NARAM 47 questions

[mn-rocketry]

I have a few questions for the NARAM 47 organizers. Since I think that the answers would be of interest to others, I'm posting this here.

Most of these pertain to the launch field.
The web site tells us where the field is, how to get there, what the elevation is, and that it's hpr capable up to K motors. (The sport flying page also tells us a few details about the waiver.) However, it gives us no hints about lots of other things.

What's the field like? Is it grass? (short? tall?) Weeds? Marsh? Brambles? Swamp? Trees?
Do I need to bring hip waders? Hiking boots? Work boots? A 50-foot pole?
Roughly how big is the field?
If rockets drift off the field, will we have problems recovering them? (trees? homes? private property?)
How far is it from where we have to park to the launch range?
Is there room to set up our personal prep area next to our vehicle, or will we have to haul everything to another location?

There's a b&w aerial photo on the web site. It'd be nice if you could label it a bit so that we can associate it with the provided directions.

Any answers would be appreciated! They would help all of us plan for the event.

Thanks much, btw, for posting the detailed schedule.

Alan

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by mn-rocketry
What's the field like? Is it grass? (short? tall?) Weeds? Marsh? Brambles? Swamp? Trees?
Do I need to bring hip waders? Hiking boots? Work boots? A 50-foot pole?
Roughly how big is the field?
If rockets drift off the field, will we have problems recovering them? (trees? homes? private property?)
How far is it from where we have to park to the launch range?
Is there room to set up our personal prep area next to our vehicle, or will we have to haul everything to another location?

Hi Alan,
Well, I'm only semi-official, but I'll answer what I can of your questions.
VOA Park has all of the features you described, and then some. Shorts are a possibility, but long pants are your best bet. The park is used by soccer teams, lacrosse teams, cricketeers, baseball and softball teams, so some parts are regularly maintained, but some parts are allowed to grow to a waist-high length. This is where you'll find the swamps and brambles. They aren't the dominant feature of the park, but they exist. The swampy areas will depend on how much rain we've received recently. The brambles will depend on how much and how recently the grass is cut. Hip waders won't be necessary, but boots and a pole might be. Trees line the west side of the field. Not many, but a few, and there are smaller trees dotting the field. There are also two lakes.
I believe the field is roughly a mile square.
If a rocket leaves the park, (we call that a homer because we're on the cutting edge of humor,) it has the potential to drift into a large shopping area, an industrial park, or several neighborhoods. I've had several leave, but I've always gone stomping after them. The home owners have even pointed me to them on occasion. I think they've gotten accustomed to us over the years. The best idea is to ask permission before you recover your rocket if it's in a yard. I don't see this being a problem.
I'm not sure how the parking will be handled, but the area we generally launch from is large enough to allow you to park close by and set up your prep area near your vehicle.
I personally don't have a clue as to how to caption a photo, so I'll leave that to someone else.

 

[mn-rocketry]

Thanks Bill!

That's good info to know. Sounds like wearing jeans will be a good idea. I just hope that it's not too bloody hot.

I posted the questions after I'd flashed-back to the last NARAM that I attended - 42 in Colorado. Mere days before it started, the organizers said something like "Oh, yeah. The launch range has cacti and other prickly things and rattlesnakes too." I had to run out and buy some sturdy work boots and then wear them every day for the whole week (without having had a chance to break them in first).

Guess that I'd better throw them in the truck too. At least they're broken-in now.

Alan

 

[Fishhead]

We have no cacti, but we've got some godawful spiders that hang out in the thistles. You might want to consider shorts around the pads and a pair of long pants for recovery. Jeans will be nasty in the heat that we're liable to have. Bring lots of water and coolers and consider a canopy.

 

[stevecarr]

Don't know if this will help much but I played with the image a little.
As you look at the photo the top is the sites north.
On the west side you see the box with a line going south east.
Thats about the entrance location from Cox Rd.
Cox Rd. runs north south on the western side of VOA.
The arrow at the bottom left is the intersection of Tylersville and Cox.
About 1/3 west of that is I-75.
This is an older photo so the highlighted area at the bottom is now a shopping center with a Home Depot and other stores.
The box at the center top is about where the 2 ponds are located.
This picture is older so it doesn't show all of the developement that has gone on around there of the past several years.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[Rocket Al]

Quick question that someone may be able to answer. Am pre-registered for sport flying for the weekend, and am expecting to arrive with the family Friday evening. I see that registration is open, but it doesn't say where. Would that be at the host hotel? And is there any place to sign up to do my bit on range duty, or does that wait until we actually show up?

Al

Went through my mental list of acronyms. Does "DR" stand for somethiing like "Duty Roster"? Not being of the body, if that's what it means, I am not sure. It may be better to clarify that on the NARAM website.

A.T.

 

[chanstevens]

A few stray answers:

1) Check-in/registration is at the host hotel, not the field
2) Longs pants are absolutley the way to go, though it will be unbearably humid. You'll be much better off sweating away the pounds when recovering rockets than picking the ticks off your more discrete body parts wearing shorts.
3) The field is about 50% covered with weeds/brush that's currently running 3+ feet tall. Swamps are extremely unlikely at that time of year. There isa small pond towards the northeast corner of the park, possibly affecting competition, not likely to affect sport.
4) There is a police impound lot adjoining the south end of the park that we hope to be able to use for parking (how's that irony?). It's about 100 yards from the sport range, 300 yards from the competition range. You can set up tents/shelters, but everything has to be cleared at the endof the day.
5) As Bill mentioned, park is about a mile square, surrounded (east & south) by commercial development, north and west by housing. We rarely see anyone leave the park on sport flights of 200-2500 feet. Anything more than that is a strong possibility of leaving the park unless you dual deploy.

--Chan Stevens

 

[laseradam]

I also have a few questions. I live in the area and would just like to come an watch. I s that OK? Also I would like to look at the vender areas. Is there any kind oaf admission fee and also where and when would I find the venders?

 

[Peter Alway]

Originally posted by laseradam
I also have a few questions. I live in the area and would just like to come an watch. I s that OK? Also I would like to look at the vender areas. Is there any kind oaf admission fee and also where and when would I find the venders?

Generally, spectators can come by free of charge. While the organizers may ask that cruel oafs pay a fee to compensate for any damage they may do, there is no kind oaf admission fee. I think that most vendors would consider an oaf who buys from them to be, by definition, a kind oaf, and most welcome free of charge.

You will have to wander the field to figure out where the vendors are--sometimes there is a vender row, sometimes there is not. You will find more vendors on Saturday and Sunday.

 

[Rocket Al]

Mr Alway,

Thanks ever so for your information regarding kind and cruel oafs (oaves?) You did not, however, consider the dimwitted oaf, or possibly the beligerent oafish lout.

Al

 

[Peter Alway]

Mr. Al, I was mereley trying to answer a specific question. And I hope I also gave a reasonably straight answer to the intended question.

 

[Malcolm]

I am thinking of driving down on Sunday, 7/31. May I register at the sport flying field? This is a spur of the moment thing as I just discovered I have that rarest of things, a Sunday unplanned by my wife. I am thinking of an Onyx and a Starburst. This would also be the first organized launch that I have ever attended. What do I need to bring besides the rockets, motors and other launch prep stuff?

Thanks,

Malcolm

 

[dasheight-8]

Please come on down. You can register at the site. The field should be fine for your rockets. There is a 4500' and K impulse limit. www.naram.org has full details, maps, etc.

Paul Picton

 

[Malcolm]

Paul,

Thank you for encouraging me to drive down. The field is great, the bramble areas are pretty tall but I got lucky twice. The Eliminator avoided the trees on its second E9-6 flight after having a roman candle CATO on the first attempt. The Initiator went deep as well on a G80-7. Two good samaritans gave me a direction and I found it also. My daughter and my other flights were uneventful. The launch was well organized including the delay for the grass fire.

My thanks to you and QUARK for a great father-daughter bonding experience.

Malcolm Smith

 

[Bill]

Originally posted by Malcolm
The Eliminator avoided the trees on its second E9-6 flight after having a roman candle CATO on the first attempt.

So that was you in this picture:

home.earthlink.net/~deiresearch/e9cato.jpg


Bill

 

[Malcolm]

Yes it was. The rocket survived to fly again and Bob Kaplow was able to paint a CSI like white body outline around it also, making his day. The nozzle blew out and the rest of the motor went through the rocket without damaging anything. Pretty exciting.

Malcolm

 

[dasheight-8]

I am glad you made it out. We don't charge extra for the show, when the fire department show up to put out grass fires. It added some excitment to the day.

Paul