Michigan Team #1 Tripoli Prefecture #9
Team Talk!
By: Stuart Davis TRA #2232
Vol 5. No. 2
Feb. 2000
November Three Oaks Launch Coverage and
Members Meeting/Elections results
Gail Jenkins took a wonderful panoramic shot of the three oaks range. Unfortunately, the
page is not wide enough to show the entire range as over 250 people were in attendance!
Welcome to another addition of “Team Talk ”, The
Michigan TEAM 1 newsletter. This Issue is dedicated to the
fall Three Oaks launch that TEAM 1 hosted on November 20th
& 21st, and the Jan 29th election meeting.
The November Launch
Ken Z. and myself (Stuart) were burning the midnight oil for
about two weeks getting the equipment and facilities ready for
what was predicted to be a great launch weekend (per the
weather prediction). The pads were all checked and cleaned,
rods straightened, the small Estes size “D-cell” was built, the
PA tower got a coat of paint, a STOP sign/mail box to contain
the launch directions was assembled, 500 copies of the launch
directions were printed, waivers…porta potties… the new
name tags (please keep the plastic holder and bring it to the
next launch) and the list goes on. It takes some very dedicated
people to run a large launch such as this (I would like to see a
“Launch committee” set up to handle these tasks rather than
have only two people have to do all the work). Several of us
arrived on Friday afternoon and began to set up the range.
With visions of a great weekend ahead of us we settled in for
the night.
Early Saturday morning we had an eager bunch of volunteers
ready to dig in and set up the range. As everyone wanted to
get flying, the help was
eager to get going!. Once
Ken had coordinated the
set up of the pads, and I
got the registration, RSO,
Pad Manager and LCO
volunteers going, the
launch was on! By 9AM
we were ready to get
flying, and the flights
began to rack up quickly.
We had a great turn out of
Team 1 members among
the 180 registered fliers.
I had made an attempt to
Stuart digs in to get the
get the Team 1 group to
Registration table going
park together so we could
do some of that “Male Bonding”. With this being my first
attempt to get people to park as a group, and the area was
located past the registration area where we usually do not
park, I can say that it worked out pretty good. Hopefully we
can get the kinks ironed out of it and have a Team 1 parking
area to allow us to keep in touch with our friends at the
launch.
you. I had made up a sign-in board (that used those erasable
markers) to get people to register for time slots, and it was a
big hit. We actually had the type of help during the launch
that we usually beg for (I am not kidding on this point).
People were actually doing “double shifts” as they were
enjoying the tasks at hand. I was absolutely floored when Bob
Chmara said “I’m really having a good time doing the Pad
Manager duty, but my time is up. Can I just continue doing
it?”. Geeze…. Usually we are pleading to get help, or just
Ken, Ty, Kevin Hell, Forrest and myself are doing it all. It is
rare that someone asks if they could help! “Go for it” was all
I could say to Bob (heck, I was nearly speechless). It was great
to see us functioning as a “Team”, and I hope that this
continues. If you want to do some “bonding” at the next
launch, sign up to help, you will make some great friends.
There were so many great flights it was hard to pick only a
few to highlight. Thanks to Frank Uroda and Gail Jenkins
(Allen’s wife that did the registration most of the weekend at
Three Oaks), I have some great pictures to present as they did
a great job photographing the launch. If you want your
pictures or an article shown in Team Talk, send them to me
(Stuart Davis, 4001 Parkwood ct, Bloomfield Hills, Mi.
48301 or email to [email protected]).
The morning started out very cold, but with clear sky’s. As
the day wore on the weather would deliver a broken cloud
ceiling at 3500 feet, with openings to about 5000 feet.
I thought the best way to highlight this launch was to include a
few of the many great flights and people that were there, so
here goes!
Soon the launch line started to grow, and grow and grow until
there usually was 10 people in line. The smiles on people’s
faces tell the story….. We came to FLY and have FUN!
Photo: Frank Uroda
The picture above shows a pose repeated many times each
day as more than 350 flights took to the air over the
weekend. The crowds and participants were great, and by
the look on everyone’s face, they all had a good time.
Photo: Frank Uroda
In no time,
the pads were
bustling with
rockets ready
to fly as seen
to the right.
Getting the rockets off the pads was a great team of Bob
Chmara as Pad Manager, and Andy Wadell (PML’s online
technical rep) as LCO. Andy’s commentary would give some
great background to the rockets, fliers and flights as the
rockets would take to the skies Saturday, and Bob would make
sure people were heading out to the right pads. They made a
great team! As did all the volunteers. To all of you that
volunteered, all of TEAM 1 THANKS YOU!
A great
bunch of
volunteers
really dug in
to take care
of the launch
tasks such as
registration,
RSO, LCO
and the like.
Some
members
made new
friends while
volunteering
Photo: Frank Uroda
as the tasks
usually
grouped two people together. There was always someone that
was another “rocket nut” to make friends with right next to
Andy Wadell as LCO, and Bob Chmara as pad
manager get the rockets moving. Photos: Frank Uroda
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Another great spectacle was Bob Chmara’s Minie Magg on an
old RocketFlight Silver Streak H220 motor. Boy, the crowd
loved that flight, and the below picture speaks a thousand
words. How can one do justice to describe the great sparks
out of this motor. The H220 and the Minie Magg is just a
perfect combination, as the rocket seems to sit on the pad
while the motor sends out a turmoil of sparks and noise.
Then, in a rush the rocket heads for the sky like it was
projected from an air cannon. Geeze, do I love these motors!
I struggled with a caption on this picture between “You gotta
see this baby fly!”, or “I gotta get me one of these!”. This is
Mark Del Pra's beautifully finished PML Lunar express kit.
Mark did a great job finishing the rocket, and it would turn in
a spectacular flight on an I-284 White Lightning motor.
Tina Sobinski had
an upscale Mars
Lander that was one
of the many eye
catching kits of the
day. I think the kit
was about 7.5
inches in diameter,
and the legs
articulated to absorb
any shock upon
landing. Her first
launch with it
Saturday was a cert
level 1 flight, and
was picture perfect
on an H-123. The
rocket really looked
cool during every
aspect of its flight.
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