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with Us!
Everyone is welcome to
come out and fly with us. Launches usually
start around 8AM and continue until 2PM or until we run out of motors.
Please read the Membership page for information on launch fees.
ROC has all of the pads and equipment necessary to
put on a large launch (see the Launches page for more details), so
you don't have to bring your own pad - just your rockets and supplies.
Vendors
are
on
site
to sell
rocket
kits,
supplies, and motors. Contact them directly
for availability.
Also, before you do anything else, please read the
Spectators page for the rules that apply to everyone (this means you!)
You as a flyer probably knows
that rocketry
is an inherently dangerous activity - objects often fall
from the sky, sometimes at a very high speed. We have rules and
procedures to make this activity safe for everyone as possible,
but bad things can happen if the rules are not followed. Everyone
flying must understand and follow these
rules to ensure safety:
- Pay attention! Every
flight is potentially dangerous to you and your family. If
the Launch Control Officer (LCO) yells "Heads up!" he means
it!
- Please keep
your children, friends, and family under control and be sure
they understand these rules.
- Please fill out the
correct flight card for your flight before arriving at the
RSO table. We have three card styles: a red card for heads up and
certification flights, a white card for night flights, and a yellow
card for all other flights.
- All motors of impulse class "F" and
above must have their ignitors installed at the pad. If you
arrive at the RSO with an ignitor installed you will be asked to
immediately leave the line to correct the problem, and you will have
to wait in line again. Note there are only two exceptions to this
rule:
- The ignitor must
be built-in to the motor during construction; in this case,
all ignitor leads must remain shorted together until
the rocket is on the pad.
- The rocket is a cluster
rocket; in this case, ignitors may be loaded in a designated
area within the range.
- All rockets must be inspected
and approved by the Range
Safety Officer (RSO) prior to each
flight. Please be prepared to show that your rocket is powered
by Tripoli or NAR certified motor, that it will have a stable
flight, and that it will recover safely. If you have an extra
large or complex project, a Mobile
RSO may
be available - just ask.
- Rockets with total impulse
of class "M" or greater must have documentation for
the RSO showing that the rocket will be stable.
- All electronic recovery devices
must be safed, shunted, or powered off when the rocket is brought
to the RSO.
- Radio
Control (RC) systems used on the range connected to any pyrotechnic devices (ignitors
or backup charges)
must be commercially available systems that are specifically designed
for remote ignition of pyrotechnic devices (such as, but not limited
to, the Missile Works WRC or Digifire systems). No car/aircraft/boat
systems can be used for ignition or backup charges. ROC
is not an RC club so we're not going to try and coordinate RC aircraft or RC
car frequencies for non-rocketry uses. The regular "no aircraft
or cars on the range while it's open" restrictions still apply.
Note that this restriction does not apply to RC boost gliders, only
their ignition and ejection charges.
- If you feel the RSO has
rejected your rocket unfairly, you may appeal to the ROC Board.
- The Pad
Manager will assign
your pad after the rocket is approved by the RSO. If you have
any difficulty with your pad, please ask the PM for assistance.
- Do not enter the range to
load or recover a rocket until the Launch Control Officer (LCO) announces "the
range is open".
- No
one under 18 (except
NAR Jr.-L1 Certified) is allowed beyond the
middle row of pads except
when the entire range is open (i.e. during recovery operations).
This
applies to all situations (especially observing launches), so even
accompanied minors are not allowed beyond the middle row. If a minor's
rocket goes into the "no access zone", then they have
to await a range opening to recover. This does not apply to the areas
outside of the flagged safety zones to the east and west. .
- You may pick up or move another
fliers rocket that has landed only under the following conditions:
- You have the owner's
permission to do so.
- If you are a long
distance away, and the rocket is undamaged, and no
one appears to be looking for it, you may carefully bring it
back to the LCO table; if the rocket is damaged, please note
the location and report it to the LCO.
- If the rocket is
being dragged by the wind, please carefully stop the
rocket and place the parachute under its body tube or nose
cone, and note the location and report it to the LCO.
- If you find a reloadable
motor casing that has been ejected from a rocket, wait until
it has cooled off and bring it back to the LCO table.
- Overnight camping is
permitted. Campfires are permitted in above ground containers - no
firepits!
- Please use only the
provided toilet facilities (porta potties). Please do not
throw trash into the porta potties! Doo doo and pee pee only!!!!
- Please keep control
of your trash and carry it off the lakebed when you
leave.
- Twice a year during ROCstock weekends we conduct
night launches. All night launch rockets must
have a strobe that is
visible throughout the flight - meaning from before
liftoff all the way to touchdown. A strobe deployed at apogee is not acceptable. Other
lights, LEDs, electroluminescent strips, etc. are permitted with the
strobe.
- Regarding the back row pads, we have some special restrictions for
everyone's safety:
- No one under 18 (except NAR Jr.-L1 Certified) is allowed
to participate in any loading or prepping of rockets at the back
pads or the away cells. Those flyers
and assistants (see below) over 18 will need to register
and sign a specific waiver at the time of registration (once per event).
These
flyers and assistants will be issued a specially colored wristband
indicating their ability to go beyond the middle row. (During the
2007 renewal process we will work out a plan for our paid members
so that they only have to sign once a year.)
- Flyers are limited to themselves plus
two assistants on the back
pads. If you need more than 2 people to help with your project,
then you need to request permission from the Away
Pad Manager as
soon as you get out to the pads. All assistants must have the "all
access" wristband.
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