I Live in Kingston

I live in Kingston and will soon be losing my personal launch site once the farming operations begin again. I've joined CAR (#S 1435) and have been monitoring the Ottawa Rocketry Group on Facebook anxiously awaiting them to post a schedule. This would be my closest location that I know of. Everything on the table .... I don't "Facebook". Anyone here with that club?

From my readings here in the Canadian forum, out west seems very active, and yet not so much in the east. In the east here seems that the launch site of choice is Champlain Region Model Rocket Club in St Albans VT. Getting your motors for launches at this location must be a pain for Canadians? Do you guys that go there have a drop box on the other side of the border? Not to mention that it's a 4 hour drive each way for me I do own a 1988 VW Westfalia .... is there good camping around that location?

Are there other sanctioned groups that I just haven't stumbled upon in my searches? Did find some but they seem defunct and have had no activity in a long time and contact emails go unanswered.

Flying on my own is fun but I really would like to get involved in a club and as mentioned .... need a spring/summer/fall launch location. Way better way to exchange ideas and get pointers from the veterans and see what others are doing in the hobby. Furthermore, I'll never be able to get my L1 (and up) if I'm not in a club (or is there a way?). I'm at the limit of the motor sizes I can buy for the rockets I've built and its time to move up!

I just can't believe that our choices in south eastern Ontario and south western Quebec are that slim. Tell me I'm wrong.

Thanks

Slohand!

And sadly, Leading Edge hobbies is closing.. A favorite place to stop when we're in town! (And Bread & Butter Bakery!! Mmm... pie!!) We have friends & family in Kingston; the wife ill be there this week-end! (I'm a Montrealer)

Yes, things this side are slim. ORG, CRMRC, and QRC are about it.. You do, however, have URRG & MARS south of you (NY State, Finger lakes area), about a 3 hr drive.. There is the Cambridge club and another in / around Toronto, which I believe are both CAR. ORG is TRA, and CRMRC is NAR. QRC is CAR, but when they launch, it's about 1.5 hrs east of Montreal. URRG & MARS do have vendors on site, mostly. ORG is quite active, and some great people! Plan to attend either NYPower at MARS or URRF at URRG this summer.

There are a few ORG members here on TRF, as well as QRC and (obviouslsy!) CRMRC. I'm probably one of the more regular 'Eastern Canadians' here on TRF..

There is camping close to CRMRC, very close (like, 5 minutes down the road!) search for: Champlain Valley campground. (bring your rod, you'll be right on Lake Champlain!)

As for motors, you are allowed to bring APCL into the US, but not back into Canada. You are allowed up to 6 'E' BP motors each way. Just declare them! Order from Pavel at Allrocketengines.ca, and bring what you can launch in a day..

Interesting. I'm in Montreal often (St. Lambert) have two brothers there and was considering those trips as staging departures for the CRMRC launches. Only an hour and a half from there.

The brick and mortar Leading Edge is closing but Tony (one of the two brothers who own it) tells me that they will be focusing on their website and will have a pickup location at Bronson&Bronson for local orders. No shipping costs No big change for me as I always had to pre-order any rocket stuff and go get it a week later LOL. I'm loving Pavel at Allrocketengines.ca though and might just stick with him.

Toast and Jam right next door to B&B Bakery is a must!

URRG is 4 hours away and MARS 4:30. ORG would be ideal just really quiet on their facebook page and website. ORG being TRA and not CAR, what does that entail? my CAR membership is still good there, right?

BTW, are you qualified as a Range Safety Officer I Could get you to come out to my winter launch site on April 20th to witness my first L1 attempt? I'll submit the forms to TC for launch approvals above 160 newtons and supply the burgers on the BBQ! Otherwise I'll be restricted to sub 160 for that day. The site meets all the criteria in the regs and property owner approval is not an issue, he won't want me in his fields after that weekend ...... call me a dreamer.

slohand said:

ORG being TRA and not CAR, what does that entail? my CAR membership is still good there, right?

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Hey Slohand. Sorry to say but no your CAR/ACF membership will not work at TRA or NAR launches and vise versa. Closest CAR/ACF launch and RSO is QRC to you in Ontario.

David

dr wogz said:

There is the Cambridge club and another in / around Toronto, which I believe are both CAR.

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Cambridge is LPR and MPR only and is neither CAR or Tripoli, we are MAAC affiliated, which requires a MAAC (Model Aeronautics Association of Canada) membership.

St. Lambert, huh... I went to Chambly County (early 80's). And Preville, and Royal George, and St. Lambert Elementary. I had some friends at Centennial.. We hung out at Hartley's. 'the square' in downtown St. Lambert (across form Taylor's) and Seaway park.. Should we know each other?!?!

There are a few of us Montrealers who drive down to CRMRC. We fly every month!

OPRG are going thru their yearly approval process for the field. They launch on a military base, and are waiting for the approvals to come thru, from what I've heard. hence the quietness..

I'm NAR, so I don't follow the CAR requirements for RSO. I am L2 and can help you with your L1, but under NAR rules. For you, for your L1, you need to file a waiver.. Hence why a club is always best..

CRMRC has a launch that day; April 20th.. So that's where I'll be.. sorry..

Crayok said:

Hey Slohand. Sorry to say but no your CAR/ACF membership will not work at TRA or NAR launches and vise versa. Closest CAR/ACF launch and RSO is QRC to you in Ontario.

David

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Okay .... I'm confused now. So what you are saying is I have to pay membership dues to all three (CAR/TRA/NAR) to be eligible at each of these different locations in addition to the club membership dues? I thought that there were reciprocal agreements between CAR/TRA/NAR?

mpitfield said:

Cambridge is LPR and MPR only and is neither CAR or Tripoli, we are MAAC affiliated, which requires a MAAC (Model Aeronautics Association of Canada) membership.

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.... and MAAC!!! I was a member back in the early nineties ..... flew planes and helicopters. Haven't done that in a while. Used to fly out of the BRAMALEA RADIO CONTROL FLYERS club.

dr wogz said:

St. Lambert, huh... I went to Chambly County (early 80's). And Preville, and Royal George, and St. Lambert Elementary. I had some friends at Centennial.. We hung out at Hartley's. 'the square' in downtown St. Lambert (across form Taylor's) and Seaway park.. Should we know each other?!?!

There are a few of us Montrealers who drive down to CRMRC. We fly every month!

OPRG are going thru their yearly approval process for the field. They launch on a military base, and are waiting for the approvals to come thru, from what I've heard. hence the quietness..

I'm NAR, so I don't follow the CAR requirements for RSO. I am L2 and can help you with your L1, but under NAR rules. For you, for your L1, you need to file a waiver.. Hence why a club is always best..

CRMRC has a launch that day; April 20th.. So that's where I'll be.. sorry..

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Centennial ... you may know my brother, he was Vice Principal there and Principal. I actually grew up in Otterburn Park and went RVRHS. Have a ton of friends that went to Centennial.

I really want to get myself "legal" for all my rocketry stuff but it doesn't seem like it's going to be easy from an administrative point of view.

slohand said:

Okay .... I'm confused now. So what you are saying is I have to pay membership dues to all three (CAR/TRA/NAR) to be eligible at each of these different locations in addition to the club membership dues? I thought that there were reciprocal agreements between CAR/TRA/NAR?

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Reciprocal between NAR & TRA, not so much with CAR.

You only need one.
Or maybe two depending on who you want to fly with.
Or all three for full coverage, benefits, pins, and ...

Most get either NAR or TAR, and get CAR when they need to (or will have CAR, and get NAR or TRA when they need to).. Some NAR/TRA clubs honour CAR, some don't. Most CAR clubs won't honour NAR/TRA (From what I've understood) MAAC stands alone, not reciprocal with any. So, it depends on the club you join; who you'll sign up with.. CRMRC is NAR, and to level with us, you need NAR. ORG is TRA, you'll need TRA to level with them.

dr wogz said:

Reciprocal between NAR & TRA, not so much with CAR.

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Reciprocal agreements are for certification levels and motor testing and apply to CAR/ACF NAR and TRA. The insurance thing is more complex and while there is an agreement is it reciprocal? (semantics, yes)

Slohand NAR and TRA have an insurance agreement that covers either organization flyer I did not find an explanation on either NAR ot TRA sites but I suspect I just missed it.
https://www.oregonrocketry.com/?page_id=181

But to your situation, Ontario is a challenge from both a club perspective and availability of launch sites. Models seems to have a lot more freedom but HPR sites are light and there are no CAR/ACF approved sites there, sorry.

David

I am wirh ORG and love it! Eagerly awaiting the calendar as well. 750ft ceiling AGL for high power. No limit on low and mid power.

James Simpson said:

I am wirh ORG and love it! Eagerly awaiting the calendar as well. 750ft ceiling AGL for high power. No limit on low and mid power.

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Awesome James ... ORG would be the most convinient for me but 750ft ceiling? I've spent the winter building 1000 METER (3280 feet) rockets lol. My first Estes kits, the phantom blue, was rated for 1100 feet on a C motor.

I will definitely come up to one of your launches just to meet all you good folks (have heard nothing but good thing about ORG) and bring my phantom blue with a B motor

High power (H to O) is limited to 750 AGL. Low and mid (A to G) is only limited by physics.

slohand said:

.... and MAAC!!! I was a member back in the early nineties ..... flew planes and helicopters. Haven't done that in a while. Used to fly out of the BRAMALEA RADIO CONTROL FLYERS club.

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Yeah and MAAC membership is far more expensive than Tripoli, NAR or CAR. At least we can fly up to MPR, under the MAAC banner, with the comfort of having insurance.

James Simpson said:

I am wirh ORG and love it! Eagerly awaiting the calendar as well. 750ft ceiling AGL for high power. No limit on low and mid power.

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I'm looking forward to it, too! I've got a number of rockets that need to have their maiden/shake-down flights!

Tyler P said:

I'm looking forward to it, too! I've got a number of rockets that need to have their maiden/shake-down flights!

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The first launch day will be a busy one!