Come launch with us on the third Saturday of each month at Veteran's Memorial Park in Alamogordo! 

The 8th Annual Alamogordo Winter Regional Sport Launch 

Sponsored by the Spaceport Model Rocket Association,
American Legion Post #34, and The New Mexico Museum of Space History
February 17 - 18, 2007.

Everyone is invited! Join us for the sixth annual Alamogordo Winter Regional sport launch at Veterans Memorial Park just west of Alamogordo. There are no scheduled long lines, bad weather, grumpy people, or malfunctions. Check the Alamogordo Website for hotel and visitor information.  Let others know too.  Don’t forget to bring and launch your Centennial Challenge duration contest rocket.

For more information contact Contest Director Jim Basler at jbasler@zianet.com or (505) 521-4822 or visit The FLARE Website

If you are not familiar with National Association of Rocketry sanctioned competition check out the NAR's webpages on Competition Rockety and the  United States Model Rocket Sporting Code "Pink Book"

Here And Beyond Industries will be attending with Cesaroni (Pro38/Pro54), HyperTek and AeroTech motors for sale.  For motors that would require a LEUP, you can buy the 'flight' instead of the motor which means you still do all the prep and fly the rocket, but the motor remains the property of Here And Beyond (you can't take it home with you).  H&B also has loaner casings for the Pro38/54 motors, so you can 'buy a flight' even if you don't own the hardware.  Standard "if the case is lost or damaged, then you buy it" would apply.  Also, Here And Beyond doesn't currently accept credit cards, but does accept cash or checks.  If you have particular questions about motor availability, you can contact Kevin at HereAndBeyond@comcast.net  

The club will have hamburgers and hotdogs available.

Saturday and Sunday range setup and registration starts around 7:30 a.m. and the range will open for launching by 8:00 a.m. and close around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 PM on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon there will be a Tripoli-only research launch.  The research launch will begin after the non-Tripoli populace has departed the area.  Launching will continue through the afternoon and conclude around 9:00 p.m.  Read and understand the Tripoli research safety code prior to launching.  If there’s enough interest Monday can be a weather makeup day for the Tripoli research launch.

We'll make reservations in town for a 5:00 p.m. dinner Saturday.   (We will have to secure the launch site equipment before we can go eat.) It’s a time to socialize, swap stories and techniques, and watch some of your videos from the day. We'll take a count around noon Saturday so let us know if you’ll be arriving late.

There will be a night launch Saturday evening from 7:00 p.m. until everyone is finished launching. If it’s a long dinner, we’ll start launching later.

It may be cold, it may be windy, and it may be wet; plan your accouterments accordingly. If you haven't been to the site, ask someone in your club who has launched here. If you’re not sure check our website or call.

Note: The rain-check/wind-check makeup date is a two-day launch the following weekend, February 22-23. There will still be a dinner and a night launch.

Our 12 vdc relay launch equipment and MR, LMR, and HPR launch pads are available for launches out to 500’, e.g. Ms and complex Ls.  If you have a rocket weighing over 25 pounds, require additional distance to the launcher, hybrid support, etc., you’ll need to bring your own equipment.

There are 16 RV spaces available at no charge to event participants. Each spot is about 75’ long with water and 30 amp electrical hookups. Participants may also dry-camp at the rangehead Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for free. There are porta-potties and a water spigot at the rangehead. 

Now for the persistent items:

• The range fee is $10 per person or family per day or $15 for two or more days. Kids launch A to C motors for free.   Pre-registration is available on our website.

• All activities must comply with NAR safety codes. This includes no alcohol while the range is open. Decisions by the Event Coordinators, RSO, LCO, Safety Monitor, and Contest Director are final, unless they jointly decide otherwise.  Motors must be currently certified by NAR.

• Due to housing encroachment our maximum allowable altitudes are not based on our FAA waiver or our available windows for higher altitudes. Our allowable altitudes are based on NFPA and NAR allowable distances to occupied buildings. This is a dynamic situation as mobile homes are added and removed periodically.

• The pads in the immediate launch area are authorized to 9,200’ AGL. The pad managers will get you to the correct pad.

• There’s an away cell for N motors, to the North, for up to 8,500’ AGL and there’s an away cell to the NE for any size motor for 10,500’ AGL.

• An  away cell for 13,000’ is “available”, but it’s across a mud bog. This usually requires carrying in all of your launch pad equipment.

• Saturday night-launch requirements: The LCO must be able to see each rocket through all phases of flight. Which means placing a bright light on board your rocket or put one inside an unpainted fiberglass or white plastic nosecone.  Try it at home before the launch for best results. There’s no motor size limit, just a self-imposed altitude restriction of 3,000’ AGL, although we might allow a higher flight if you have a bright enough light.

The Centennial Challenge duration contest has become a staple at our events. We’ll have some great prizes, so join us in the competition this year!  The event is open to rockets greater than 100 inches in total length and the total power of the motor(s) is to not exceed 100 Newton-Seconds. The rocket must be at least 100" in height when leaving the launch rod, rail, or tower. Total installed motors cannot exceed 100 NS. Motors may be clustered or staged, but recovered sustainer must be 100". Timing starts at lift-off and continues until the first piece of the 100" section lands or is no longer visible. The rocket must be flown and recovered in flyable condition.  When flown, timers will time the duration of the flight and annotate the time on the flight card.  When the rocket is recovered, the flyer will bring it back to Safety Check-in to verify recovery.  The longest flight duration will be the winner in "under 18" and "18 and over" age groups.

Hugh Malcolm (505) 434-5441 is our Event Coordinators for this launch.

Jim Basler is the Contest Director jbasler@zianet.com 

Visitors Since Jan 8, 2003