The image says it all. Our field is underwater and it will only get deeper between now and our launch date. We'll try again on our next scheduled event, Sunday June 30.

SLRA will hold a rocket launch this coming Sunday, April 28th at Buder Park. The current Weather Underground forecast for Valley Park predicts partly cloudy skies and winds under 10mph, with a temperature of 44F at 9:00am rising into the mid 50s in the afternoon. Bundle up!

As always, please check the website for last-minute updates before heading to the field, or check your email if you are subscribed to the email list.

We'll start setup at 9:00 am and should have the range open by 9:30 if not earlier.

The launch has been sanctioned as an NRC competition launch; please talk to John Buckley (jbuckley1996@gmail.com) if you want to do any competition flights.

If you have any questions, please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com.

(The fine print...)

Launch pads are usually set up in the southeast corner of the park, but this may change based on wind direction and other activities nearby.

Anyone who is a current, paid member of the National Association of Rocketry or Tripoli Rocketry Association is welcome to participate. Due to insurance regulations, those who are not a member of one of the two national organizations will need to have a NAR or Tripoli member inspect and fly their rockets for them. Non-members will also be asked to sign a liability release. If you wish to fly your own rockets, please be prepared to show your NAR or Tripoli membership card, or a receipt of payment if you are a new member who has not yet received a card.

Please note that these launches may be cancelled for a number of reasons, notably: weather conditions (rain, high wind), park conditions (mud, flooding), or scheduling conflicts (another group’s use of the park makes it impossible to safely launch, or not enough SLRA members are available to run the launch). Please check the “current launch status” on the front page of our website, http://dmortproductions.com/stlrocketry, before making your way to the park. Also, the number of people in attendance has a bearing on how long the range stays open; if you plan to arrive after 11:00 am, please call ahead (314-630-7619) to make sure we’re still flying. We will continue to fly rockets past noon if the weather is good, our battery holds out, and people still have rockets to fly.

Buder Park launches are conducted under the NAR safety code as “Class 1” rocket launches. Class 1 launches carry the following restrictions:

• Rockets must weigh less than 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) at liftoff, including propellant.
• Rockets must contain no more than 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of propellant – this includes most motors up through G class (although see the note below regarding high-altitude launches). Only certified, commercial motors are allowed.
• Rockets must be made of wood, paper, or breakable plastic, and contain no substantial metal parts.
• Rockets must employ a recovery system such as a parachute, streamer, helicopter, glide, tumble or featherweight recovery
• Decisions of the LCO (launch control officer) and RSO (range safety officer) are final with respect to these restrictions and safety in general. Our goal is safety for everyone involved.

The total size of Buder Park is approximately 2100 x 1200 feet, which according to the Model Rocket Safety Code is large enough to fly a G motor rocket. However, please keep in mind that we are usually not the only users of the park – we share it with radio control aircraft flyers, archers, sports teams, joggers, and many others. Also, the perimeter of the park is lined with very tall trees, and just beyond the north treeline you will find the Meramec River. Have some idea of how high your rocket is expected to go before you launch, keep the wind conditions in mind, and use common sense. Experienced SLRA members will be happy to advise you to make sure your rocket is safe and likely to be recoverable.

SLRA is having our regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, April 23rd, at our regular meeting location:

Fallon's Bar & Grill 9200 Olive Blvd. #116 Olivette, Missouri, 63132

The room will be available at 6:00 PM and the business meeting will start at about 7:00PM.

If you're a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings here: Meeting Minutes Page, The meeting minutes will be the basis of our "old business" discussion.

The standard agenda for all meetings is as follows:

1. Treasury Status.
2. Recognition of Achievements
3. Recognition of Contributions
4. Members expenses.
5. Old Business - please review minutes for last month's meeting for topics
6. New Business

Online and paper membership forms with payments received by mail to be processed by treasurer and president.

Please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com if you have new business for the meeting.

I think I've run out of jokes about how bad our weather luck has been.

The flood forecast indicates that the field will be at best inches away from flooding tomorrow, and it's trending in the wrong direction (the observed reading is a quarter-foot higher than what this morning's forecast predicted). St. Louis County Parks has not yet made a decision about when to close the park, but even if it were open in the morning I've decided it is too close for comfort.

So tomorrow's launch is cancelled, and we'll try again next month (Sunday, April 28th).

Dan Crank
Secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association

We're watching the Meramec River flood forecast, which predicts the river rising past 19 feet (the level at which our field floods) sometime tomorrow. There is a good chance we will need to cancel our launch. Please check the club website and your email for updated status before heading for the field. Please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com if you have any questions.

Dan Crank
Secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association

Due to the poor weather forecast on Saturday and the need for some TARC teams to get qualifying flights done, we have decided to postpone the Buder Park launch one day and hold it on Sunday, March 31. Setup time will remain at 9:00am and we should be ready to fly rockets around 9:30am.

If you have any questions, please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com.

Dan Crank
Secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association

This is a combined announcement for our club meeting on Tuesday March 26th and our Buder Park launch scheduled for Saturday March 30th (weather permitting). Please see below.

SLRA is having our regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, March 26th, at our regular meeting location:

Fallon's Bar & Grill 9200 Olive Blvd. #116 Olivette, Missouri, 63132

The room will be available at 6:00 PM and the business meeting will start at about 7:00PM.

If you're a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings here: Meeting Minutes Page, The meeting minutes will be the basis of our "old business" discussion.

The standard agenda for all meetings is as follows:

1. Treasury Status.
2. Recognition of Achievements
3. Recognition of Contributions
4. Members expenses.
5. Old Business - please review minutes for last month's meeting for topics
6. New Business

Online and paper membership forms with payments received by mail to be processed by treasurer and president.

Please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com if you have new business for the meeting.

Our first model rocket launch of 2019 is scheduled for this coming Saturday, March 30th at Buder Park. The current Weather Underground forecast predicts scattered thunderstorms Thursday night through Saturday morning, although that prediction has changed every time I've looked at it. It will likely be cool and fairly windy if it's not raining. Not an ideal day for rockets, but as long as it is not actually raining, I intend to go ahead and open the range since we have at least one TARC team needing to do qualifying flights, and I hope to have a new launch controller to test out.

As always, please check the website for last-minute updates before heading to the field, or check your email if you are subscribed to the email list.

We'll start setup at 9:00 am and should have the range open by 9:30 if not earlier.

If you have any questions, please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com.

SLRA President Dave Kovar would like to inform the membership about two upcoming events - one is a possible outreach opportunity.

First, the Space Museum in Bonne Terre, MO is holding an event for the dedication and ribbon cutting of their new Grissom Center addition. Guests will include former NASA astronauts, shuttle flight director Rob Kelso, and Gus Grissom's brother Lowell and son Scott. The event includes lunch and a book signing with astronaut Jerry Ross and author George Leopold. The website now indicates that the event is sold out, but the museum has offered SLRA a display table. We would need one other volunteer to attend in addition to Dave Kovar to make that happen. Find details at the Space Museum's website at http://www.space-mo.org/ and email Dave at kovardad@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

Second, there will be an appearance by Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt and Flight Controller Gerry Griffith at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City to open their new exhibit, "To the Moon: the Science of Apollo" on Thursday, March 28th. The event is sold out, but club president Dave Kovar is attending this one as well and has an extra free ticket if someone from the club would like to join him. Find event details at https://www.lindahall.org/event/science-of-apollo/ and again, if interested, email Dave at kovardad@gmail.com.

Dan Crank, secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association

First of two announcements today:

We received a message from a former SLRA member who has left the hobby and is interested in selling some high-power gear. From his message: "some items are Dr. Rocket “L” motor casing with end caps, several Aerotech casings, Public Missles kits (2 4” AMARAAM kits for sure), numerous Estes kits, a LARGE scale AMARAAM that was going to be my level 3 cert...6’ diameter, misc tubes and bulkheads."

The seller would like to sell everything as a package, and did not specify an asking price so he's looking for an offer. If you're interested, please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com and I will put you in touch.

Dan Crank, secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association