We had a small meeting and discussed several issues.

1. We are in search for a new high power field. We have not lost access to our existing field in Elsberry, but it is becoming less likely that we will be able to fly there with any consistency. It is a great field when we have access, but there seems to be very little chance of scheduling any launches there (as the last few years have demonstrated). Old timers can remember that our original field - a mile north of our current - had much more robust roads and a small amount of moisture or wet fields did not prevent access. Our future supporting high power would benefit greatly from more reliable access to a field.

We have no leads at the present but we are definitely interested in ideas or contacts for a field anywhere within an hour of St. Louis that would permit us to fly. We have to obtain an FAA waiver for a new field, but Rob Chapie (our Tripoli Prefect) indicated that our FAA contacts are very responsive to our waiver needs. Keep an eye out for possibilities and let the board know if you have any ideas for possible new fields. We won't pass up an opportunity to fly at Elsberry, but there are only 2 more dates this spring that we will attempt.

2. Since it is difficult to fly at Elsberry, we are expanding our Buder Park flying season. We have a launch Saturday morning (3/14) and the weather so far looks very good. We plan to have a launch the Saturday after our meeting from now on until the weather gets bad again later this year.

3.We have received feedback that there isn't much mentoring or fun at our meetings.  We have decided to minimize the amount of business at our monthly meetings (second Tuesday of the month) and we are planning more fun meetings in the future.  As much business as possible will now be handled using email and we hope to keep the meetings much less boring. We are also looking into having build sessions where everyone can bring projects, get advice and compare notes. We are looking for other locations and times that would allow us to spread out  bit and do some building and we're open to any suggestions.

To start off, John Buckley suggested that we have a small boost glider build session at an upcoming meeting where we'll put together a 1/2A balsa glider to fly at Buder. He is putting together a parts list it should be cheap and a lot of fun. Thanks John! Look for more details in the next few weeks before our next meeting.

We are looking for anyone who would like to demo a technique, talk about their projects, or ask questions for general discussion. We're interested in any rocketry related topics. If you have a project you need help with - bring it into a meeting or a build session. I'm also going to try to come up with some suggested meeting themes to help encourage more fun and less boring stuff at our meetings.

4. The board agreed to purge our membership records at the end of March for anyone who hasn't renewed their membership. We won't delete web site accounts or email notifications, but the member's area will no longer be accessible if your account is downgraded. Thanks to everyone who has renewed for 2015!

Just a reminder that we have a model rocket launch scheduled this Saturday, March 14, at Buder Park. Setup will begin at 8:15 am and we expect to fly from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (as long as there are more rockets to fly). Please check the event page for directions and more details. See you there!

We received confirmation from the landowner in Elsberry that, as expected, the roads and fields are snow-covered and muddy. As such, we will not be able to access the field for a launch on Saturday.

We will still plan for the following Saturday, March 7, to be the back-up date, but the long-range weather outlook does not make us optimistic that conditions will be any better by then. Please continue to watch this website and our Facebook page for further information.

Our first planned launch date of 2015 is just a few days away, and we are having our typical poor luck with weather conditions.

The club has not yet contacted the landowner about the condition of the Elsberry field. It is still very likely that it will be too muddy for us to use the site. However, part of the decision-making process is knowing how many flyers we will have if the launch does happen. So I'd like to take a quick informal poll on the following question: "given the current weather forecast, with temperatures well below freezing and moderate wind, would YOU have a rocket to fly?"

Please either reply to this post, or email me directly at danno@danno.org. Thanks!

It's a new year, and that means it's dues time again. At our January meeting, the members present voted to increase club dues from $20 to $25 per year to help build the treasury back up.

The membership forms have been updated for 2015. As before, there is one form for renewing by mail or paying in person at a club meeting or launch, and a second form for paying by PayPal. From a paperwork standpoint, it's easier for the club Secretary if you use PayPal.

Click here to renew and pay with PayPal

Click here to renew and pay by mail or in person

Thanks in advance for your continued membership. We're working to make 2015 better than ever!

At last night's monthly club meeting, we discussed high-power and park launch plans and decided on some planning dates. Rob Chapie has taken care of the FAA paperwork for our high-altitude waiver in Elsberry (thanks, Rob!) so our primary concerns will be landowner approval (i.e., scheduling times when he is not busy working his fields) and, of course, the weather.

• Our planning dates for high-power launches in Ellsberry are February 28, 2015 and March 21, 2015. We are going to try handling weather delays a little differently than in the past. If weather prevents us from holding a launch on the originally scheduled date, we will roll over once to the following Saturday. (For example - if the field is too wet to fly on February 28, that launch will be rescheduled for March 7.) If weather prevents a launch on the roll-over date, the launch will be cancelled. By keeping to this policy, we hope to reduce the amount of confusion and miscommunication we had last year, when we rolled over multiple times and flyers were frequently unsure whether the club would attempt to hold a launch or not.
• We are planning to hold model rocket launches in Buder Park as usual, but they will be held on the first Saturday of the month and begin in March, weather permitting. This does raise the possibility of a conflict between the first park launch on March 7 and the roll-over date for the first high-power launch; in the event that this happens, we will make a decision whether or not to hold both launches, or direct model rocket flyers to Ellsberry. Either way, please watch this website for announcements closer to the launch date.
• We will be collecting launch fees from all flyers. This has been done inconsistently in the past, but during our budget discussion we determined that this was a necessity to offset our equipment expenses and remain funded as an organization. We will have another discussion at the February meeting to decide how to set the fees, but we can say at this point that a) it is likely that launch fees for high-power fliers will be higher than those for model rocket fliers, as they have typically been in the past, and b) it is possible that launch fees for SLRA members will be discounted from the fees collected from non-members. If you would like to take part in the launch fee discussion, please join us at our next club meeting on February 10.

As always, the launch dates on our calendar represent our current plan and are subject to change for a wide variety of reasons. Please check this website regularly for the most current information. If you have any questions, please email me at danno@danno.org.

Two quick notes:

• Due to a scheduling conflict with a larger group, the SLRA January meeting will be held upstairs in a corner of the main Bandana’s dining area. Please enter through the front door and ask the hostess where we are being seated. As usual, reservations are set up for 6:30pm until closing. We will return to the lower level banquet room in February. Please see this post for the regular meeting announcement with all other details.
• Mike Fischer will be accepting donations of building supplies, parts and motors for the Belleville West High School TARC (Team America Rocket Challenge) team. Please see this post for their complete wish list. This is a great time to clear out that box of unused body tubes, nose cones and kit pieces, and help out a good cause at the same time.

If you have any questions on either of these items, please email me at danno@danno.org. Thanks!