With rain moving in, the range is now closed at Buder Park. I wanted to send a quick note in case anyone was still planning to arrive later. Join us in Elsberry on 10/19 (weather permitting) instead!

Dan Crank

At last night's meeting, we received news that no crops had been planted in the fields around Elsberry this year due to the flooding. While unfortunate for the landowner, this is good news for us because it looks as if the field is available for us to launch rockets this fall.

We have added three dates to the calendar:

• Saturday, October 19
• Sunday, November 10
• Saturday, December 7

As always, these dates are weather-dependent. High-power flyers will pay a $10 launch fee; paid SLRA members can fly low-power for free, and non-members pay $3 for low-power only.

The entrance to the field is just south of the town of Elsberry, on the east side of Highway 79 where Highway JJ intersects it. https://goo.gl/maps/3CdtkUbTvw6dY8Kf6

The launch will be held under Tripoli Research rules; research motors are allowed with approval of the RSO. Our FAA waiver allows flights to 7,000 feet above sea level (about 6,500 feet above ground level) with call-in windows to 15,000 feet above sea level (14,500 feet above ground level). If you plan a flight above 10,000 feet, please bring simulation data along to help the RSO evaluate the risk of your flight violating the waiver.

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

SLRA is having our regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, September 24th, 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.

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

Due to peoples' unavailability, we have decided to push the next Buder Park model rocket launch back to Saturday, September 7. We'll send out another announcement with the event details closer to the launch. So no club launch on Sunday August 25. If you have any questions, please email admin@stlouisrocketry.com.

At our last club meeting on July 23rd, the SLRA annual election was held. The results were as follows:

• President: David Kovar
• Vice President: Charles Barnett
• Secretary: Darrell Weber
• Treasurer: Don Hanson
• Directors: Charles Barnett, John Buckley, Don Hanson, David Kovar, Rodney Reiderer, Darrell Weber, and Dan Welling.

Congratulations, and thank you to the officers for your service to the club!

Our next model rocket launch is scheduled for this coming Saturday, July 27th at Buder Park. The current Weather Underground forecast predicts sunny skies, 5-7 mile per hour winds and a temperature of 71 at 8:00am rising into the mid 80s by noon. Finally, we have some good luck with the weather! I checked the park today and found that there is still quite a bit of standing water in the southeast corner of the park, south of our launch site, but the rest of the field is dry, the grass is still in pretty good shape, and the road is open all the way around the park.

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 8:00 am and should have the range open by 8:30 if not earlier. The range will stay open for as long as people are flying, but we're typically done by 12:00 or 1:00 pm.

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.

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.

SLRA's annual director / officer election will be held at tonight's meeting (see previous announcement). I re-read the election announcement I sent on Sunday and spotted an error - it should say that Jack Oney is not running for re-election as vice president. Hopefully that was clear from the context. My note about not running for secretary again was not a typo, though. 🙂

I have so far not received any requests for additional people asking to have their names included on the ballot, so we have two offices (vice president and secretary) with no candidates. If you are interested in finding a way to help keep the club running, this is your opportunity!

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

Dan Crank
Secretary, St. Louis Rocketry Association