April 2009
Greetings BRB Members & Friends!
April is a RED letter month for BRB starting with our official announcement that we have acquired a new field in Jemison! All the i's are dotted, all the t's are crossed and with a 5000 foot waiver, we're ready to go higher than we've recently been flying. Of course we'll still be flying at the landfill but we will be getting back to regular field rotation in June. And to that end, this month I want to focus on what's coming up for BRB from now through August.
As everyone should know, we will be at the landfill for the 2009 Blast Off April 18th and again May 16th for our first ever NAR Regional Contest. Both of these launches will be well attended, with many visitors, some from out of state. For the Blast Off, the Boy Scouts from Faith United Methodist will be assisting with launch duties as they man the food tent and also get in some flying. The Contest will give everyone a chance to meet a few members from other NAR Sections in our region. Be sure to be a part of both events.
Now, here's a quick look at the BRB Schedule April - August 2009
April 5th BRB club meeting at 2:00 pm at Alacom Finance.
It will be a great time to get tips for the contest!
April 18th The 5th Annual Birmingham Blast Off!
This event will be our biggest public outreach of the year and is your chance to see all types of rockets! Many of them are only brought out for this event!
May 16th will be the 1st ever BRB, NAR Regional Contest.
For everything you need to know to compete, or prepare a competition rocket visit:
http://homepage.mac.com/georgegassaway/BRB_contest/event_tips_1.html *Need engines or supplies? No problem!
John Hudson, owner of Hudson Classic Hobbies in Nashville, Tennessee will be our onsite vendor for the Blast Off. John will be selling all kinds of rocketry related items from motors and kits to odds and ends. If you can't find that special competition engine at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, give John a call and pre-order! John can provide all Estes and Aerotech motors for your low-mid power needs. You can visit John's online store here:
http://www.hudsonclassichobbies.com/ or phone him at: 615-429-4664.
June 13th opens our Summer Schedule which will feature several exciting events, beginning with the FIRST launch day at the new field in Jemison! In just a few days we hope to have a map with directions and a short "Field FAQ" up on the BRB website, to help with "need to know" information before we begin flying there. Our Jemison waiver is higher than at the landfill at 5000 feet AGL and should open up HPR flying. Come be a part of opening the new field on June 13th!
In case you missed it, we moved the June launch up 1 week to the 2nd Saturday, so that anyone wishing to attend Southern Thunder won't have a conflict. You can be with us to open the new field in Jemison June 13th and still make it to Southern Thunder the following week, June 20-21, 2009. See the HARA and MC2 websites as the date gets closer for details.
July 12th We will have our 3rd quarter meeting at Alacom Finance. Among other things we'll be discussing the night launch and sharing tips for illuminating your rockets for those who need help or want to show off what they've designed.
July 18th at the landfill, will be a very special day and evening! Beginning a little later than usual at 2:00pm, the afternoon launch will feature a NASA theme, as BRB celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing!
For the first half of the launch we are asking all members who can, to bring ALL of their Mercury, Jupiter, Atlas, Gemini, Saturn V's, etc., to fly that afternoon, in commemoration of the Apollo Program's historic accomplishment. If you have a flying, static, or retired NASA rocket, bring it to the field that day. If you don't have a NASA rocket right now, there's plenty of time to get one built by July 18th. So get started! Several online vendors offer many of the Mercury, Gemini and Saturn launch vehicles. Maybe we can even have a Saturn V or Mercury drag race!
If you don't have a NASA rocket there's no problem, all types of rockets are of course welcome!
Then that evening we will shift our focus to BRB's 2nd Night Flight! If you missed Night Flight last year you really missed a treat! Our night launch last summer was by far the most popular of the year! The crowd got to see some very interesting creations, with some very special night flying effects. This will be one launch you won't want to miss!
August 15th will see BRB back at Jemison for a full day of sport and HPR flying.
I'm sure I have left something out but as you can see there are a lot of interesting events coming up over the next 5 months and there's something for every type of flyer. Don't miss out on the fun, flying and fellowship!
Be watching your email, the BRB newsletter and website for regular updates on all these events and others to come!
Lastly, the monthly newsletter is open to everyone who wishes to share ideas, project information or anything related to rocketry.
Randy