This is a valid question and it comes up often. Our launch schedule for any
year is usually set in the Fall of the previous year. Dave and I try to set
the schedule as soon as possible in the fall because 1. The landowners need to
be notified and be given time to make sure none of our activities conflict with
something else going on at that time. 2. Everybody in the club has other
things that fill up their schedules, other hobbies, family activities,
important children’s activities, and a small subset of us like to attend
launches at other clubs throughout the Eastern United States, especially big
events like Red Glare in Maryland, Freedom Launch in South Carolina, and even
NSL and LDRS when they occur somewhere other than California. We usually put
these events on our own private calendars as soon as they are announced. 3.
It takes more than one person to run a launch. Even a small event like the
Butner launches need 2 or 3 experienced people on hand to help with set-up and
tear-down, get everybody registered and all the new kids trained to filling out
flight cards and putting rockets on the pads, doing the LCO and RSO duties, and
keeping an eye on parking and safety. Moving a launch at the last minute would
leave any event significantly short of senior people, for all of the reasons
listed above.
So, I wish we could. The situation becomes even more critical in the spring
at the Bayboro launches, when all of our academic teams are working hard to get
qualifying flights accomplished for the TARC, BOTR, SLI and IREC competitions
around the country. A cancelled weekend in January, February or March because
of bad weather (which is almost guaranteed in J, F or M) puts all of the teams
seriously behind the eight-ball, and causes all of the club seniors and
academic advisors a lot of heartburn.
Alan
Prefect, Tripoli East NC
From: ncrockets-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <ncrockets-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf
Of ericnoguchi
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2018 10:24 PM
To: ncrockets@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ncrockets] Re: May 19 Butner launch is cancelled
Awwwwww! : ( Any chance it could be moved to another weekend this month?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2
-------- Original message --------
From: Dave Morey <dave@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:dave@xxxxxxxxx> >
Date: 5/14/18 5:15 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: ncrockets@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ncrockets@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ncrockets] May 19 Butner launch is cancelled
The NC State Aeronautics teams need to use the field all weekend in order to
prepare for a competition in June. So, we must cancel the Butner launch this
Saturday. We will try again on June 23.
Dave Morey
