rharshberger
Well-Known Member
TriCities Rocketeers will be holding our annual 4 day Labor Day launch Sod Blaster. Announcement coming soon with additional info and contest information.
EVENT Sod Blaster 3 2021 Labor Day Weekend.
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Sounds good, Rich. I am planning to be there and booked a room yesterday. Prices were up from when I looked last week 
rharshberger
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Where we are staying (assuming Avis comes with again....several factors are working in the background that will decide that closer to the event) is further away, but it was so nice for June Swoosh we decided to go back.
rharshberger
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Official Announcement... in post #8
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rharshberger
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Here is the announcement in its entirety.......
SOD BLASTER 3 2021
SodBlaster 3 Labor Day weekend 2021
After missing a year, Sodblaster 3 is finally here for 2021. We will have four days of flying starting on Friday, contests, a silent auction, and raffle. Everyone must register at our registration table and show their NAR/TRA card to get the appropriate wristband. If you have already given us a TRC liability form in the past, you do not need a new one. If not, please fill one out ahead of time and bring it.
You may show up at the site for camping starting Thursday mid-afternoon. If you show up earlier than that, please be prepared to move as we will be coordinating rig parking so that we can fit everyone in. It will be first-come, first-served camping. See our camping page for more details. You will see that our camping area is now significantly larger than in the past.
Friday and Sunday are designated as TRA research days, so that means no kids under 18 are allowed at the high-power pads unless they have completed the TRA JR mentoring program. Of course, everyone will still have access to the low power and mid-power pads and both TRA and NAR members can fly on those days.
This year we are holding altitude contests for prizes – see our Contests page for more information. We will also host a silent auction on Saturday for some of our bigger ticket items, with the proceeds going to help improve our GSE and pay for the portapotty rentals. Also on Saturday we will be holding our raffle starting at 6:30 pm. If you have items you want to donate to the raffle, that would be most excellent. Just bring them to the registration table.
Night flights will be permitted starting Friday evening, weather permitting. For any other questions, please check our FAQ page.
Here are the contests we have planned for Sod Blaster 2021:
This year our Sod Blaster contest will be the Columbia Basin altitude challenge. The contest will be held Saturday only – each flier will be allowed a maximum of two attempts per category. You must enter ahead of time at the registration desk. After each attempt, you will need to bring your rocket with altimeter to the registration desk to have the altitude validated. Closest altitude wins – you are not penalized for going over. The contest ends at 6:00 pm and winners will be announced prior to the raffle. We will update the contest rules once we secure the prizes (and promise to actually announce the winners). The categories and target altitudes are:
LPR - Candy mountain base camp challenge: 840’, A through D motors
MPR – Badger mountain challenge: 1593’, E – G motors
HPR - Rattlesnake mountain challenge: 3527’, H motors and above
For more information about our launch site and club rules please visit https://www.tricitiesrocketeers.org/
SOD BLASTER 3 2021
SodBlaster 3 Labor Day weekend 2021
After missing a year, Sodblaster 3 is finally here for 2021. We will have four days of flying starting on Friday, contests, a silent auction, and raffle. Everyone must register at our registration table and show their NAR/TRA card to get the appropriate wristband. If you have already given us a TRC liability form in the past, you do not need a new one. If not, please fill one out ahead of time and bring it.
You may show up at the site for camping starting Thursday mid-afternoon. If you show up earlier than that, please be prepared to move as we will be coordinating rig parking so that we can fit everyone in. It will be first-come, first-served camping. See our camping page for more details. You will see that our camping area is now significantly larger than in the past.
Friday and Sunday are designated as TRA research days, so that means no kids under 18 are allowed at the high-power pads unless they have completed the TRA JR mentoring program. Of course, everyone will still have access to the low power and mid-power pads and both TRA and NAR members can fly on those days.
This year we are holding altitude contests for prizes – see our Contests page for more information. We will also host a silent auction on Saturday for some of our bigger ticket items, with the proceeds going to help improve our GSE and pay for the portapotty rentals. Also on Saturday we will be holding our raffle starting at 6:30 pm. If you have items you want to donate to the raffle, that would be most excellent. Just bring them to the registration table.
Night flights will be permitted starting Friday evening, weather permitting. For any other questions, please check our FAQ page.
Here are the contests we have planned for Sod Blaster 2021:
This year our Sod Blaster contest will be the Columbia Basin altitude challenge. The contest will be held Saturday only – each flier will be allowed a maximum of two attempts per category. You must enter ahead of time at the registration desk. After each attempt, you will need to bring your rocket with altimeter to the registration desk to have the altitude validated. Closest altitude wins – you are not penalized for going over. The contest ends at 6:00 pm and winners will be announced prior to the raffle. We will update the contest rules once we secure the prizes (and promise to actually announce the winners). The categories and target altitudes are:
LPR - Candy mountain base camp challenge: 840’, A through D motors
MPR – Badger mountain challenge: 1593’, E – G motors
HPR - Rattlesnake mountain challenge: 3527’, H motors and above
For more information about our launch site and club rules please visit https://www.tricitiesrocketeers.org/
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
All right gang, here we are only a few weeks away from SodBlaster 3! Who's planning to attend (I know there are lots not on TRF).
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
October may not happen due to staffing issues, but we will see.
We have the same place booked as we stayed in for June Swoosh and are planning to be there for all four days.
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I'll be there Sunday and Monday
rharshberger
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rharshberger
Well-Known Member
Awesome!
I'll be there Thurs. afternoon
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
Cool Mark!I'll be there Thurs. afternoon
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
And SodBlaster 3's sponsors are....
After missing all last year and planning summer launches this year....I am not able to make Sod Blasters, but hoped for October, again.
Maybe next year I'll actually get to fly some of the rockets I've built over the last year.
Maybe next year I'll actually get to fly some of the rockets I've built over the last year.
jpoehlman
Well-Known Member
Planning to attend Saturday and Sunday. Moved from Texas last summer, looking forward to connecting with the WA rocket community.
rharshberger
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See you there, I will be living at the RSO/Pre-Flight safety check table all weekend most likely.
MushuTheGreatStoneDragon
Active Member
Well shoot...
My Dad and I were planning on coming out to fly this weekend and help set up/run the RSO and LCO tables, but we've had to cancel at the last minute. On Sunday while on a bike ride, my dad got into an accident and hurt his leg pretty bad. He's doing ok, looks like the only major injury was a fracture near his knee but he's going to need surgery and will need to keep it immobilized for now.
We've loved coming out to Sodblaster in years past, and we are really sad that we're missing it this year after all our time spent building in quarantine. if there is any plan for a late September/October event we will aim for that next. But since we cant make it, have a blast (pun intended) for us!
-David
My Dad and I were planning on coming out to fly this weekend and help set up/run the RSO and LCO tables, but we've had to cancel at the last minute. On Sunday while on a bike ride, my dad got into an accident and hurt his leg pretty bad. He's doing ok, looks like the only major injury was a fracture near his knee but he's going to need surgery and will need to keep it immobilized for now.
We've loved coming out to Sodblaster in years past, and we are really sad that we're missing it this year after all our time spent building in quarantine. if there is any plan for a late September/October event we will aim for that next. But since we cant make it, have a blast (pun intended) for us!
-David
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
SodBlaster setup starts tomorrow 9/3! Please do not show up at the field before NOON, Tamara King and I will be onsite at that time to layout the camping areas and RV parking, so please do not arrive early and set up your RV's unless you are willing to move. Flying will start at 9am on 9/4 when the waiver opens. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
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Going to try and make it Saturday. I have a SBR Bullet that needs to fly!!
Lots of folks out at the field tonight when my wife and I went out to pitch our shade canopy for the weekend. It looks like the range is ready to go or nearly so for four days of flying. And the weather forecast has much lower winds than are common here (though the NWS is showing gusty winds late in the afternoon on Sunday). So it should be a great time to fly.
Well, Sod Blaster 3 is in the books. I expect Rich will pop back in here with the stats at some point. It was busy, especially Saturday and Sunday morning. The weather was sunny, hot, and relatively calm all four days. I can't recall a time I've flown at the Heinen Sod Farm and had such consistently low winds. We saw flights on everything from 1/2As to one N over the course of the event.
My wife and I had a good time flying and watching and visiting and I have only one major repair job to do (and she has only a minor one, I think). Because of the favorable winds, I think the longest walk I had to make was to about the middle of the sod circle immediately north of the range head and that was from putting an Alpha up on a C6-7 and having it hook a small thermal about halfway back down (as can be seen in the time vs. altitude graph here: https://flightsketch.com/flights/2806/).
A big THANK YOU to Dave and Tamara King, Rich Harshberger, and William Moser of TCR as well as Larry Kennedy, Jim Pommert and several others who volunteered for LCO shifts for giving Avis and I the opportunity to arrive home tired and happy after 3 1/2 days of launching rockets.
My wife and I had a good time flying and watching and visiting and I have only one major repair job to do (and she has only a minor one, I think). Because of the favorable winds, I think the longest walk I had to make was to about the middle of the sod circle immediately north of the range head and that was from putting an Alpha up on a C6-7 and having it hook a small thermal about halfway back down (as can be seen in the time vs. altitude graph here: https://flightsketch.com/flights/2806/).
A big THANK YOU to Dave and Tamara King, Rich Harshberger, and William Moser of TCR as well as Larry Kennedy, Jim Pommert and several others who volunteered for LCO shifts for giving Avis and I the opportunity to arrive home tired and happy after 3 1/2 days of launching rockets.
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rharshberger
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You are welcome Bernard! As soon as Dave crunches the numbers I will post them here as well as other places. We had lots of flights but with the changes in range operation we were rarely more than one rack standing by on Saturday and Sunday.
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Rich,
Thank you and the rest of your team for having a great launch on that beautiful grass field.
One question I had was which vendor had the various size Honest John rockets on display? I was so busy prepping rockets , I never had the chance to go up close to see them.
Thanks again!
Jack
I've made an album of random photos that I took at Sod Blasters, and another of random unedited(!) movies. These are a few of me and mine, but mostly others. If you see you or your rockets feel free to label them or ask me to remove them and I will.
Sod Blaster Random Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AfF6yuKZLsYYdpAQ6
Sod Blaster 2022 Unedited Movies:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/r9rzNGtEPPV4ZKWu9
Enjoy! (or in my case: wince)
Sod Blaster Random Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AfF6yuKZLsYYdpAQ6
Sod Blaster 2022 Unedited Movies:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/r9rzNGtEPPV4ZKWu9
Enjoy! (or in my case: wince)
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
Jack, sorry it took so long to respond, the vendor is Scott Binder SBR Fusion Rockets.
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