EVENT SodBlaster IV SEPT 2-5, 2022 Pasco, WA Official Announcement!

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So, is it "Sod Blaster 4" or "Sod Blaster IV"? I know, talk about a down-in-the-weeds question. Just want to type it correctly when I refer to it elsewhere, really! :)
As you can see....either way is fine, I tend to use Roman Numerals but that's my preference. The banner is SodBlaster 4 the announcement is SodBlaster IV its really unimportant.
 
Excited about this launch! Haven't been able to make it since 2019. Does TCR have a launch tower for rockets without launch lugs? I have a couple of 3FNC minimum diameter birds (one 1.6" dia. and one 2.6" dia.) that I'd like to fly.
 
Excited about this launch! Haven't been able to make it since 2019. Does TCR have a launch tower for rockets without launch lugs? I have a couple of 3FNC minimum diameter birds (one 1.6" dia. and one 2.6" dia.) that I'd like to fly.
We do not have any club towers, however Bob Yanacek will probably be there and he has a 5-6' 38mm tower iirc that he usually brings with him.
 
I'm on my way, enroute from NC. Cannot wait, I've been looking forward to this!
You win the coveted "Lives farthest from the pad" award!

If anyone wants to drop by to say hello and look at my menagerie of silliness, I'll be in a white minivan and a blue popup. If I can get a space, I'll be on the side of the parking lot facing the pads. If not, I'll probably be on the opposite side.
 
You win the coveted "Lives farthest from the pad" award!

If anyone wants to drop by to say hello and look at my menagerie of silliness, I'll be in a white minivan and a blue popup. If I can get a space, I'll be on the side of the parking lot facing the pads. If not, I'll probably be on the opposite side.
I will be living at the Pre-Flight Safety Checks all weekend or my RV right behind the pop-up.
 
Excited about this launch! Haven't been able to make it since 2019. Does TCR have a launch tower for rockets without launch lugs? I have a couple of 3FNC minimum diameter birds (one 1.6" dia. and one 2.6" dia.) that I'd like to fly.

I'll also be there, but only Saturday and Sunday. Bob might only have his small fixed 38mm tower but mine will be adjustable for whatever you want to fly. Just ask for the Dawg Pack folks from Spokane.

Cheers,
Rob
 
I will be living at the Pre-Flight Safety Checks all weekend or my RV right behind the pop-up.

Hey Rich - do you have a place online I can sign up for some RSO or LCO duty? Didn't see anything obvious on the webpage.

Cheers,
Robo
 
Hey Rich - do you have a place online I can sign up for some RSO or LCO duty? Didn't see anything obvious on the webpage.

Cheers,
Robo
Hey Robo (Robo J maybe?), we do not, but we will have sign-up sheets for 1 hour stints at either position. I will need 1-2 people during certain hours (depends on day) to assist me at the Pre-Flight Safety Checks (must be NAR/TRA L2), and we will need at least one per hour for Launch Control (no special skills, just having fun yakkin' in the PA and pushing the button). Myself (RSO) and Dave King (LCO, Dave is also Launch Director) will be the leads in both positions.
As Dave says..."no volunteers, no flying"...we have never gotten to that point before so lets keep up the record.
 
Hey Robo (Robo J maybe?), we do not, but we will have sign-up sheets for 1 hour stints at either position. I will need 1-2 people during certain hours (depends on day) to assist me at the Pre-Flight Safety Checks (must be NAR/TRA L2), and we will need at least one per hour for Launch Control (no special skills, just having fun yakkin' in the PA and pushing the button). Myself (RSO) and Dave King (LCO, Dave is also Launch Director) will be the leads in both positions.
As Dave says..."no volunteers, no flying"...we have never gotten to that point before so lets keep up the record.
It is! Trying to be a little more active on the forums.

Sounds good, I'll see y'all next week.

Robo
 
I'm bummed. It looks like I'm going to be in CA due to a family emergency. Sorry to miss it!
 
FYI, forecast is looking very nice. Low to mid 90's, wind peaks under 10mph in the afternoon. Sunny of course because that's all we know this time of year. Bring the sunblock and stay hydrated.
Looks like the wind will be away from the corn all weekend too.
 
Looks like the wind will be away from the corn all weekend too.
Negative Ghost Rider, the prevailing winds are always from the SW, the corn will still be a factor, unless its been harvested. (I have seen a fair number of corn fields harvested already, we can hope). If I have time I may drive out to the field tomorrow and see.
 
We are only a bit over a week away from SodBlaster IV!
Looking forward to it! I will be there bright and early on Friday morning (driving over from the wet side on Thursday night), and will be the guy with a bunch of sounding rocket models and other birds.

Among the birds I will be bringing is my L3 project for its maiden flight on a L1000 or a L1390, and I found out last night that one of my TAPs will be attending as well, so maybe I can get my L3 attempt in assuming the maiden flight goes well.
 
Negative Ghost Rider, the prevailing winds are always from the SW, the corn will still be a factor, unless its been harvested. (I have seen a fair number of corn fields harvested already, we can hope). If I have time I may drive out to the field tomorrow and see.
That’s what I get for believing Weather Underground’s forecast for Pasco. Thanks for the local knowledge.
 
Is there a suitable place for ground testing ejection charges on site? I’m starting to run out of time for testing out here.
 
The forecast temperatures are creeping back up, and Friday looks to be getting windy in the afternoon/evening/overnight (National Weather Service, not Weather Underground). Still, I'm sure we will have a good time. We'll just not leave the canopy cover on Friday night if the forecast holds....

I'd love to have Weather Undergrond's forecast winds and the NWS forecast temps, but of course I don't get to choose :)

Added: as I was trying to pinpoint the site for the point forecast on the NWS web site, I discovered that the satellite image they have for that area must have been taken during a big launch event:

Screen Shot 2022-08-29 at 1.22.11 PM.png
 
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I discovered that the satellite image they have for that area must have been taken during a big launch event

The image shows the extended gravel camping/parking area so it is a fairly recent image and most likely during Sod Blaster last year. This photo looks much like the image you pulled from the website.

DJI_0768.JPG
 
It's been a couple of years since I've been, and Rich can correct me if I'm wrong, but there have not been food vendors in the past. Expect good support from rocketry vendors, but bring your own food. And be prepared for hot and dry. Hydrate and sunscreen. EZ-Ups are a valuable asset, but need to securely anchored in case of gusty wind.
 
It's been a couple of years since I've been, and Rich can correct me if I'm wrong, but there have not been food vendors in the past. Expect good support from rocketry vendors, but bring your own food. And be prepared for hot and dry. Hydrate and sunscreen. EZ-Ups are a valuable asset, but need to securely anchored in case of gusty wind.
You are correct, there are no food vendors at the launch. However Country Merchantile (Pasco) is just a few miles south on HWY 395. They have an excellent selection of sandwiches and other food you can buy, they also have locally made ice cream.

https://www.countrymercantile.com/
@BEC the picture is from last years SodBlaster III.
 
We are expecting temps on Friday over 100°F, about 2pm-ish we will either shut down flying or as long as we have willing victims....err volunteers for LCO continue flying at a reduced rate.

It will be very hot Friday, please plan your flights accordingly, and take plenty of water when chasing rockets.
 
The image shows the extended gravel camping/parking area so it is a fairly recent image and most likely during Sod Blaster last year. This photo looks much like the image you pulled from the website.

View attachment 534958
Yeah, it looks like the NWS’ satellite imagery vendor took the picture just a little earlier than the one from the quadcopter that Rich has shared (and you grabbed) simply because the latter image has more vehicles.

As I said before, I hope the NWS is right about temps and wrong about winds as they are predicting a high of 97 on Friday. But that number keeps creeping up….but at least the afternoon wind forecast is looking better (only gusts to 18 mph now) than the forecast earlier today.
 
Yeah, it looks like the NWS’ satellite imagery vendor took the picture just a little earlier than the one from the quadcopter that Rich has shared (and you grabbed) simply because the latter image has more vehicles.

As I said before, I hope the NWS is right about temps and wrong about winds as they are predicting a high of 97 on Friday. But that number keeps creeping up….but at least the afternoon wind forecast is looking better (only gusts to 18 mph now) than the forecast earlier today.
While I have found the NWS to be OK, Weather Underground seems to be a bit more accurate on temperature IMO, I fully expect we will see at or near 104F on Friday, as mentioned earlier we may shut flying down around 2pm as it will be approaching 100F by then.
 
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