G.R.I.T.S. is coming!!

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PropellantHead

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Southern Area Rocketry (SoAR) of Atlanta, is proud to announce our upcoming multi-day launch event: Georgia Rockets In The Sky (or

GRITS for short!). This will be a dual NAR/TRA event and the details are as follows:

- LOCATION: The Cagle Farm, a few miles off I-75 near Calhoun, GA
- DATES: April 1-3 (TRA research ONLY on Friday, April 1; NAR on Sat. & Sun.)
- TIMES: 10am to 5pm all three days. On Saturday evening we will have a NIGHT LAUNCH from 8pm to 10pm!
- WAIVER: 8,000 ft.
- MOTOR SUPPORT: Anything from 1/8A up to M
- CONTESTS: "Closest to Target" and a "People's Choice" rocket beauty contest
- RAFFLE PRIZES: Tons and tons!!!

Site Amenities: camping sites, indoor bathroom/shower facilities, firepits, large covered pavilions & grills for cooking

For more information or to register, click here to go to the official G.R.I.T.S. web page: https://www.gritslaunch.com
 
For those interested, here's the press release being distributed about the event:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


SOAR & TRIPOLI ATLANTA ANNOUNCE INAUGURAL ROCKET LAUNCH EVENT IN NORTH GEORGIA

Annual event to be called Georgia Rockets In The Sky (G.R.I.T.S. for short)


Atlanta, GA – Over the three-day weekend of April 1st thru 3rd, just as the sun nears its peak each day, the skies over the Cagle Farm in North Georgia will come to life as rockets of all sizes and shapes fight for altitude as well as for the “oooohs” and “aaahs” of the crowds that will be gathered below.

Friday, April 1st, will be a Tripoli Atlanta sponsored research day with experimental motors welcome (must be Tripoli level 2 certified to fly experimental motors) while Saturday and Sunday will be NAR sponsored and will support commercial (Sub-A thru M) motors only. In addition to normal launch activities, the event will boast a “spot landing” contest as well as a “People’s Choice” award for the crowd’s favorite rocket of the event. Attendees can also look forward to lots of prizes which will be raffled off during the 3-day event.

This launch will mark the first major event to be held at SoAR’s and Tripoli Atlanta’s newest high-power field. Located near Calhoun, Georgia, the site boasts a 4000ft x 4500ft field size and a waiver of 8,000 feet. “Getting access to this site was the culmination of a whole lot of work by many individuals and we are just ecstatic,” says Jorge Blanco, President of Southern Area Rocketry (SoAR). “We’ve been searching long and hard for a new high-power site and this location not only offers us the dimensions and waiver possibilities we’ve been seeking, but the amenities available there are way above and beyond what we’d hoped for. This is truly a golden find for us.”

The Cagle Farm boasts two large covered pavilions, each with copious amounts of seating and table space. Additionally, the adjoining camping area has an outbuilding with full bathroom facilities (including available hot showers), grills for cooking, fire pits and even a modest playground area for kids.

Jorge concluded, “SoAR co-sponsored NSL 2008 and, while that was a fantastic experience for us, being able to host an event of our own…in our own back yard is something we’ve been looking forward to for many years. It’s very early in the game for this event and we’re already seeing a level of energy within our local organizations that we haven’t experienced in a long time.”

# # #​

For more information or for event registration, check out the Official GRITS web site: https://www.gritslaunch.com


Contact: Glenn Harper
Ph#: 770-714-1004
Email: [email protected]
 
The official event motel is the Jameson Inn in Calhoun, Georgia.

Jameson Inn is offering a discounted rate of $61.99 + tax, 1-4 occupants in any room type. This rate is available to all participants of the Model Rocket (G.R.I.T.S.) event scheduled for April 1st-3rd in Resaca (Calhoun) Georgia. To qualify for the discounted rate, just mention “Grits” or "Model Rocket Event" when you call or in your email.


They also have the following amenities:


“Complimentary Amenities to all Guests”

- Deluxe Breakfast w/Homemade Belgian Waffles, Biscuits w/Gravy & other tantalizing items
- All Rooms have an Iron, Full size Ironing Board, & Hairdryer
- Wireless High Speed Internet Access in all rooms & Business Center in the Lobby
- 24 Hour on sight Fitness Center
- Drive up parking to guest rooms for easier load and unload


“Complimentary Services exclusive to Grits attendees”

- Free upgrade to Premium Rooms featuring Microwave and Refrigerator (upon request)
- Early Check in Available (11am if room is ready)
- Delayed departure consideration (as late as 12:30pm with advance notice)
- Cancellation or changes to reservations (without penalty) as late as noon on the day of arrival
- Reservations can be made directly with us by email @ [email protected]
 
For those of you wondering what kind of food will be available at or near the launch, we are going the typical route of having a boy scout troop come in to cook burgers/hot dogs for lunch on Saturday & Sunday. However, for Saturday night, we managed to talk the owners of the regionally famous "Walker's Fried Pies & BBQ" restaurant into taking their show on the road! They will be coming to us on Saturday evening and cooking BBQ and their world famous fried pies right on the field! The evening will then be topped off with our 8pm to 10pm night launch activities.

To paraphrase David Letterman, this will be more fun (and yummy awesomeness) than humans should be allowed!
 
Less than a week away! Right now the weather forecast for Friday thru Sunday is pretty darn good with only some hours on Friday being "iffy". We should have 15 high power pads (plus 32 low & mid power) set up and ready!

Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them, right? :D
 
Quite a crowd Saturday at GRITS, but it was so windy no one flew much, but once people realized it wasn't going to get much better (it got MUCH worse!) they started flying with the understanding that they'd have to walk a long way to get their rockets back!

[YOUTUBE]XJ8-gRGZrBo[/YOUTUBE]
 
Impressive turnout. Too bad the weather wouldn't cooperate :(

The gale force winds on Saturday destroyed some pop-up shelters, but not our spirits! We did have a Hybrid M-power flight late in the day and quite a few high power flights earlier in the afternoon as people realized the size of the field would allow them to get their rockets back, albeit with a lot of walking. Sunday, however, was a very good day for flying and the Friday research day was not bad at all either save for a bit of unwanted cloud cover from time to time. Here's a video from Friday of Burl's FatNike burning up an 9000 N/s M motor:

[YOUTUBE]o-0SwTFj-Wg[/YOUTUBE]
 
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