Tuesday, April 27, 2021 General Membership Meeting Announcement

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SLRA is having our regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, April 27th.

It will be held at Bandana's Bar-B-Q, 11750 Gravois Road, Sunset Hills, MO 63127-1804.

Due to COVID-19, this meeting will also be held on Zoom:

Topic: SLRA April Business Meeting
Time: Apr 27, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83261089830?pwd=S3haYVJEd0dTYXZ5YWlXQ1ZwMmxsQT09

Meeting ID: 832 6108 9830

Passcode: 144662

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. Minutes from the March 23rd, 2021 Meeting
  2. Treasury Status.
  3. Recognition of Achievements
  4. Recognition of Contributions
  5. Members expenses.
  6. Old Business – 
    1. Launch Report / Schedule,
    1. Trailer Status,
    1. GLSMA Report.
  7. New Business
    1. Mercury Redstone Mass Launch at Buder Park on May 1st,
    1. Possible Night Launch at Buder Park on June 26th.

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.

SLRA 05/01/2021 Model rocket launch at Buder Park – Alan Sheppard’s Freedom 7 launch

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Saturday May 1st Buder Park Launch will be honoring the 60th Anniversary of Alen Shepard's Mercury Freedom 7 launch with a mass launch of Mercury Redstones. 

Bring your Mercury Redstone and join in on the fun. 

An Estes Mercury Redstone kit will be presented to the participant who's rocket lands closest to a pre-selected landing site.
(Photo by Las Cruces Sun News)

Fine Print:
Buder Park
215 Valley Park Rd
Fenton, MO. 63026

From the St. Louis area, take I-44 West to the Hwy 141 exit. Turn right onto 141, then immediately turn right again onto the access road, and a third right to head towards the park.

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, https://www.stlouisrocketry.com, 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.

Finally, please remember to take adequate precautions in hot weather – use sunscreen and bring water or sports drinks to stay hydrated. One nice thing about Buder Park is that there is plenty of shade around the edges of the field, so please take shelter from the sun when you need to.



04/18/2021 SLRA HPR Launch Updates

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Keep an eye on your email before you head to the field, in case the landowner changes his mind about access to the field. It is advisable to show up early and fly early as forecasts show increasing cloud cover as the day goes on, and weather suggests chances of rain around 2pm.

If it starts to rain we must pack it in immediately and bug out immediately. All hands on deck at that point. Team work makes the dream work.

Thank you!

SLRA’s HPR Launch 4/18/2021 GO FOR LAUNCH

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Next HPR Launch Attempt 4/18/2021
Current Status: GO

At this time we are not planning on bringing the Monster Pad. If you do need it please reach out to Mike Walsh or Dan Welling ASAP!

As always please watch for weather related updates at https://www.stlouisrocketry.com

While this is an outdoor event where social distancing requirements are easily maintained most of the time, there may be instances at the RSO table and pads where a mask would be appropriate. Please BYOM (bring your own mask). If you are unable to maintain 6’ distance from others outside of your own personal group, please be kind and wear a mask. If you are feeling ill or have a fever, please stay home. There will be other high power launches you can attend.

  • Our waiver will be open from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. The range may or may not remain open until 4:30 pm, depending on how many people attend and how many rockets we want to fly.
  • Our waiver altitude is 6,500 feet AGL, with call-in windows to 14,500 feet AGL.
  • The club equipment trailer should arrive at the field around 9:00 am for us to begin setup. We would greatly appreciate as much help as possible with setup and cleanup, so please plan to arrive early if you can.
  • There will be neither food concessions nor restroom facilities at this site, but it is a very short drive into town for those needs.
  • Launch fees will be $0 for Low-Power Rockets (also called Model Rockets and class 1 rockets, with 1/4 A up to G80 engines) if you're a PAID SLRA member, and $3 if you're not a paid SLRA member; and $10 for High-Power Rockets (also called class 2 rockets) up to M.
  • We plan to have various sizes of launch pads set up, from the 1/8" model rocket rods up to 1515 rails. If you have any special needs, please reply to this email and we will see if we can accommodate you. In particular, if you need the "Monster Pad," please let us know ahead of time.
  • As always, please be courteous to our hosts and respectful of their property, including driving slowly on all farm roads. Once we get on site, we will clarify where it is okay to drive and park.

Location and directions to field:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1616154,-90.7682789,2917m/data=!3m1!1e3
Take MO-79 to Highway JJ, the first intersection south of the town of Elsberry.From this point, we should have signs up to guide you - but head east onto Old Missouri 79 (if you were coming north from the St. Louis area, this is a right turn) and continue straight onto the farm road where the main road takes another right turn.

SLRA’s HPR Launch 4/18/2021 Status Up-Date

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Next HPR Launch Attempt 4/18/2021
Current Status: CAUTION (Weather and field condition)

We are trying very hard to hold a HPR Launch but weather has not been cooperating. There is currently a 50% chance of rain Saturday. If it rains at the field location on Saturday we will have to scrub Sunday's launch

If it does not rain Saturday, there is a chance it will rain Sunday. The land owner stated we can fly but if it starts to rain we must leave immediately.

In order to have the best opportunity to fly we will be making the go/no-go call as late as possible so please watch your email and ALWAYS check the website before leaving for the launch site.

https://www.stlouisrocketry.com

SLRA’s HPR Launch 4/18/2021 Status Up-Date

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Next HPR Launch Attempt 4/18/2021
Current Status: CAUTION (Weather and field condition)

If you are in need of the Monster Pad please reach out to Mike Walsh or Dan Welling

As always please watch for weather related updates at https://www.stlouisrocketry.com

While this is an outdoor event where social distancing requirements are easily maintained most of the time, there may be instances at the RSO table and pads where a mask would be appropriate. Please BYOM (bring your own mask). If you are unable to maintain 6’ distance from others outside of your own personal group, please be kind and wear a mask. If you are feeling ill or have a fever, please stay home. There will be other high power launches you can attend.

  • Our waiver will be open from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. The range may or may not remain open until 4:30 pm, depending on how many people attend and how many rockets we want to fly.
  • Our waiver altitude is 6,500 feet AGL, with call-in windows to 14,500 feet AGL.
  • The club equipment trailer should arrive at the field around 9:00 am for us to begin setup. We would greatly appreciate as much help as possible with setup and cleanup, so please plan to arrive early if you can.
  • There will be neither food concessions nor restroom facilities at this site, but it is a very short drive into town for those needs.
  • Launch fees will be $0 for Low-Power Rockets (also called Model Rockets and class 1 rockets, with 1/4 A up to G80 engines) if you're a PAID SLRA member, and $3 if you're not a paid SLRA member; and $10 for High-Power Rockets (also called class 2 rockets) up to M.
  • We plan to have various sizes of launch pads set up, from the 1/8" model rocket rods up to 1515 rails. If you have any special needs, please reply to this email and we will see if we can accommodate you. In particular, if you need the "Monster Pad," please let us know ahead of time.
  • As always, please be courteous to our hosts and respectful of their property, including driving slowly on all farm roads. Once we get on site, we will clarify where it is okay to drive and park.

Location and directions to field:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1616154,-90.7682789,2917m/data=!3m1!1e3
Take MO-79 to Highway JJ, the first intersection south of the town of Elsberry.From this point, we should have signs up to guide you - but head east onto Old Missouri 79 (if you were coming north from the St. Louis area, this is a right turn) and continue straight onto the farm road where the main road takes another right turn.