[roc-chat] ROCtober and ROC's October Monthly HPR Launch is this Weekend
- From: Gregory Lyzenga <lyzenga@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, roc-announce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 20:46:19 -0700
Fellow ROC Members,
A quick reminder: this Saturday and Sunday (October 13-14, 2012) is the next
ROC Launch. The regular HPR launch is all day Saturday; the ROCtober youth
event encompasses both days. Projected weather conditions appear to be good for
launching, with mild fall desert conditions anticipated. Overnight lows will
be near 50F and daytime highs will be near 80F under sunny skies. Wind
conditions should follow typical trends, with the best (lowest wind, <5 mph)
conditions in the early morning, with speeds gradually increasing after
mid-morning (probably around 10 mph in the afternoon). As always, remember
that we are in a desert environment, so plan accordingly for the heat and sun.
Despite the cooler temperatures be sure to bring (and drink) plenty of water to
avoid dehydration, and wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunblock to avoid getting
burned. For those of you new to the Lucerne launch site, THERE IS NO WATER on
site, so bring what you need! (This include water for washing as well as
drinking/cooking.) There are no announced food vendors registered for the
launch, so provide your own food as well. Lucerne Valley Market is about 4
miles from our launch site and has an extensive selection of groceries as well
as a good deli counter.
Please keep in mind that we will be expecting *several hundred* scouts and
youth group participants for this annual ROCtober event. We will be keeping a
careful eye on the portable toilet and crowd control issues, but we can use
everyone's help in keeping the site clean and running smoothly. As always,
PLEASE keep the toilets clean and NEVER dispose of ANYTHING except human waste
in them. And you can further do your part by reminding our guests of the rules
and setting a good example. Everyone pack out ALL of your trash and leave no
sign of our presence after the launch is over.
The range should be open for flying between 7:00 and 8:00 am on Saturday, and
as usual you are advised to plan on flying early. With the exception of night
flying on Saturday (weather permitting) and arranged demo flights, HPR flying
will end on Saturday afternoon. NAR and Tripoli certification will be
available. Sunday will continue with youth low and mid power flying, and we
plan to shut down the range for the day Sunday at about 1:00 pm. PLEASE TAKE
NOTE OF THIS AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY! Please let the board know in advance if you
have any large projects or unusual support requirements or plans that we should
know about.
For those of you that have not been to a launch for several months, a quick
reminder that our launch site has moved slightly. The new range location is
just about 1000 ft. south of the old site and is accessed from the same road as
before. A half mile in to the lakebed, look for the metal post and
signs/reflectors directing you to turn left to the new site. If you are
arriving the night before for camping, don't set up in the old spot because you
WILL be asked to move. Drive VERY carefully and slowly on the access roads and
in the camping area, particularly at night. The area is fairly heavily rutted,
and passenger vehicles can get into trouble if not driven with care.
VERY IMPORTANT -- In order to support a launch of this size and complexity, we
MUST have the help of members and volunteers to staff the range operation
positions! At our smaller launches over the last couple of months, we've been
a little casual about this, but at ROCtober we need to have range duty
positions filled before we can open the range for flying. We have an
easy-to-use site for volunteering for range duty. DROP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING
RIGHT NOW and visit:
http://mysignup.com/rocrangeduty
to select your range duty assignment. We'll open the range for flying as soon
as we get our positions filled and the range set up, so let's pitch in so we
can take best advantage of the good morning flying hours! Overnight camping is
allowed as usual, but be sure to keep all campfires in above-ground containers
to comply with BLM rules, and pack your ashes and wood debris out with you when
you leave. Let's always try to leave the playa a little cleaner than we found
it. Portable toilets should be delivered on site by Friday afternoon to
support campers and setup.
Let's fly rockets! We'll see you on the lake bed!
-----------------------------------------------
Greg Lyzenga
ROC Board Member - NAR #13295 / Tripoli #12088
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