New Club Announcement

[5thDay]

Apologies if there is a better forum area for such a post. I did not see one and graciously accept this thread be moved if appropriate.

It has been a busy few weeks for me in rocketry even though I have not flown anything above a B motor. I have been very busy with the foundational steps towards starting a new NAR club in Apache Junction, Arizona where I live. As of today I received authorization to use a dedicated area of city property for class 1 rockets with a willingness to discuss class 2 (HPR) launches at a later date.

This request was submitted for authorization to use an area of the city parks for launches which would allow me to advertise in the hope of locating rocketeers interested in forming a local club and doing scheduled launches.

Now completely eyehole deep in FAA, NAR, TRI and NFPA regulations and satisfied I am capable of incorporating those into "pre-club" launches which I will advertise at local hobby store rocketry aisles. I am waiting for one final on-location authorization meeting with the city to clarify launch sites, safety distances per class and other things such as parking and restrooms.

Are there any forum members in the Phoenix Arizona area interested in chatting or participating in such an effort?

Has anyone, regardless of area, started a new club that could give me some insight into things like range launch controlers, minimum qualifications for RSO etc?

 

[smstachwick]

Apologies if there is a better forum area for such a post. I did not see one and graciously accept this thread be moved if appropriate.

It has been a busy few weeks for me in rocketry even though I have not flown anything above a B motor. I have been very busy with the foundational steps towards starting a new NAR club in Apache Junction, Arizona where I live. As of today I received authorization to use a dedicated area of city property for class 1 rockets with a willingness to discuss class 2 (HPR) launches at a later date.

This request was submitted for authorization to use an area of the city parks for launches which would allow me to advertise in the hope of locating rocketeers interested in forming a local club and doing scheduled launches.

Now completely eyehole deep in FAA, NAR, TRI and NFPA regulations and satisfied I am capable of incorporating those into "pre-club" launches which I will advertise at local hobby store rocketry aisles. I am waiting for one final on-location authorization meeting with the city to clarify launch sites, safety distances per class and other things such as parking and restrooms.

Are there any forum members in the Phoenix Arizona area interested in chatting or participating in such an effort?

Has anyone, regardless of area, started a new club that could give me some insight into things like range launch controlers, minimum qualifications for RSO etc?

If you have not already, you may want to look into G. Harry Stine’s classic Handbook of Model Rocketry and see what he has to say about the running of a rocket range. Some may be helpful, some may not be.

I have not started a club myself but I have been at and volunteered for a number of launches recently. DART opens RSO duty to any club member, but the more rocketry experience and ability to stand firm in safety decisions, the better. ROC and Tripoli San Diego require Level 2 certification because they fly high-power. They open many other positions to everyone though. I volunteered as Launch Control Officer at November ROCStock, my first event with ROC, despite not having HPR certification. Being my first time, I did make a few mistakes, but nobody got hurt.

Currently for DART I’m in the process of carving out for myself a role as Liaison to Youth Groups and Scouting, with the aim to provide assistance for large groups of newcomers, both on and off the range, so that the rest of our members don’t get bogged down helping them set up. I’m preparing a set of cookie-cutter recommendations that I can send to any incoming groups, so if your club is in need of something like that, I can send you the draft that I have. You can then adapt it to your own club’s needs.

Anything else I can help with from here in the San Diego area, I’d be glad to do so.

 

[JimByrne]

I started a club two years ago in Kingman, Az. and would be glad to share experiences.
We keep it simple without club officers but use the NAR safety rules.
Contact me by email at [email protected]