During the after launch clean up activities, I asked the folks from Bay Area Rocketry if they had done well enough over the course of the day to warrant a repeat visit. Sounded like they were in at least the break-even range and planned to attend our next launch. Yippee!
A couple of reasons for the middling sales figures:
1. A number of our HP fliers were absent on Saturday most likely due to the postponement to a rain date.
2. This was the first time we've had an onsite vendor so folks didn't plan accordingly, maybe buying from the LHS or online vendors.
3. Hot weather kept folks away.
I've made purchases from Bay Area Rocketry at the last three launches they attended. Each time their stock has increased and with the Grand Opening 20% discount and NO HAZMAT FEES(!), I plan to buy more. Saturday I picked up an I161W-M, an I218R-M, and a G53FJ-7. I should have also picked up another H180W-M as I burned my last one later in the day.
Volunteers are always welcome, especially early in the day when the Cub Scouts, 4-H, and other young rocketeers flood the check-in table.
There are a couple of things we need to work on for upcoming SARG launches:
- 1. Our PA system works acceptably well but the microphone died Saturday morning. We need to repair or replace the mike.
- 2. The young'uns overwhelmed our two banks of four low power pads. Our launch controller has a maximum capacity of three banks of four pads. This means that the mid power folks are competing for pad space among the young horde. Secondly we had only set up two HP pads (one rod, one rail) which also created a bit of logjam.
- a. We need to set up at least three HP pads, preferrably four.
- b. We need to increase our launch control capacity to accommodate a bank of mid power pads.
The last item (increasing launch control capacity) is going to be the biggie.
