NAR Austin Section

Minutes of the September Meeting

The September 26 meeting of the Austin Area Rocketry Group was called to order at 10:15AM by First Vice President Tom Kindel, presiding in the absence of President Alex Mericas. Secretary/Treasurer James Duffy noted that the club has funds in the amount of $175.00 and that there have been no club expenditures to date.

Muster Day Demo

Senior Adviser Lee James suggested that AARG should endeavor to include a demonstration at the November 11 Muster Day ceremonies of the Texas National Guard at Camp Mabry. Lee noted that in addition to the obvious civic goodwill and visibility club participation in this event would generate, it may also help change the Guard's ban on rocket activities at the facility. Lee agreed to follow up on this possibility. It was noted that November 11 is a Wednesday.

Demo Launch

The upcoming public demo launch was also discussed, and it was agreed that this event should be postponed until early spring, in order to refine launch and safety procedures.

Newsgroup Changes

Lee advised the membership that there have been several changes to the web interface for the rocketry-Austin newsgroup used by the club membership. He encouraged club members to make use of the personal profile, preference and folder features offered, and to see the personal examples he had created.

Launch Schedule

AARG has committed to schedule a launch on the second Saturday of each month, making changes to accommodate holidays as necessary. The dates for club launches for the remainder of 1998 are October 10, November 14, and December 12.

Insurance

AARG's commitment to hold only insured events was reemphasized, and club members were encouraged to purchase personal policies to augment the coverage secured by the club and its officers. Lee James agreed to contact NAR headquarters in order to secure a written copy of the group policy.

Mueller Airport Availability

It was noted that the closing of Mueller Airport in Austin may afford the club the opportunity to hold larger events during a limited window of opportunity before development of the site begins. The possibility of hosting a NAR sanctioned event, possibly the Texas State Championship was raised. It was agreed that this opportunity was worthy of further investigation.

Airshows

Presenting demonstrations at the many area airshows was discussed. James Duffy offered to contact the organizers of the Georgetown, Burnet, Taylor, and San Marcos events to discuss the possibility of AARG's participation.

Launch Procedures

Tom Kindel suggested that the club develop consistent procedures for all launch events in order to maximize safety for both participants and spectators. The use of a Public Address system was noted to be especially helpful in insuring maximum safety, as was the use of Launch Control Officers and Range Safety Officers at all club launches. It was noted that developing these procedures as soon as possible would streamline contest and demo operations. The use of a multiple range head configuration was encouraged in order to maximize launch efficiency. In addition, it was suggested that the club consider the purchase of a copy of NFPA 1122, as this document contains suggested launch procedures.

October, November, and December Launches

It was proposed that the upcoming October event be a Sport Launch, and that the November event feature two basic competition events (possibly B Streamer Duration and B Parachute Duration). In addition, Shawn McCoy suggested that the club hold a "Wacky Wocket" event. It was noted that this may be appropriate for the December launch.

Fire Safety

Todd Wallis encouraged all club members to purchase and have available for use some form of fire suppression device, either and appropriate fire extinguisher or water bucket. Sven Knudson suggested that many "Super Soaker" type toys are great for this purpose.

Launch Cards

The use of launch cards were discussed. It was noted that use of launch cards would simplify the task of both the LCO and RSO, as well as any PA announcer. Additionally, their use would simplify club record keeping.

July 1999 Saturn V Contest?

James Duffy noted that July 1999 would be the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, and suggested that the club may wish to hold a contest to commemorate the event. Steve Rogers, Mark Scheevel, and Sven Knudson noted that competition events as diverse as scale, duration and altitude could be held, and that the impending re-release of the Estes/Centuri Saturn V would make the launch possible.

Future Meeting Topics

A call for possible future meeting topics was made, and the following topics were proposed:

• Scale Model Rocketry
• Finishing Techniques
• High Power Rocketry
• Multi-Staging
• Dual Recovery System Deployment
• Competition (Lee James noted that the NAR "Pink Book" of competition rules is available on his personal web page)

FAA Part 101 Notification

Jerry Spoor suggested that the club develop a procedure to insure that proper FAR Part 101 notification is made for all AARG events. James Duffy offered to get the fax number for Austin Approach to insure easy notification.

Membership Cards

Development of a club ID/membership card was discussed.

Adjournment of the Meeting

There being no additional new business, Vice President Tom Kindel brought the meeting to its conclusion.

Attendance

The following club members were in attendance:

• Ted Brady and son
• Tom Kindel
• Jerry Spoor
• Shawn McCoy
• Todd Wallis
• Sean McCann
• Steve Rogers
• Mark Scheevel
• Art Collard
• Sven Knudson
• Lee James
• James Duffy