LDRS 32 - Black Rock, NV - Who's Coming?

[Aksrockets]

Wanted to give this thread a little nudge. What have you guys that are on the 'maybe' list thinking?

Excited to go!

Alex

 

[BLKKROW]

I would love to go but recently I have had many medical complications.

So I have no time available to leave work.

You can take me off the Maybe list. There is always next year

 

[Yoehahn]

Wanted to give this thread a little nudge. What have you guys that are on the 'maybe' list thinking?

Excited to go!

Alex

I decided on "no". I almost went, and if I did I would have flown an N5800 contest entry, but the rules at LDRS made me decide against it

 

[Wayco]

Sharon and I are still on the fence with this launch. It still depends on how busy Sharon is with her business. Also depends on if I get my L-2 cert next month. Don't need the humongus waiver if I don't have anything that will fly over 6k ft.

 

[Green Jello]

Updated "Maybe" list.

 

[stealth6]

It's looking less likely for me now. I just started some new work - and I've got to work weekends. I may not get to ANY launches this year, including Hellfire. Yuck.
There is some talk that we would have a 10-14 day stretch off "sometime around late July". However, at the moment it looks like that time will be slotted exactly in between Hellfire and LDRS. Couldn't be worse timing. If they shift that window just a little forward or back, I'd at least be able to do one of the launches. Right now it's too early to tell, but it's not looking good.

s6

 

[Viperfixr]

Although I live in Vegas (compliments of US Air Force), I was in Afghanistan when LDRS 2010 was at Lucerne. This go around, I'll be back from Pakistan in June, but take a new command on 2 July (57th Maintenance Group)...fairly sure I will not be able to break away, darn it!!

If anyone needs a place to crash in Las Vegas (Nellis AFB, really) while on their way, let me know--our new base house has a lot of space.

 

[CarVac]

I just noticed; you have Bare Necessities down as a person.

 

[troj]

I just noticed; you have Bare Necessities down as a person.

Is the PayPal account you sent the registration from listed as "Bare Necessities"? If so, that's what happened -- I paid our registration from a business account, and that's how we ended up listed. An email to Dave Rose got that fixed.

-Kevin

 

[troj]

This go around, I'll be back from Pakistan in June, but take a new command on 2 July (57th Maintenance Group)...fairly sure I will not be able to break away, darn it!!

But as the commander, don't you get to set the rules?

Hope you can find time to sneak away for a day!

-Kevin

 

[Fdog]

Is the PayPal account you sent the registration from listed as "Bare Necessities"? If so, that's what happened -- I paid our registration from a business account, and that's how we ended up listed. An email to Dave Rose got that fixed.

-Kevin

Kevin, if you could point me to Dave Rose's email (I scoured LDRS32.com and couldn't find it) I'd appreciate it - Janet isn't listed since we paid from the same PayPal account.

All the best, James

Edit: found it! On the Vendors page.

 

[Aksrockets]

Im going to give this thread another little nudge. The clock is ticking down! Its only a matter of weeks now. Wow, I need to get working on some projects. My "large project" is still in parts and pieces!

Alex

 

[Fdog]

I'd posted this on the AeroPac mail list, but thought some folks here might get some value from it, too:



We went camping out on the Black Rock this last weekend. It’s been a while and we were excited to get the toy hauler out after the winter.

Since we’d had 3 or 4 days of rain in Reno during the week prior, we drove out onto the playa at 12 Mile with a bit of caution:

You’ll notice some standing water in the depressed surface of the “road”. This was completely gone when we drove out 2 days later (in fact you could drive on the previously wet areas!).


The surface is pavement-hard near 12 Mile, as you can see here. Our trailer is ~8600 lbs with full water tanks at 120 gallons.

We camped at the published coordinates for Aeropac, N40 49'45.8" W119 08'21.6". There isn’t a trace of mud, in fact it is quite pleasingly firm and dry.

Here’s a look at our tire tracks. Not much in the way of surface break-through, in fact none. It felt like “August Playa” actually.

We spent a couple days exploring the back trails to the north and west, soaked our tired bodies at Double Hot, and generally enjoyed no cell service.


In our comings and goings we DID notice that the playa roughly ¾ to 1 mile directly north of the Aeropac coordinates was quite a bit harder and smoother. It was fine where we were, but if we returned we’d move north.

For so soon in the season, it was warm – and dry – but, it felt good after the endless winter we’ve had this year:

Just a last photo, to get y’all in the mood for Mudroc (or, LDRS!):

All the best, James

 

[Green Jello]

Awesome! Is that a new truck James?

 

[Fdog]

<blush> Why no, it isn't! We've had it since 2008. It must have been the herd of "makeup artists" just out of camera range...

Thanks for the compliment though.

All the best, James

 

[JohnCoker]

I plan to be there Saturday (not flying anything, though).

 

[rocketcolonel]

Definite. I thought the Salt Flats here in Utah was the best place to fly until I went to Black Rock. This is the best place to fly ever. Only been out in the middle of summer once though for an AEROPAC launch. Have been to Balls several times. It is absolutely worth the drive and worth any dust you might eat from roughing it. I have seen days so calm that the rockets fall within 10 feet of the pad at BALLS. There are other options other than roughing it like renting an RV in Reno. If you tent it you can get some relief from the heat in the hot pots at Trego or the Frog Ponds. Look forward to seeing you all out there. Hopefully I have nudged any fence sitters off to go and experience Black Rock. Like no place on earth.

 

[iter]

Awwww!

Ari.

 

[Green Jello]

Yeah, that is a sweet shot. It also does a great job showing what is so great about Black Rock.

 

[belfert]

I finally registered this past weekend. I noticed as of May 30 only about 60 people are registered. I'm hoping a lot more people show up than that and I expect many will wait until the last minute.

This is my first West Coast LDRS although I have attended BALLS every year since 2002.

 

[Green Jello]

I would imagine so. I know I've been dragging my feet on it. My registration will add 4 people.

You have until July 12th to get the early registration discount.

 

[dave carver]

LDRS, no, XPRS, yes. The very thought of being out on that lakebed middle of summer....not happening. Don't need heat stroke.

Only have one piece of advice, fly what you got as soon as you can. "Saving" something for the next day is not a good idea at Black Rock. It can be dead calm one day and blowing 40 MPH the next, often without warning. I've been there 5 times and only once was it nice two days in a row.

 

[Green Jello]

About to register...... Should I do the banquet? If I didn't register for it and decide to later, can you pay the day of?

 

[Green Jello]

LDRS, no, XPRS, yes. The very thought of being out on that lakebed middle of summer....not happening. Don't need heat stroke.

In case anyone was wondering, here are the averages:

 

[MClark]

93
I will need to take a coat.

M

 

[CCotner]

For those with more experience in Black Rock in the summer: what are the average July temperatures, not in Gerlach, but on the lakebed?

We just went to a launch at Lucerne dry lakebed that was 108F at 1pm, and we left to go to Big Bear in the mountains to escape the heat because two of our rookies had heatstroke. This time, at LDRS, we won't have any where to drive too, and we'll be on the lakebed 24/7 unless we leave to buy more ice.

 

[Fdog]

Mid July is still an unstable time of year for us, weather-wise. So on the Black Rock, it can be either quite warm (low 100's) to surprisingly cool (~85). It doesn't turn into consistent hot temperatures until mid August.

The relative humidity, however, is usually single digits. I've seen 5% RH out there before in the depth of summer. Last weekend we had 12%. So it truly IS a "dry heat", that makes the temps seem less than they really are.

That low RH will suck the water right out of you, though, which will make Tony and I stick needles into you if you're not careful. My rule of thumb is a bottle of water an hour, even if I don't think I need to.


All the best, James

 

[mannyskid]

I just registered for LDRS: Black Rock and have one question, is camping on the playa really as bad as it seems? I'll be driving with Judy and Jackson Lubin and they are staying at Bruno's, since we only have one car it wouldn't make much sense for me to drive all the way back to Fernley and back and forth with them so the best option seems to be to camp on the playa, anyone have any experience or tips?

Manny

 

[CarVac]

I just registered for LDRS: Black Rock and have one question, is camping on the playa really as bad as it seems? I'll be driving with Judy and Jackson Lubin and they are staying at Bruno's, since we only have one car it wouldn't make much sense for me to drive all the way back to Fernley and back and forth with them so the best option seems to be to camp on the playa, anyone have any experience or tips?

Manny

At XPRS I slept under the stars between two cars; a foam camping mattress beneath, and an unzipped sleeping bag on top of me. Best sleep I've had lately (what with school).

EDIT: Also, the stars are downright spectacular. Normally I take off contacts/glasses when sleeping, but it was far, far too awesome so I left my glasses on.

 

[tfish]

Manny, Tips..plan for the worse. (110+ degrees 40+ MPH winds) and you'll be good.

check out the last minute of this video from Balls 2011.

[video=youtube;d-rLgPCc0rU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-rLgPCc0rU[/video]

Tony