Being relatively new to rocketry, I have absolutely no idea what these NRA contests are let alone what UFO is. I see a contest day and think, "I'm not really sure what that is, oh well, I'm broke anyway...". Do you have to be a member of NAR to participate in the contests? I would have a mild interest in various contests, probably more if I knew what they were (OK I'm on the internet right now...) I suppose one reason I joined TRA vs. NAR is my idea of cool is, "How big a motor can I put in this little rocket?", "How fast can I get this to go?", or "How much acceleration can my rocket take without shredding?" Maybe an egg loft with an I1299ish motor would be fun for me. Take my rambling 2 cents for what it's worth.

ardieadams wrote:
Thanks Ardie, all good points. NAR and Tripoli while different, are surprisingly similar in many ways too. But, that is something that we all need to decide for ourselves through the process you have just described. Have fun and be safe!

I tend to think that the integrated sport/contest launch is the best option. It had issues at the last attempt but that was a process issue. NO launches by anyone other than the assigned LCO.

No "contest flyer" button pushing... They can still request when to fly and even get some priority over other flights but they cannot launch the rocket. If that is not acceptable then I'd say the launches need to be held on different days from the sport launches. There is just too much room for issues running multiple range heads that close together.

Ultimately it comes down to controlling the situation. The more complex the process, the more dangerous it becomes. Keep It Simple Safe...

I agree with Neal on this one. and I don't think we need tonhave sperate ranges because we have only ONE LCO.
last time sharing the gear was hard.
having two separate ranges was hard.
when range is closed it is closed for all.
we have enough gear to have more than 16 close pads.
I don't think there was one flight that couldn't wait.
contest is important to the club so are scouts so is TRA so is Tim.
those that do contest need to be patient with the sport launchers and same gos for sport launchers.
WE ARE A CLUB!!!!!!

I like the current set-up, too. It takes about 2 hours to go from my house in Brigham City to Frank Hunt Field just one way, so one day of launching is enough for me. If I was forced to go to a Sports Launch Day versus a NAR contest day, I would probably choose the the Sports Launch Day. On some of the days when we had both, I participated in both. I noticed if something went wrong for me on the NAR contests and I decided not to compete, I could still go over to the Sports Launch and fly the rockets that I planned on over there.

Bob

:laugh: Well, make up your minds...:silly: Us guys from Colorado just want to come over and win all the prizes and head back home!....:laugh:

Tim. I'm coming to Colorado and I'm bringing back the loot.
I'm not leaving empty handed.

Granted people named TIM , are hard to deal with, even worse if Colo is used as a mailing address. Best of luck Pink K. I really think its your choice of toenail polish color that is limiting you. However you're a great club Pres and keep it up

Fly Tripoli or go home

We tried it both ways at SSS over the past 10 years.

When we were starting to do contests, we flew concurrently with the sport launches. As the contest participation grew larger, we split the two events, as it became easier to run them separately.

For now, it is likely easier to keep the two events on the same day. Splitting the launch times doesn't work, as the best time to fly is best for both groups.

One significant difference between the UROC setup and the way SSS launches, is that SSS has gone away from a central launch controller. They fly with a true misfire alley system under one RSO, who controls the flight cards and launch order, but the flyer provides the pads and launch controller.

After 10 years, I have found I prefer to fly under this system. It provides more flexibility for the modeler and less waiting. It also makes the range set up and clean up much easier.

I suggest we fly the contest as a misfire alley - if not at UFO, then at the spring contest.

Matt