On 5/9/2012 6:23 PM, Allen H Farrington wrote:I'm speaking for myself, not for anyone else, but I will add that Richard has shared some of his thoughts with me (and I with him), and I'm just putting my own two cents out there.
Typically, the LCO has the task of making sure BOTH the sky and range are clear. To this point, the range being clear has typically meant to ensure that no one is recovering their rocket near (within 'safe distance') of a launch pad -- but to me, this change essentially means that the LCO must be sure that no one is driving in the ingress/egress road before launching any mid/high power rockets. Further, we will likely need to have a sign of some sort near the entry along the lines of "watch for falling rockets". In my estimation, that 'ought' to be sufficient. It 'may' be worthwhile to have some kind of remote controlled red/green light near/on such a sign, indicating 'range/road is open/closed', but beyond that, I don't know what else can be done. It is not realistic to expect that we're going to have someone manning the entrance at all times launches are occurring, and even assuming we could do that, it's highly unlikely that they would be able to keep track of what, precisely, is in the air at any given moment.
David Erbas-White
I will let Richard answer this one definitively since he's laying out the new arrangement. The intent is to prevent folks driving to the range head from crossing through the active range. However, the definition of the "range" is variable depending on whether or not your are talking about launch safety distance or launch site dimensions or FAA waiver limits. For example, in the traditional configuration, the "range" includes everywhere folks park (FAA and Launch Site definition), but parking and spectators are not within the Launch Safety part of the range. I believe that Richard is preparing a drawing so that it makes sense to everyone. Allen On May 9, 2012, at 5:05 PM, Allen H Farrington wrote:For everyone interested, here is the actual plot of where the traditional ROC range head is. We will issue more later but rest assured that we're trying hard to minimize the change to the membership. This change was prompted to keep most of our recovery area on the BLM "square" of land (#26) thus limiting our incursions into privately held land. We're trying to minimize our incursions on the private land in order to prevent the need for insurance certificates, permission, etc… (per NFPA& CA law, not BLM rules) for launching operations. Based on what we're planning, other than getting to the range head, there should be no changes to our camping or OHV policies. Allen <FY12 07 - MapPages.pdf> On May 9, 2012, at 4:33 PM, Gregory Lyzenga wrote:On May 9, 2012, at 3:19 PM, Chris J Kobel wrote:First of all, let me say how thankful I am for our amazing BOD, who have worked their fannies off to preserve our launch site, to enhance our equipment, and to greatly promote our opportunities to enjoy our hobby. If you don't know who they are check out http://rocstock.org/contact-us/ and be sure to thank them in person next time you see them. That said, let me say I usually dislike change, especially these days, when things typically get worse. However, sometimes change is good or unavoidable, and we adapt and move on. I'm sure the BOD is already all over this and if this discussion is premature, please forgive me. the range will be moved about 1000 feet south of its traditional location. I assume this is because where we've been launching is actually private land. Shifting 1000' to the south would put us on Public Land. No worries there, it's a big lakebed. My main concern is that the primary access road onto the lakebed will lead people right into the middle of the range. I guess my question is: will people use the same road on to the lakebed and turn south earlier or will we establish a lake bed entrance further south or will we flip the range around somehow? I don't think we can create "new" roads on the lakebed.Hi Chris: Richard Dierking is actively working this issue, and the final word on it should come from him. But as I understand it, we will enter the lakebed at the usual location, but partway in there is an existing turnoff marked with a post where we will direct traffic south to the new site. A combination of prominent signs and people out on the route to direct cars away from the range should do the trick (we hope). Flipping the range around is not an option unless you relish the thought of looking directly into the midday sun to track your rockets. Expect more detailed information as June draws nearer. - Greg ------------------------------------- Gregory A. Lyzenga<lyzenga@xxxxxxx> *** (909) 621-8378 Dept. of Physics, Harvey Mudd College *** cell(626) 808-5314 Claremont, CA 91711-5990 *** fax (909) 621-8887 <http://tinyurl.com/LyzengaPhysics>
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