Where to Fly Very High on the East Coast?

[patelldp]

I don't believe I mention anything about TRA involvement. Cherryfield is a town in Maine with lots of blueberry fields that has been used by a TRA Prefecture for high power launches. The field has had FAA waivers granted to 50 kft, so there is no reason that a commercial company could not gain access to the location and get permission to conduct a commercial launch to the same altitudes for DoD funded research.

The DoD program is described at https://www.appliedthermalsciences.com/pages/hypersonics.html but there is no information on the waiver altitude granted for these development flights.

Bob

Per their Facebook page, current waiver is 8,000' standing, 29,000' call-ins. Mention of construction on site could be the new limiting factor. Trying to confirm the situation.

If they have 50,000', I'll be heading up there in the very near future.

 

[watermelonman]

I don't believe I mention anything about TRA involvement. Cherryfield is a town in Maine with lots of blueberry fields that has been used by a TRA Prefecture for high power launches. The field has had FAA waivers granted to 50 kft, so there is no reason that a commercial company could not gain access to the location and get permission to conduct a commercial launch to the same altitudes for DoD funded research.

The DoD program is described at https://www.appliedthermalsciences.com/pages/hypersonics.html but there is no information on the waiver altitude granted for these development flights.

Bob

I see. You said to contact the prefect if serious, sorry if I crossed the wires here. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[AlnessW]

The 3 highest waivers in the country (that I know of) are:

1. Black Rock Desert, NV - 491,000' AGL
2. Argonia, KS - 50,000' AGL
3. Brothers, OR - 42,460' AGL

Notice 2 of those 3 are west coast...

As Steve said, if you're flying commercial - just ship your projects, buy a plane ticket, and then buy reloads from a vendor out here. For the 75K weekend he's referring to, I'll be part of the "shipping a rocket then Steve will make me a motor" crowd.

Come west!

 

[DizWolf]

The 3 highest waivers in the country (that I know of) are:

1. Black Rock Desert, NV - 491,000' AGL
2. Argonia, KS - 50,000' AGL
3. Brothers, OR - 42,460' AGL

Notice 2 of those 3 are west coast...

As Steve said, if you're flying commercial - just ship your projects, buy a plane ticket, and then buy reloads from a vendor out here. For the 75K weekend he's referring to, I'll be part of the "shipping a rocket then Steve will make me a motor" crowd.

Come west!

He asked for East coast... Likely a reason he set that parameter. All this "Just come west" is useless chatter. Not all people have the time or cash to travel like that. Sure cash can be saved...but time isn't something you can just "make if you want to"

 

[bobkrech]

I see. You said to contact the prefect if serious, sorry if I crossed the wires here. Thanks for the explanation.

There used to be a 50 Kft(+?) waiver granted to TRA Cherryfield in the past, however like most waivers, it appears that the current TRA Cherryfield waiver is lower. Waivers, or TFRs however are at the discursion of the FAA so if you can make your case for needing the higher altitude, they must at least consider it.

The reason that I suggest that anyone interested contact the TRA Cherryfield Prefect Darrin Marriner who holds the waivers for the TRA launches in Cherryfield is that he has all the field details, knows the landowners, etc. An individual applying for a waiver needs all this information and permission of the landowners anyway, so there is no reason to go into it blind.

The launch area is approximately located at 44-40-40 N, 67-52-40 W. The area is sparsely populated and mainly agricultural, used for farming and logging, and there are no significant airports within ~20 nm, however there appears to be an international transit route over the field which might present a problem.

Bob

 

[prophecy]

He asked for East coast... Likely a reason he set that parameter. All this "Just come west" is useless chatter. Not all people have the time or cash to travel like that. Sure cash can be saved...but time isn't something you can just "make if you want to"

A trip west may not be in the cards for the OP (though he has the backing of a university, which is a major advantage both financially and waiver-wise most people do without), but finding the kind of venue he's looking for on the east coast isn't in the cards, either, so one might say that the "just come west" chatter is almost as useless as the "why can't I fly high in the east" chatter.

You may have seen in my post where I said if flying high on the east coast was possible, everybody would be doing it - and then suggested several recourses to resourcefully and frugally get a project out west that I've developed over the years through a ton of trial and error. Where there's a will, there's a way. It may not have been what the OP was looking for, but what he's looking for doesn't exist.

Obviously I'm not normal, so feel free to dismiss anything I say. But I maintain that the whole black and white "I can't, I just can't, and I never will" attitude when it comes to west coast trips is tremendously overblown and almost contagious. And several of my friends from the east coast, many of whom I bet you know (though you came along after I left) have taken that stance over the years, hence my efforts to be a facilitator for some of them since moving out here (which has been tremendously gratifying). But the amount of money and time most of those same people spent year after year doing a four-day Red Glare excursion with hotels, gas, tolls, seafood dinners, and vacation days to fly equally costly projects to a lower altitude far surpasses the cost and time investment of many of my west coast trips when I lived in NY and NC (often, I missed no class or work and fit the whole thing in a weekend). It just takes some resourcefulness and is an uphill battle the whole way, which is what I shared with the OP. So it's not for everybody. But that's not to say that it's financially or time-wise any less feasible than a Red Glare/URRF trip, so if it's something you seek (OP) the suggestions are a far cry from useless.

 

[AlnessW]

Think about LDRS launches too - travel costs, hotel rooms, registration fees, banquet tickets, etc...it adds up.

 

[DizWolf]

Obviously I'm not normal, so feel free to dismiss anything I say. But I maintain that the whole black and white "I can't, I just can't, and I never will" attitude when it comes to west coast trips is tremendously overblown and almost contagious. And several of my friends from the east coast, many of whom I bet you know (though you came along after I left) have taken that stance over the years, hence my efforts to be a facilitator for some of them since moving out here (which has been tremendously gratifying). But the amount of money and time most of those same people spent year after year doing a four-day Red Glare excursion with hotels, gas, tolls, seafood dinners, and vacation days to fly equally costly projects to a lower altitude far surpasses the cost and time investment of many of my west coast trips when I lived in NY and NC (often, I missed no class or work and fit the whole thing in a weekend). It just takes some resourcefulness and is an uphill battle the whole way, which is what I shared with the OP. So it's not for everybody. But that's not to say that it's financially or time-wise any less feasible than a Red Glare/URRF trip, so if it's something you seek (OP) the suggestions are a far cry from useless.

I can't, I just can't, but I WILL someday find a way to. I do think your suggestions were helpful, I was referencing the other "dude, go west to get high, period" posts. East coast right now is basically a 20K deal until someone cracks the code.

thinking on it, you may just be right..... The best place to fly on the East Coast, is blackrock...

 

[Buckeye]

I can't, I just can't, but I WILL someday find a way to. I do think your suggestions were helpful, I was referencing the other "dude, go west to get high, period" posts. East coast right now is basically a 20K deal until someone cracks the code.

thinking on it, you may just be right..... The best place to fly on the East Coast, is blackrock...

A little common sense goes a long way here. NJ (The OP's residence) is the most densely-populated state in the Union. What acreage isn't full of people, homes, and airports is probably small farms and Eastern woodlots - not the ideal place for 7 mile altitude shots. As mentioned, if it was possible, somebody would have done it already. That is why the ideal launch sites are in Oregon (39), Kansas (40), and Nevada (42) - few people, vast, open lands, few flight paths. So, yes, the most logical answer is Go West (or reconsider your hobby goals if you want to stay close to home).

 

[woferry]

The best place to fly on the East Coast, is blackrock...

Heh. It's always amused me that the headquarters and 2 of the 3 listed contacts for Tripoli Gerlach (where Gerlach is the town closest to Black Rock Desert, for those who don't know) are based in Pennsylvania. Several members from the PA/OH area, also. I'm from PA originally myself, though I didn't move out to CA just to fly rockets. Though I've said before, my introduction to HPR was at Black Rock, and it took all of about watching one flight to be hooked! :clap: My dad who still lives in eastern PA builds/keeps his rockets at my house and only flies out this way, we've made XPRS an annual pilgrimage.

 

[MClark]

Heh. It's always amused me that the headquarters and 2 of the 3 listed contacts for Tripoli Gerlach (where Gerlach is the town closest to Black Rock Desert, for those who don't know) are based in Pennsylvania. Several members from the PA/OH area, also. I'm from PA originally myself, though I didn't move out to CA just to fly rockets. Though I've said before, my introduction to HPR was at Black Rock, and it took all of about watching one flight to be hooked! :clap: My dad who still lives in eastern PA builds/keeps his rockets at my house and only flies out this way, we've made XPRS an annual pilgrimage.

The third listed TRA Gerlach contact is from Texas. Only two members live in Nevada (3 listed but one has moved)

At BALLS we had a guy from Egypt do all 3 cert levels, Sunday were kept the waiver open til he launched. Talk about travel issues to get to a launch.

M