2000/sets/72157664485973103/with/26211676736/

Everything else (including more of the Saturn V): https://www.flickr.com/photos/boyd2000/sets/72157664484737013

AWESOME video of Chris Aubright's Black Brant on an N1000:
[video=youtube;DmOH22JcDEk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmOH22JcDEk[/video]

Still waiting for a video of Everett's Saturn V...I know many videos exist, but can't find one posted yet.
 
Looked like Sunday was the day :) What was the crop? When I was there 2 years ago all that was on the field was cotton stubble.
 
It was wheat this year, Tom. Behind the flight line was a growing crop. In front, the field was already harvested and waiting to be cleared for what I assume will be cotton. It could get tricky finding a rocket in the crop field, but winds did not allow that too much. Of course, I had to personally test to see if I could lose one there!

Cheers,
Michael
 
Still waiting for a video of Everett's Saturn V...I know many videos exist, but can't find one posted yet.

I have nice video of it from two different angles. But, it'll take me a few days to edit everything.

-- Roger
 
My H Super-Roc entry flew on Sunday and someone was kind enough to grab a video the flight for me!

[video=youtube;_U_oiwkzh-A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U_oiwkzh-A[/video]
 
[video=youtube;1n0W8h-mWAI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n0W8h-mWAI[/video]
 
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