I would say 5 times is about the number of times I helped stomp out a sparky fire. It could be 4 or 6, but that is an accurate range.
I think the noise is cool, and they look cool. If you are flying in the desert go for it. If you are flying off of a grass field or something similar I question your thinking. I choose to not fly them. I am not a fan of the potential for grass fires. You can question me further, but I think having flaming chunks of metal coming into contact with potentially flammable materials is not a great idea. Call me crazy if you want. I will fly other motors that do not shoot out flaming metal chunks by design.
Mark Koelsch
Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
Agreed, Our field, BLM land, high desert, scattered weed patches 5 to 10 feet apart, launch area is mostly clear of anything but lizards and ant hills. Record rain fall this year and the second someone says sparky they pull there hair out and run around in circles and scream FIRE! The same hysteria displayed here.
Every month, before calling the FAA, I first make a call to our landowner to get a read on how he feels about the fire risk.
He's never asked us to cancel a launch, but I've cancelled them based purely on how he reacts when I ask him what the conditions are.
The land belongs to him, not us, and we have an obligation to show courtesy in when and how we use it.
-Kevin
As well you should, not sure how this argument was turned into we don't have permission to launch sparkies by the land owner because its not the case.
I don't "hate" HPR... I just have seen a large enough amount of exceedingly poor judgment exercised by practitioners of it to give me a VERY long moment of pause and decide that its not worth the potential risks, and not to host it on our property. These sorts of threads really reinforce that belief due to the attitudes demonstrated, like yours...
Best of luck. OL JR
Once again you missed the point and chalk it up to bad attitude or poor judgement when someone doesn't see it your way. Maybe I missed something your posted, I do tend glaze over any time I attempt to finish reading one of your posts. But it sounded like to me it was the neighboring field that pitched the fit and got them kicked off the field, that's who I meant by I bet they wouldn't have given a crap how, what or why the rocket geeks burned their field down the end result was the same.
Just flying rockets period..... is a privilege, not a right. You are born with certain rights, at least in the USA. Want to shoot a gun , you have the right.
Want to shoot a gun with tracer bullets, now you opened a can of worms depending on where you live. Want to shoot a gun with a suppressor, another can of worms.
Just shooting a gun has become a battle many places,because some folks are trying to take our Rights away.
Flying high power rockets:
You earn that privilege by following rules and regulations.
You must go along with the Certification programs that are in place to keep everyone SAFE.
You must go along with Club rules and Government rules to keep everyone involved SAFE.
This means fliers, landowners & the general nearby public. [who may or may not even be aware a launch is going on, but certainly would not be happy if a rocket came through the roof or you burned down their property.
Rights are taken away after much legal battling or wars. You can fight that in court or on the battlefield.
Privileges are taken away for not following rules or doing something blatantly stupid.
There is no second chance or jury of your peers.
Land owners give you the privilege of using their property .
Clubs allow you the privilege of flying rockets with them.
It's bad enough to be banned for breaking a trust or doing something blatantly stupid.
It's down right ludicrous if you cause a club loss of their field or landowner damage from fire,[or anything else for that matter] because you put the needs of the one, before the privileges of the many!
If the club or landowner feel conditions dictate not flying something...then that's that...done...finite!
There are hundreds & hundreds of different motors you can choose from, certainly ones world should not revolve around a sparky.
BE HAPPY! Follow rules. FLY SAFE. End of discussion.:smile:
My world doesn't revolve around the sparky but I would like to fly one from time to time.
I have never stated that land owners wishes should be ignored or if its dry not to cancel the launch, I maintain if its to dry to launch a sparky then its to dry to launch anything. Most these responses sound like they are launching from a dry tinder patch soaked in gasoline and ONLY the sprakies are causing the fires.
That's is what I have a problem with, now when anyone hears the word its an automatic fire! I doubt most of them have actually seen it happen.
If your conditions are that bad that a momentary shower of sparks is going to start a wild fire and the end result will be forfeiture of your land use then I guess you are right you should ban the sparky but when your motor CATOs and does the same dang thing, well that's OK its and acceptable part of the risk?
I yield, I have said my piece, offended fellow rocketeers and got my 25 posts for this moths give away. So I will drop it, my rant is over I feel malice towards none and beg forgiveness for my blanket statement of LIES! Took my licks and learned a few things now its time to move on.
Peace i'm out you guys can have the last word.
TA