Burning metal has a tendency to start a lot of things on fire... Also you can tell it's the same flight from the rod's shadows.
Like it or not, they're a large fire hazard for no reason but effect. I like 'em. we launch 'em. But unless everyone is willing to deal with the risks, you can't get mad at them for not wanting to do it. Offer to show up early and clear a pad 'extra carefully' and man an extinguisher during the flights, see what they say.
Exactly... But this isn't what the sparky fanboys want to hear... anybody saying something they don't like is just trying to pee on their parade... Oh well...
Yes, they HAVE started fires. They got a north Texas club kicked off the land they'd been flying on for DECADES due to a fire started by a sparky, which they allowed to be flown despite a strict "NO sparky" motor rule on the flying field, but because it was a bunch of dumb kids that had driven a couple hundred miles to fly with them to get their qualification flight in for the "Student Launch Initiative" NASA competition (sort of a TARC-like thing NASA does for good PR). The kids had let things slip to the last minute, and had missed the opportunities to get their qualification flight in closer to home, and it was their last opportunity before the deadline, which is why they drove several hundred miles (IIRC) to the north Texas field... and they ALSO had IGNORED their advisor's assertions telling them NOT to buy sparky motors for their flights, but being "dumb kids" OF COURSE they had to go with what *they* thought was cool and impressive, not with what was PROPER to get the job done in the most straightforward way. They show up to launch their qualification flight and start whining when they're told "no sparkies" and nobody has a substitute non-sparky load for their casing and motor designation, so rather than "disappoint the children" and sticking to the field rules, the RSO allowed them to fly the sparky in contravention of their own field rules and common sense. A fire broke out from sparks landing in the grass around the pad and burned off a good part of the pasture that they were flying from, and came VERY close to burning under the fence into a large field of DRY STANDING READY TO BE HARVESTED WHEAT (which burns like gasoline) and could have potentially burned off SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS of grain in that field. Afterward the neighbors raised enough h3ll with the landowners that they simply refused to allow the club to fly from their land anymore, and RIGHTLY SO. If the club officials CANNOT BE TRUSTED to follow the rules that have been laid down between the landowner and the club, then THEY DON'T NEED TO BE ALLOWED TO FLY THERE, PERIOD. As a landowner, I allow clubs to fly from my property, BUT, I have a STRICT NO HPR and ABSOLUTELY NO SPARKY MOTORS rule. If either of those rules are broken, forget it... they're out of here... I'm not sticking my neck out for a lawsuit so some "I'll do whatever I like and you can't stop me" A-holes can get their jollies... ANYBODY ever breaks the "no sparkies" and "no HPR" rule around here, and the ENTIRE CLUB will be banned from our farms, PERIOD... I trust the club leadership to comply with the AGREEMENTS and LIMITATIONS we've laid down... if they're UNWORTHY of that trust, if they BREAK that trust, then they're gone. I think a lot of landowners will have a very similar attitude... The rules EXIST FOR A REASON... and if someone isn't intelligent enough or MATURE enough to accept that and work within the system, then they need to be GONE... Do something else, go somewhere else. I must say though that I've seen this same sort of a$$-clown mentality demonstrated more than a few times, and almost always it's been from the HPR folks at a LPR/MPR club launch or at a HPR launch... just reinforces the reasons for my "no HPR on *my* land" rule...
If you can't live with those kinds of rules, then by all means, go buy a couple hundred acres and fly whatever you want... and get your @ss sued off when you burn down the neighbors place doing @ss-clown stunts. Til then, follow the rules, or ruin it for everybody...
BLM might not "know or care what you're doing" but believe me, you cause a fire, they'll figure it out REAL QUICK, and you'll find yourself out of a field... AND DESERVEDLY SO!
IMHO, these "effects motors" are just fireworks in rocketry disguise... colored flames and stuff is borderline IMHO-- the "ooh-ahh" effect is their only purpose; at least they "cause no more harm" in terms of risk than any other model rocket motor (except for green flame motors, which have particularly toxic exhaust byproducts). Sparkies on the other hand are simply fireworks in the guise of rocketry motors. They contribute NOTHING to the flight performance and exist ONLY for the "oooh-ahh" effect, and they can cause a LOT of HARM if used improperly, in the wrong conditions, or in contravention of the standing rules and regulations governing their use... not that seems to matter to the folks that so dearly love them.
This hobby was built upon the concept of "self-policing" of behaviors and following the rules agreed upon by the national organizations, the hobbyists within them, and the regulatory and public safety organizations charged with overseeing such things. Of course given the "instant gratification" nature of our society, it's plain to see that such a paradigm is breaking down, because people no longer honor their agreements when it's inconvenient or "interferes with their fun"... "rules are for other people" is the attitude that prevails today. Need I remind you, if you can fly a HPR motor, including SPARKIES, you are by necessity a member of one of the national organizations, and you AGREED upon joining said organization to COMPLY WITH THE STIPULATIONS of the NATIONAL MODEL ROCKET SAFETY CODE or HIGH POWER ROCKETRY SAFETY CODE, which spells out the REQUIREMENTS (ie NOT SUGGESTIONS) for setbacks, cleared areas, etc. pertaining to flights using sparky motors... I submit that ANYBODY who refuses to adhere to those requirements should be EJECTED from said national organization and their certifications REVOKED.
Yeah, it's THAT SERIOUS!
What do you do with your sparky motors?? That's your tough luck... fly according to the rules, or DON'T FLY AT ALL...
End rant...
Later! OL JR