2012-05-12T19:14:53Z tag:,2012:/2 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2012, bobble 2012-05-12T19:14:53Z 2012-05-14T13:46:00Z tag:,2012:/2.314 2012-05-14T13:46:00Z

What a great day for flying and talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. Congrats to Mark on pulling off an awesome launch. This despite the fact that our usual launch area was freshly plowed and...

bobble absworld@cet.com What a great day for flying and talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. Congrats to Mark on pulling off an awesome launch. This despite the fact that our usual launch area was freshly plowed and planted. A little searching helped up find a patch of real estate to set up the launch area and a good thing too as this well could be the most attended SPARC Launch ever. I can remember launches with lots of vehicles, but I have never seen a launch where we had to form a line to organize the model pads, how great is that! Two separate but equally enthusiastic groups of kids converging upon a wheat field for a Mother's Day Launch. There was a group of Scouts from up on the South Hill, who invited me out to help them assemble both Baby Bertha's and Big Bertha's late last month and added to that was an Awana group flying Alpha III's. The unofficial, total vehicle count was just over 40, and you couldn't ask for any better weather for family fun and flying. Personally I think I only had 7 flights total, while a low number for me. I started the morning off helping the scouts get motors loaded and rockets prepped for their flights. Overall it was a blast for me to see so many kids flying rockets, I hope to see some of them again at future launches. I stated off with a three motor cluster up-scaled Big Bertha rocket and followed that up with my 4" diameter Baby Bertha on an I161, the second flight for that rocket with an easy recovery. I also managed to put the Pride of Cucamonga up on an E18-7 for a nice spirited flight. I also pulled out Bad Bertha and A to E Flat Jam, "E" motor modified Big Bertha and Baby Bertha rockets, nice high flights. The second best thing about having that many kids around was I didn't have to walk far to get any of my rockets, as one or two of them very enthusiastically retrieved all my rockets for me. Another highlight was I also put up my FIRST ever SNITCH flight on a C6-0. I only wish I could have stayed around a little longer, mostly to watch Mark launch his Noodle Rocket out of Bob's tower. That photo would have been priceless, but no joy on two attempts and I had to go pick up my daughter. But I did manage to get 40 photos of the rocket sitting in the tower. (I tried to send it but it is just large) Lastly, I would also like to thank the club for the check to reimburse my expenses on building a new launch controller, it is greatly appreciated and I truly enjoyed the experience of designing and building a launch controller. So, thank you for the opportunity for me to be of service. Joe 2012-05-11T22:11:20Z 2012-05-13T13:34:26Z tag:,2012:/2.313 2012-05-13T13:34:26Z

What a GREAT day!!! At first arrival, it was not looking so great—not because of the weather, which was perfect, but the big green tractor! Fortunately we found a suitable area and with permission, we were a go for one...

bobble absworld@cet.com What a GREAT day!!! At first arrival, it was not looking so great—not because of the weather, which was perfect, but the big green tractor! Fortunately we found a suitable area and with permission, we were a go for one of the best turnouts ever! At the conclusion of the flyers meeting, Joe Cooney was presented with a check for his efforts in the launch controller. Thanks again Joe. (Now if you could just get the rookie LD flip the right switches!) We had one of the best turnouts ever. I was told earlier in the week we will have an Awana’s group coming to fly their model rockets. As Joe arrived at the site, he let me know of that a Cub Scout group was planning to attend. I think we set a record for the number of signed waivers! Everyone was great and very appreciative of the help the SPARC members gave. What a great experience for a first time launch director. Kudos to you! Here is the motor beak down: Single motor rockets- A – 7 B – 67 C – 28 D – 9 E – 5 F – 3 G – 7 H – 5 I – 3 J- 1 Multiple motor rockets- B6 to C6 – 2 C6 to C6 – 2 D12 to D12 – 1 D12 with 2 B6 pods – 1 D12 cluster (2 motors) – 1 E9 clusters (3 motors) – 1 E9 clusters (4 motors) – 2 Totaling 145 flights with 161 motors! A big hit with the kids was the self launch, for a total of 49 self launches- with 29 of them launching B motors, 2 even launching G motors. I had started the day of thinking I would make a few notes on the flight cards about some of the memorable flights, but that quickly was put aside as the large number of people showing up bright and early eager to fly. Perhaps a few of you can fill in some memorable flights. I want to thank everyone for helping with the setup and tear down. Many thanks to those of you who assisted with RSO and LCO duties, especially Mark Howe for coaching me and stepping up with model pad organization. Thanks Bob for the opportunity to be Launch Director—you tried to scare me off with a big crowd, but you will have to better next time, sign me up again for LD next May! (Oh and thanks Bob for the tower to send up a pool noodle hanger queen lawn dart!) Next launch is Friday, June 8, for Midway Elementary, I encourage you to volunteer and put a few rockets too! Mark Vanderlip May ’12 Launch Director 2012-05-11T12:10:00Z 2012-05-13T02:05:49Z tag:,2012:/2.312 2012-05-13T02:05:49Z

Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold...

bobble absworld@cet.com Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold of the planter and confirmed foot traffic OK, and finally got around to setting up the range. A steady stream of cars heralded the beginning of our most well attended launch in years. Stay tuned for more launch reports and a flight card count. President Bob 2012-05-11T04:29:43Z 2012-05-12T17:28:12Z tag:,2012:/2.310 2012-05-12T17:28:12Z

A portion of the field has not been planted. A small launch site will be set up for the day's launch....

bobble absworld@cet.com Announcements A portion of the field has not been planted. A small launch site will be set up for the day's launch. 2012-05-11T04:20:43Z 2012-05-12T17:03:00Z tag:,2012:/2.309 2012-05-12T17:03:00Z

The field was discovered planted this morning - there may not be a launch today. Call Bob before heading to the site: 509-220-7280...

bobble absworld@cet.com Announcements The field was discovered planted this morning - there may not be a launch today. Call Bob before heading to the site: 509-220-7280 2012-05-11T01:26:06Z 2012-05-12T13:45:30Z tag:,2012:/2.308 2012-05-12T13:45:30Z

We are GO for launch today. I do not think you could ask for better weather. Set up begins at 0900. Launching will continue through late afternoon or until interest dictates. The field is in excellent condition. All fresh crops...

bobble absworld@cet.com We are GO for launch today. I do not think you could ask for better weather. Set up begins at 0900. Launching will continue through late afternoon or until interest dictates. The field is in excellent condition. All fresh crops have sprouted but nothing is so tall to seriously impede recovery. Mark Vanderlip will be your Launch Director. President Bob. 2012-05-11T12:00:48Z 2012-05-12T01:56:39Z tag:,2012:/2.311 2012-05-12T01:56:39Z

Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold...

bobble absworld@cet.com Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold of the planter and confirmed foot traffic OK, and finally got around to setting up the range. A steady stream of cars heralded the beginning of our most well attended launch in years. Stay tuned for more launch reports and a flight card count. President Bob 2012-05-04T02:22:38Z 2012-05-04T13:41:22Z tag:,2012:/2.307 2012-05-04T13:41:22Z

May is one of the best rocketry months in the Inland Northwest. Start it off right with the SPARC May 12th launch. April's SPARC launches were a great success with the new launch controller, the record setting Boy Scout Camporee...

bobble absworld@cet.com May is one of the best rocketry months in the Inland Northwest. Start it off right with the SPARC May 12th launch. April's SPARC launches were a great success with the new launch controller, the record setting Boy Scout Camporee launch, and the Whitworth University physics launch. Now I challenge all of you to get out with Mom on the Saturday before Mothers Day and have Mom put up some rockets to set some Moms launch records! Setup starts at 9:00 a.m., as always your help is appreciated. Hope to see you and Mom on Saturday May 12th! Mark Vanderlip, SPARC Launch Director thevanderlips@centurylink.net 2012-04-05T17:19:06Z 2012-04-17T14:12:03Z tag:,2012:/2.306 2012-04-17T14:12:03Z

The good weather was a first in the four-plus years I have been April launch director. Where in past years we have huddled in either Ray’s or Jim’s RVs sipping coffee and eating doughnuts while waiting for poor weather to...

bobble absworld@cet.com The good weather was a first in the four-plus years I have been April launch director. Where in past years we have huddled in either Ray’s or Jim’s RVs sipping coffee and eating doughnuts while waiting for poor weather to break, Saturday’s launch day dawned bright, beautiful and relatively warm. Saturday morning’s ideal weather made for excellent launch conditions. The skies were blue and there was little or no breeze. In about 2 ½ hours, we had 74 flights. The motors burned broke down into the following impulses: A – 6 B – 10 C – 18 D – 21 E – 16 F – 5 G – 4 H – 4 I – 3 J – 1 We had numerous successful clusters and stagings. We closed down the range at 2:30 due to wind and the threat of rain. Unquestionably, the highlight of the day was the unveiling of the new launch system Joe Cooney built for the club. While we had a few launches delayed due to a bad battery, Joe’s launch system worked flawlessly. Thank you so much Joe! During the launch, we passed the hat for donations to reimburse Joe for the $800+ he spent on materials for the new launch system. The consensus was that a donation of $25-30 from each club member or frequent flier was a reasonable request (which is basically a second dues assessment this year). We would ask you to send your donation this week to our club president: Bob Yanecek 5056 B Swenson Rd. Deer Park, WA 99006 I would like to thank all of you who assisted with LCO and RSO duties and help with set up and tear down of the launch system. With numerous helping hands, all of this went smoothly. SPARC’s next launch will be Saturday, May 12. We hope to see you all there! Jeff Halstead April Launch Director 2012-04-04T21:00:34Z 2012-04-16T14:50:00Z tag:,2012:/2.305 2012-04-16T14:50:00Z

In my efforts to assist in kicking off the SPARC 2012 flying season I managed to put 8 rockets in the air. I arrived on site at 9AM to an expanding number of cars along the flight line. The GSE...

bobble absworld@cet.com In my efforts to assist in kicking off the SPARC 2012 flying season I managed to put 8 rockets in the air. I arrived on site at 9AM to an expanding number of cars along the flight line. The GSE was almost completely ready to roll by the time I showed up. The field was in great shape, although it could have been a bit damper around the high power pads... . Weather/wind in the morning was very calm so I took advantage of it to get some gliders into the air…nothing too large this time around! First up was an Edmonds Tinee on a 1/A3-2T. It’s a very small rocket glider that managed to perform a nice big loop in the air before settling in for a respectable glide on such a small motor. Second up was an Edmonds Ecee on a A3-4T. It was more of a “dive bomber” than a glider, and I’ve had mixed results with it in the past. Came in a bit hard but sustained no damage. 3rd in line was an Estes Trans-Wing Super-G on a B6-2. It’s an old boost glider kit in which the wings are supposed to spring open to twice their length after the glider separates from the boost pod. Unfortunately only one wing opened after separation and it spiraled to the ground like a bird who had been shoot in the wing. 4th up was an Edmonds CiCi boost glider on a B4-2. It’s slightly larger than the Tinee. It also performed a loop during flight, though this one took place much closer to the ground. That was it for my gliders as the wind started to pick up a bit. Next up was an Estes Venus Probe (minus the alien landing pod) on a C6-3. The landing pod was lost at a FITS launch a number of years back, and was replaced with a nose cone from an Explorer Aquarious kit. There was nothing special about this flight. #6 was an Estes Skywinder on a C6-3. It uses helicopter recovery and performed flawlessly. I’m really partial to Gliders, Helicopter, and “odd-ball” type rockets. #7 was a Custom S.L.V. on a B6-4. Nothing special about this flight either. Last up at #8 was an Estes Silver Comet on a D12-3. By the time I launched it the wind had picked up and I regretted using the 24” chute. Recovery was made about 100 yards from Emerson’s house. It was my longest walk of day…but I can’t complain as others trekked much farther for their rockets. I always enjoy Dave Glasses creations and he didn’t disappoint with his “Hey Dude, Where’s your nose cone”; a new bird for this year named “Well do ya, Steampunk?”, and some of his other goodies. I won’t go into much detail regarding other flights, except to say there were plenty of them, with results ranging from very successful to lawn darts, and one motor CATO. . One of the more “excitable” moments of the day came from a “sparky” motor on the high power pads. Even with all of the rain this past week the sparks managed to start a few small fires that were quickly brought under control by the club. I enjoy those motors immensely, but you have to be very cautious with them. With the wind coming up and clouds looking nasty to the North we decided to tear down the range around 2:15. General conversation about the day’s launch and the upcoming scouting event next week were discussed. It will be interesting to see the results from the flight cards. The over/under estimate was 75 flights, but I think it’ll end up being closer to 100. There were at least 6 high power flights, most likely more than that. Kudos to Joe Cooney for his excellent work in upgrading our GSE over the winter. The new controller and range boxes turned out very nice and worked well. That’s it for now…see some of you next week and others hopefully in May! Regards, Mark W. Howe 2012-04-04T20:58:27Z 2012-04-16T14:45:37Z tag:,2012:/2.304 2012-04-16T14:45:37Z

A short launch report for the first launch of the year. I woke up early and packed the car with two boxes of rockets and a few larger ones sitting on the side. My goal was 10 or more...

bobble absworld@cet.com A short launch report for the first launch of the year. I woke up early and packed the car with two boxes of rockets and a few larger ones sitting on the side. My goal was 10 or more flights and I figured I would get out to the launch area early. I figured I would be the first one there but alas Jim Jopson brought the motor home out the day before. Somewhere amongst the conversations I managed to put three birds in the air. I started with the Lil Raptor on an E9-8 and then to Finders Keepers (BT-80 upscale Baby Bertha) on an E9-4. Both flights landed south of the field. The last one sent up was a scratch built Goonie Bird, designed after the Star Ship Nova from the early 1980's on a D12-3. Somewhere in there Jim was nice enough to make BLT's for breakfast, not a bad way to start the morning. The porta potty guy showed up and relocated the porta potty form Wild Rose to the south end of the field where it was needed. Bob showed up shortly after my last flight and we started to set up the range. With new equipment all located all over the trailer, it was a bit of a search to find everything. By that time the flightline was getting crowded and there were more than enough people setting up, so I snuck away and finished prepping the I161 for my 4" Upscale Baby Bertha named Morning Dew. I also prepped my 1965 Centuri Javelin which I was going to use for a first flight on the equipment. No go on the Javelin, but the Upscale Baby Bertha on an I161 screamed off the rail shortly after 10:00 am and the flying season was underway. The weather was great Sunny and warm for most of the day with calm winds all morning. Two racks later and the Javelin finally got airborne on an 1/2A6, although the the ejection charge seemed more powerful than the motor. Next up was my Mean Machine clone named Pride of Cucamonga on E9-4. A little super glue and my Centuri Thunder Rock clone was ready to fly on an E9-6. Both flights recovered easily. After repairs from the October land shark flight my Two Stage scratch built Rip Roar inspired bird named, Stronger than Dirt was prepped and ready to go. A D12-0 replaced the C11-0 form October failed flight. The Boast was okay, but the rocket separated before the upper stage lit and consequently arced over as gravity took over from thrust and she nosed in just pass the road into the field. Thank God for soft dirt as the rocket survived intact, minus the motor mount that was ejected on impact. That should buff right out though. My last flights were the Alien Space probe on a C5-3, nice boost, though I melted the chute together so it landed a little hard and dislodged one of the landing legs. My last flight was Orange Tango Jam on a H210 Redline motor. Nice bright red flame and away she went. Recovery was to the east as winds had picked up by then. I helped look for a lost rocket and by the time I got back the clouds rolled in. We cleaned up the range and gathered around talking. A very nice first launch, even though it ended a little early. Thanks to the Launch Director, Jeff Halstead for kicking off the 2012 flying season, couldn't have asked for a better day. Joe Cooney 2012-04-03T11:19:50Z 2012-04-15T00:10:13Z tag:,2012:/2.303 2012-04-15T00:10:13Z

Sure was a good day for rockets. Clear skies, calm to moderate winds, great crowd, and lots of rockets. Joe Cooney's new launch controller was piece of beauty, and it worked ;-) Stay tuned for a count of how many...

bobble absworld@cet.com Sure was a good day for rockets. Clear skies, calm to moderate winds, great crowd, and lots of rockets. Joe Cooney's new launch controller was piece of beauty, and it worked ;-) Stay tuned for a count of how many motors we burned and hopefully a few launch reports. Next launch is scheduled for Saturday May 12'th with Mark Vanderlip as your launch director. president bob 2012-03-30T15:08:59Z 2012-04-09T19:00:30Z tag:,2012:/2.302 2012-04-09T19:00:30Z

Dear Rocket Enthusiasts, It is time for the start of the Spokane Area Rocket Club's 2012 launch season. Our first club launch, this coming Saturday, will begin at 10 a.m. We'll begin setting up our launch equipment at 9 a.m....

bobble absworld@cet.com Dear Rocket Enthusiasts, It is time for the start of the Spokane Area Rocket Club's 2012 launch season. Our first club launch, this coming Saturday, will begin at 10 a.m. We'll begin setting up our launch equipment at 9 a.m. -- your help is both requested and appreciated. We'll fly until about 3:30 p.m. The highlight of the day will be testing out Joe Cooney's new launch controller. Once again, thanks Joe! We'll also be doing maintenance of our other launch equipment throughout the day, making sure it is ready for a full season of use. If you have any questions, please contact me. I will see you all this Saturday! Jeff Halstead SPARC April Launch Director jshalstead@aol.com 2012-02-09T09:40:03Z 2012-02-09T06:44:34Z tag:,2012:/2.301 2012-02-09T06:44:34Z

Our 2012 launch schedule is coming along nicely with 6 launch dates now defined. Two of these events are in support of the community. Specifically, the Boy Scounts Spring Camporee on Saturday April 21'st where we will be assisting 100+...

bobble absworld@cet.com Our 2012 launch schedule is coming along nicely with 6 launch dates now defined. Two of these events are in support of the community. Specifically, the Boy Scounts Spring Camporee on Saturday April 21'st where we will be assisting 100+ scouts get their rockets in the air. The other community support event is for Midway Elementary on Friday June 8'th. The public is invited to both events though non-event launches will be limited to those that do not interfere with the primary event. As for our normal club launches we have the following lined up: Saturday April 14'th with Jeff Halstead as Launch Director. Saturday May 12'th with Mark Vanderlip doing LD duty. Saturday Sept 29'th with David Powers doing LD duty. And finally, Saturday October 27'th for a Halloween themed launch and Joe Cooney performing Launch Director duties. Mark your calendars and make sure to check back here for any updates. President bob 2012-02-09T09:38:47Z 2011-11-01T04:28:15Z tag:,2011:/2.298 2011-11-01T04:28:15Z

Our last launch of the season has concluded with a fantastic day flying. Regular annual dues of $20 are reduced to $15 if you sign up before 12/31/11. Membeship forms can be downloaded from the 'Club Forms' section of the...

bobble absworld@cet.com Our last launch of the season has concluded with a fantastic day flying. Regular annual dues of $20 are reduced to $15 if you sign up before 12/31/11. Membeship forms can be downloaded from the 'Club Forms' section of the web site. President Bob