Where can one go to launch Estes Rockets in the greater Los Angeles County and surrounding counties? All I have found so far is a recreational park in Irwindale where you have to wait for some scheduled weekend club sponsored event that is overly managed (flight cards...give me a break!) and restrictive (A's only) Or drive 3 hours to a lake bed and hope for the best (wind, locals, etc) The school yards are too small for anything but A size. My Boys and I want to use some of our C's and I know there has got to be some good places other people have found in the greater LA/Valley/orange county areas..Any suggestions greatly appreciated Thanks
There is no (repeat, no) legal place to launch in all of Orange County, for example. The only field in all of LA County that I am aware of where you can launch (in urban areas) is the aforementioned launches held in Irwindale.
Please don't scoff at the flight cards, and management, of what Fred, Martin, et al do to put those launches together. First, they go out of there way to provide outreach to hundreds (maybe thousands?) of kids each year, and many of those who show up at the launches are the 'newbies' like that. Because of that, they have to be a little bit more wary -- after all, the only reason that the Parks and Recreation department even lets them host a launch is BECAUSE it is a group, controlled activity, and because they have pledged to keep it 'legal' and clean. By the way, Irwindale is NOT for A's only. In fact, they are cleared up to a 'G' engine, so I don't know where you got the 'A' restriction from.
The problem isn't really that of finding a place that looks like you can launch from it, it's finding a place that's large enough, AND where you can get permission, AND where you can get a fire department permit.
My best suggestion -- find a spot that is large enough, then try and convince the owner to let you use it. Once having done that, you need to approach your local fire authority and talk to them. They will probably give you a permit if you speak to them as though you know what you're doing, but the problem is that they will charge a substantial fee to do so. However, if you can convince them that you're willing to 'help out' in educating folks about rockets, for example, and in showing how it's done LEGALLY, they will sometimes waive the fee.
You'll be a lot better off if you can get some like-minded folks together to form a club, or NAR section, but that isn't easy, and it's a tremendous amount of work. I honestly don't know how Fred and Martin have done it all these years, because it's a pretty thankless task.
All Rocketeers are Welcome to come up to KERN county and do their flying. I do my flying in thefield next door or in the fields the otherside of the I-14 freeway. And it's a all freeway drive up to here.
limit is "G" motor. That is WAYYYYY beyond "A" (64 times the power). I have absolutely no idea where you got "A".
And flight cards are absurdly easy to fill out and SCRA flight cards are much easier than many other clubs around the USA. You can download the card, fill in your name and info that does not change and make copies. Then you just need to write down a date and the rocket, motor, and motor manufacturer. What is so difficult about that?
And for obtaining your own launch site, SCRA provides semi-detailed information on the website. Go to "Links", then click on the "Get Your Own Launch Site" link and read the document. SCRA did not write the regulations, but they read them, talked to 'the authorities' and whipped up this digest to help you understand and cut through the confusion. It's better than a $1000 fine and/or a year in jail for EACH illegal launch.
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And if you are thinking of coming to a Snat Fe Dam launch, the site is HUGE - hence the G motor limit. Also, the end of the school year can be quite insane since the teachers who put off their flying until the very end of the school year are all coming out of the woodwork. The next launch will be crowded by one large group but they will only fly once per student, so they will be gone before the launch session ends. They will also show up early so they are ready to fly early. After school ends, there are no crowds and seldom any sort of 'line'. In the Summer it's super easy paced all the way into the fall. Once in a while a smart scout leader will schedule their group for the 'slow months', but they are usually very well prepared and zoom through.
It's fun to launch legally, with some other folks, without having to be ready to run away, or post bail. That's why so many people do so. Please review photos of the people launching at this site - scroll down to the bottom of the photo page:
Thanks for all the suggestions. Went to El Mirage today with my boys and had a total blast!!! Just like it was when I was a kid!. load and launch! over and over!. Lots of rockets and freedom! (safety too. even brought a fire extinguisher because I was not sure what I would find in terms of ground cover ) Thanks for all the advise and suggestions.
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