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You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Tips on finding a place to launch?

• Thread starter Thread starter Meemperor
• Start date Start date Jun 18, 2012

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Meemperor

New Member

Joined Jun 14, 2012 Messages 3 Hello all! My first post! Sorry about the super newbie question! But I was checking out https://www.canadianrocketry.org/ and they recommend " I will never launch model rockets in high winds or in conditions of low visibility which may impair the observation of my model rocket in flight, or in a direction below 30 degrees from the vertical." Which I'm not sure if I interpreted right. This is what I figured from a launch of 1000' : I really had to dig back to remember how to do that math! Reading it again I feel like my angles should be swapped? But I could see something drifting that half a KM or further from 1000' with even a 5kts wind, especially if it were gusting to 7-9kts. That is a pretty large distance, I assume a lot of people use farmers fields for these launches? There are farm fields near me, but they are actively farmed and I don't want to trample someones crops! I'm not aware of a rocketry club in Toronto either, although there has to be one..right? At 1800' it's hard to find an open space that large! Any tips or advice would be great! I'm going to start a small self designed and built rocket in the next weeks for my first baby step after playing with some of the Estes rockets. TIA! - PS Sorry about the mis matched units! Used to KM for long distances, feet for altitude and kts for wind speed so sometimes it gets confusing!

El Phantasmo

Well-Known Member

Joined Mar 2, 2010 Messages 359 Welcome! Starting small and keeping flights relatively low is, certainly, the way to start, until you find a club or get permission to use someone's large piece of land. Good luck! The size of the rocket, motor type and recovery apparatus can greatly effect tracking a rocket. There's a few Canucks on here that will be eager to help you; as for me, I live way down in Texas. Last edited: Jun 18, 2012

Threemorewishes

Well-Known Member

Joined Feb 23, 2009 Messages 429 Click here...Canadian Association of Rocketry. This is a good place to start for all Canadian rocketry enthusiasts.

Marc_G

Well-Known Member

TRF Supporter Joined Jun 5, 2010 Messages 11,506 Location Indianapolis Metro Area The 30 degrees from vertical refers to the angle of the launch rod. Keep it pointed straight up or close to it. Never tilt it more than a little each way. I think in the US the standard is 20 degrees but maybe I mis-remember. I never angle more than about 10 degrees into or with the wind. If you are launching to 1000 feet high, you probably want at least 500 feet radius around launch point. Welcome to the hobby.

Meemperor

New Member

Joined Jun 14, 2012 Messages 3

Marc_G said: The 30 degrees from vertical refers to the angle of the launch rod. Keep it pointed straight up or close to it. Never tilt it more than a little each way. I think in the US the standard is 20 degrees but maybe I mis-remember. I never angle more than about 10 degrees into or with the wind. If you are launching to 1000 feet high, you probably want at least 500 feet radius around launch point. Welcome to the hobby. Click to expand...

Ahhhh thank you!!!! Launching at anything other than 90° never even crossed my mind!

Threemorewishes said: Click here...Canadian Association of Rocketry. This is a good place to start for all Canadian rocketry enthusiasts. Click to expand...

I checked it out (As you can see in original post), but there was no info on anything in the GTA. Closest club seems to be in Cambridge? Unless I am missing something here!

Threemorewishes

Well-Known Member

Joined Feb 23, 2009 Messages 429 https://www.canadianrocketry.org/car_clubs.php The link above shows a club with its HQ in Toronto. NAPAS $39.82 Quest Aerospace Mean Green Advanced Rocketry Kit Winkie's Toys & Hobby $14.98 ($7.49 / count) 2 Pack Waterproof Lighter Outdoor Windproof Torch Lighters Dual Arc Butane Electric Lighters USB Rechargeable Lighters Flameless Plasma Lighter Camping Hiking Adventure Survival Tactical Gear Laffizz US -16% $30.02 $35.95 Estes 2198 Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket-Building Kit, Beginner Flying-Rocket-Model Kit for Ages 10+ Amazon.com -18% $36.71 $44.99 Estes Tandem-X Launch Set (Amazon and Crossfire ISX) Orange, 30 inches Amazon.com $33.99 Estes 2238 Portal E Launch Pad, Flying-Rocket-Model Launch Pad, Rocket Model Kit Accessories for Ages 10+ Amazon.com -7% $83.62 $89.99 Estes 1753 AVG Bulk Variety Pack of Rocket-Building Kits, Beginner and Intermediate Flying-Rocket-Model Kits for Ages 10+, Includes Viking, Alpha, and EX2 Rockets Amazon.com -37% $9.49 $14.99 Cabbqiu LED Reflective Running Vest - Light Up With 3 Modes, Rechargeable Night Gear for Runners - Safety Belt for Women Men (Green) Cabbqiu store $32.99 Estes 1403 Riptide Rocket Launch Set, Prebuilt Beginner Flying-Rocket-Model Set for Ages 10+, Includes Launch Pad System Amazon.com $54.83 Quest Aerospace Quad Runner Advanced Rocketry Kit Winkie's Toys & Hobby $13.99 Atomic Bear Paracord Bracelet (2 Pack) - Adjustable - Fire Starter - Loud Whistle - Perfect for Hiking, Camping, Fishing and Hunting - Black & Black+Orange The Atomic Bear

Meemperor

New Member

Joined Jun 14, 2012 Messages 3

Threemorewishes said: https://www.canadianrocketry.org/car_clubs.php The link above shows a club with its HQ in Toronto. NAPAS Click to expand...

Got it now, I think originally I thought it was just a North American thing! Looks like they do their launches 1.5hr drive from me, not to bad I guess! It also doesn't look like the site has been updated at all this year :S

KennB

I-95 Envoy

TRF Supporter Joined Mar 6, 2010 Messages 2,794 Location Amesbury, MA

Meemperor said: Got it now, I think originally I thought it was just a North American thing! Looks like they do their launches 1.5hr drive from me, not to bad I guess! It also doesn't look like the site has been updated at all this year :S Click to expand...

Try getting a hold of Angelo Castellano, Sunward Aerospace Group Limited His company is located in Toronto: Click here for Sunward It always nice to have a local vendor. Kenn

JStarStar

Well-Known Member

Joined Jun 5, 2009 Messages 2,552 The wording of the CAR code is slightly imprecise and inaccurate. "I will never launch model rockets .... in a direction below 30 degrees from the vertical," SHOULD read, "I will never launch model rockets in a direction deviating more than 30 degrees from vertical." The word "below" kind of implies you can launch with your launch rod at a vertical angle of 28 degrees. :y::y: Of course it doesn't really and "everybody knows" your launch rod is supposed to be pointed nearly straight up but the CAR wording leaves some uncertainty of interpretatiion. I just checked the NAR MRSC and the figure is 30 degrees in the U.S. as well. https://www.nar.org/NARmrsc.html That is a considerable change from decades past when 20 degrees was the limit. Tilting your launch rod at 30 degrees will send the rocket off at quite an angle. Now back to your question about finding flying fields, first of all as many have suggested you would probably be well advised to see if you can hook up with a local club which already holds launches. If you are left to your own devices to find flying fields, a general rule of thumb is that your launch site should measure a absolute minimum (in any direction) of half the maximum expected altitude of any rocket you plan to launch. So if you are going to launch a rocket you expect to reach 350 meters (I am speaking metric-ese since you are in Canada), the minimum dimension of any side of your flying field should be 175 meters. This is also just a basic rule of thumb and is highly subject to other factors, primarily prevailing winds. When scouting out launch sites, you should always try to get an idea of what prevailing winds are common -- is it a windswept prairie, a hilly region with lots of gusts etc etc. -- and especially the usual direction and speed of those winds. Rockets usually descend on parachute about 5m/sec and the "recommended minimum field size" is based on an assumption of calm winds. So if your flying field usually features winds coming out of the W at 5 m/sec, you probably need to stretch your minimum field size considerably toward the east -- almost double it. And besides scouting out your own suitable flying field, you also have to have a pretty good idea of the situation of the properties adjoining onto your field. If you are flying out on Farmer Jones's field and his four neighbors are Farmer Smith, Farmer Brown, Farmer Johnson and Farmer Jackson and they are all pals, it is probably no big deal if your rocket drifts 50 feet over the fence into their land. If your field is surrounded by congested residential or commercial land, busy freeways or (maybe worst) forests of the evil rocket-eating trees, it is a big deal. Last edited: Jun 18, 2012

Barracuda

Well-Known Member

Joined Sep 22, 2011 Messages 766 Location Texas Hi and welcome!I'm way down in Texas also but I would look at a school or football,soccer field or lg.parks near by..I work at a school that's about 5 blocks from my house that gives me about 3000' in every direction..yes I'm blessed

JStarStar

Well-Known Member

Joined Jun 5, 2009 Messages 2,552

Barracuda said: Hi and welcome!I'm way down in Texas also but I would look at a school or football,soccer field or lg.parks near by..I work at a school that's about 5 blocks from my house that gives me about 3000' in every direction..yes I'm blessed Click to expand...

Texas is definitely one of the nirvana states for rocketry. My sister lives down there and although I have never launched rockets there, whenever I have visited I always drive through wide open spaces and say, "man you could launch rockets forever down here." A 3000' square field would be pretty much perfect unless you were flying a lot of high power (over G) rockets. Up here in the north (or even the wilds of Canada as in the case of Memperor) those wide-open prairies are harder to find. Last edited: Jun 22, 2012

luke strawwalker

Well-Known Member

Joined Jan 18, 2009 Messages 9,147

JStarStar said: Texas is definitely one of the nirvana states for rocketry. My sister lives down there and although I have never launched rockets there, whenever I have visited I always drive through wide open spaces and say, "man you could launch rockets forever down here." A 3000' square field would be pretty much perfect unless you were flying a lot of high power (over G) rockets. Up here in the north (or even the wilds of Canada as in the case of Memperor) those wide-open prairies are harder to find. Click to expand...

Yeah, until you get a killer drought that shuts launches down for about a year due to burn bans and simply too tinderbox dry conditions to even think about it... (like last year!) Later! OL JR

AlfaBrewer

Well-Known Member

Joined Mar 17, 2011 Messages 869 It also depends on what part of Texas you're talking about. East Texas is choc-a-bloc with pine trees. Growing up, I eventually lost all of the rockets I launched. Once they cleared out a new area of the subdivision I lived in, I had a nice open launch area. Except for those pesky canals from Lake Houston that cut through the area. I only painted a couple of rockets when I was young, since I couldn't stand being mocked by the nice shiny paint stuck 50+' up in a tree or floating out in the lake. A

asennad

Member

Joined Oct 26, 2010 Messages 9 The CRS ( Canadian Rocket Society) was the most active club here in Toronto the last few years but it seems to have faded away now. Now the only active club I know of is the Cambridge Rocket Club www.cambridgerocketclub.org. They usually have a few launches each year about an hour from Toronto just north of Guelph. Good field - large sod farm. Post reply Insert quotes…

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