distance traveled for a launch

[ColumbiaNX01]

Hey guys what is the furthest distance people travel for a rocket launch. For me to my local launches is only 35 miles or so and to Argonia from me is about 150 miles. Black rock is about 1700 miles too, but never been there. Hope to go in 2018.

Andrew

 

[djs]

I went to NSL2017 last year, which was 600 miles each way. On the other hand, my parents live 30 min from the launch site, so I was also going to visit them

Normal HPR launch for me is either 1 hour away or 1 hour 40 min away (depending on where I'm going). Normal LPR launch- my local site is 5 min away.

 

[blackbrandt]

Normal HPR site is 3 hours or so away.

Farthest I've driven is almost 10 hours. (LDRS34)

 

[RocketFeller]

To our main launch site in Brothers it is about 170 miles, which is the furthest I've driven to launch.

Our Perrydale site (only one launch per year) is about 40 miles from my house.

Our Silverton site (FAR 101) is directly across the highway from my house (not a coincidence) so it is about a mile or so of gravel farm road from home.

Last night we launched three times in the yard, which is about a 20 yard walk from the front door.

 

[dhbarr]

After Leonard, the next closest to me are Kloudbusters & apparently Teeniemunde followed by PARC.

I really need to work on understanding all their schedules and requirements so I can hopefully get a few more Ns this year.

 

[Cl(VII)]

LP/MP: 1 hr
HP: 1-2.5 hr
Airfest: 6 hr

 

[TRFfan]

About 5 hours.

 

[DAllen]

15 hours for LDRS 27 and 30.

about 9 hours for USLI in Huntsville in 2016 and 2014.

 

[FredA]

Our "local" high power field is a 250 mile away and Balls is 550 miles.
We also have what I would call a mid-power field (5k waiver) that is about 45 miles, but we only get to fly there once a year.

 

[mpitfield]

For my "local" HP launches I go to upstate NY which is about 200 miles, and so far that has been the longest distance traveled, which I do several times a year. However I will be attending LDRS36 and that is about 580 miles according to Google maps. We also have a couple of local LP-MP fields and they are about 50-60 miles away.

 

[Charles_McG]

1 mile from my place of business - as the rocket flies. About 10 minutes by car.

 

[TangoJuliet]

The nearest club to me is www.sears572.com which is over 150 miles... I haven't been to one of their launches... Yet. I work every other weekend, so it's a little dependent upon whether or not I'm off.

For LPR/MPR I go to my local R/C airplane field (I'm also a member of that club) which is roughly a 15-20 minute drive, but I'm scoping out a nearby middle school for LPR and possibly some MPR which would be less than 10 minutes.

 

[RocketFeller]

Our "local" high power field is a 250 mile away and Balls is 550 miles.
We also have what I would call a mid-power field (5k waiver) that is about 45 miles, but we only get to fly there once a year.

Mid-power field for your kind of rocket, Fred! I flew an L there last year and am hoping to fly an M this year. 🙂

 

[Mugs914]

My local LPR/MPR launch (1000' celing) is 40 miles from my house. Takes me about 40 mins to get to the field in the morning and an hour or more to get home once the SoCal traffic kicks in...

For HPR, Lucerm is 140 miles, give or take and about 2.5 hrs, Holtville is 165 miles, 2.75 hrs.

 

[mccordmw]

Our St. Louis club has a new HPR site in IL that's 65 miles away.
I'm also a Teeniemunde club member. That launch site is at Walnut Grove, 220 miles.
And the drive to MWP at Princeton, IL is 240 miles.

Our LPR/MPR field at Buder Park is just 6 miles.

 

[FredA]

Mid-power field for your kind of rocket, Fred! I flew an L there last year and am hoping to fly an M this year.

Yea, you can do that if you fly a really big rocket like your team's.....as you well know, I don't do "low and slow."
As a commercial-only field, I really have near zero interest.
I only added it to paint a complete picture.
Despite how close the field, the launch's proximity to Balls on the calendar and the commercial-only restriction makes it a no-go for me and my team....not worth the bother and we have more important things to do to get ready for Balls.

I actually built (and prepped) a rocket for Sheridan two years ago. It's still sitting in my garage fully loaded. Someday, maybe...

 

[rstaff3]

I know people from down under have come here and some TRFers jave gone there. They will win this contest.

 

[MikeyDSlagle]

TRA-LA flies at High Cotton, about 120 miles and 2.5 hours - ex and HPR. That's as far as I've gone.
That's about as local as HPR gets here. LPR I can do in my yard, just have to keep it low. I've got permission to fly LPR and MPR on a few local fields, just haven't done it.
Was going see about getting a waiver to fly some HPR, but not sure it's worth the trouble since both fields, and maybe my place, are in US Army airspace...I think.

Mikey D

 

[boatgeek]

45 minutes to LPR/MPR to 1,000 feet or so (winter and spring only due to soccer). 4 hours to HPR. Flying all day to Huntsville.

 

[Nytrunner]

Local TARC practice field is ~8 mins from my place.
Manchester TN is ~1.5 hrs drive for HPR
Birmingham is ~1.2 hr drive for a 3k' waiver (when the state isn't on fire or drowning).

 

[michigander]

closest launch is 3 1/2 hrs away , we weather watch and make it a weekend most times

 

[TangoJuliet]

Birmingham is ~1.2 hr drive for a 3k' waiver (when the state isn't on fire or drowning).

No kidding! Between weekends at work, a statewide burn ban, and then frog strangling downpours, I had to wait almost 4 months to officially become a BAR!

 

[dr wogz]

Closest and highest waiver, and HPR to M is 1.5hrs, and I need to cross an international border. Also is my current club; LPR to HPR
next closest is 1.5hrs, launches about every 2nd week-end, but is limited to 1000'ASL (about 750'AGL) for HPR. And I need to cross a provincial border.
After that is about 2 hrs drive, but only launch about 4-6 times a year (with one of these launches being a 5+hr drive) Typically up to L, and about 5000' limit. Good Poutine along the way, and a chance to run into Celine Dion..
Then there's CMASS at about 4 hrs..
A 5-6 hr drive gets me to URRG or Boston or the greater Toronto area (Also gets me to my regular trout fishing lakes!!)
I plan to do LRDS35 this year, and that's gonna be about a 9+ hr drive..

 

[TALON]

LP/MP (sometimes HP) 58 Miles 1hr

HP 2 hrs

 

[tightwad]

LP 5 minutes out my back door, weather and wind permitting.
MP 10 minutes and if I have balls, I can do it out the back door if the tide is out.

 

[The_Lone_Beagle]

Regular launch site is 2.5 hours away...I make it about 6 times/year, when it isn't rained out or in a drought.

If I need a fix, there are a couple of fields about 4.5 hours away that launch on alternate weekends, I'll do that once or twice a year.

I sneak out on my own to launch MMX's from a local ball field whenever I look at my build pile and ask myself, "I fly these things too, right?"

 

[Hardline]

TRA/PHX HPR launch area 90 miles / 1.5 hour drive (most months)
SSS Airfield HPR site 90 miles / 1.5 hour (couple times of year)
SARA is 170 miles / 2.5 hour drive (only went once)
Tripoli San Diego at Holtville, CA 218 miles / 3.5 hour drive (new for us this year holtville havoc coming up March 4 & 5th!)
ROC at Lucerne Valley, CA 325 miles / 5 hours (go once / twice a year)
Alamagordo, NM 482 miles / 7 hours (new for us this year for NSL - 2017 May 27 to 29th)
Hellfire at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah 650 miles / 10 hours (been there twice - awesome launch!)
Airfest at Argonia, Kansas 1025 miles / 16 hours (once a year, missed last year dang)

These are all times based upon pulling a toy hauler with all of Wayne's and my rockets strapped to the bunk beds.
Except Hellfire when we just take a little trailer...

 

[Nytrunner]

No kidding! Between weekends at work, a statewide burn ban, and then frog strangling downpours, I had to wait almost 4 months to officially become a BAR!

Eesh, I BAREly got my L1 in September before everything shut down. I've had an H225 in the closet since October waiting to fly it again.

 

[T-Rex]

My "local" field is 101 miles each way (about 1 hour 45 min). If I want to fly above 2000ft, it is 172 miles each way (about 3 1/2 hours).
Though I did fly with Indiana Rocketry once (the guys who host Thunderstruck), because I was in town on business, and that is 997 miles from the homestead

 

[woferry]

3 sites that I attend as many times as I can (barring other personal/work conflicts):

LUNAR Snow Ranch, ~115 miles, ~2 hours each way (1-day launches, short season due to fire hazard)
TCC Helm, ~140 miles, ~2:15 each way (1 day launches basically every month, May & Oct are 3-day-launches, so I stay at one of the closest motels, ~30 min away)
AeroPac (XPRS @ Black Rock), ~380 miles, ~7:30 each way (3-day launch, rent an RV and camp on-site, only once a year but worth the trip)

And last year I went to LDRS since it was in SoCal (ROC's site), ~400 miles, ~7:00 each way (5-day event, rented an RV and camped on-site). Great site, but too far to go to regularly for me (I'd go back for another LDRS though).

My Dad has come along for the XPRS and LDRS trips, and he's from PA so it's more like 2600 miles / ~5 hrs by plane for all 5 launches he's gone to (plus the drive from my place to the launch sites), though he builds and keeps his rockets at my house. Keeps telling me I'm welcome to fly them when he's not around, but I don't want to risk crashing them.