The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday March 5th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info 

YOU MUST STAY IN THE ROAD ON THE SOD FARM.  DO NOT DRIVE ONTO THE SOD TO AVOID A MUDHOLE.

March 5, 2011 Theme

• General: Scale Rocket Day (Fly a scaled down version of a space, military or research rocket)
• Youth: Find a simple scale model of a space rocket to build
• Challenge: Build a rocket with authentic details/paint based on a particular flight configuration / mission.
• Advanced: Fly the big stuff 1/10th scale or larger

Fill out a green flight card for any theme launch and you have a chance in the drawing for a prize pool item

See you there!

NOTICE: WE HAD DAMAGE TO THE SOD BY SOMEONE DRIVING ONTO THE SOD TO AVOID A MUD HOLE. THE CLUB WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR AND WE ARE NOT MAKING THE OWNER HAPPY. SO DON’T DO IT.  

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday February 5th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Feb 5, 2011 Theme

• General: Maiden Flight Day
• Youth: Decorate A Rocket Contest
• Challenge: Kit Mash, build a rocket from two or more commercial kits.
• Advanced: Fly a Hybrid Rocket

Fill out a green flight card for any theme launch and you have a chance in thedrawing for a prize pool item

Happy New Year!We hope more SEARS regulars can make the launches. The weather is looking pretty good. See you there!

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday January 8th atSamson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the wholefamily!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Jan 8, 2011 Theme

• General: Egg Loft Day
• Youth: Decorate eggs as Eggstronauts
• Challenge: Egg Loft Duration
• Advanced: Billiard Ball Loft (away cell)

Fill out a green flight card for any theme launch and you have a chance in thedrawing for a prize pool item.

These are our planned monthly launches in Samson, AL for 2011. They are on the first Saturday of the Month except January, July and September. There is no August launch planned. Please check this website before you leave for the launch in case there is a cancellation.

Jan 8, 2011
General: Egg Loft Day
Youth: Decorate eggs as Eggstronauts
Challenge: Egg Loft Duration
Advanced: Billiard Ball Loft (away cell)

Feb 5, 2011
General: Maiden Flight Day
Youth: Decorate A Rocket Contest
Challenge: Kit Mash, build a rocket from two or more commercial kits.
Advanced: Fly a Hybrid Rocket

Mar 5, 2011
General: Scale Rocket Day (Fly a scaled down version of a space, military or research rocket)
Youth: Find a simple scale model of a space rocket to build
Challenge: Build a rocket with authentic details/paint based on a particular flight configuration / mission.
Advanced: Fly the big stuff 1/10th scale or larger.

Apr 2, 2011
General: Peep Spot Landing
Youth: Launch three different kinds of peeps
Challenge: Deploy four or more peeps. The more the better
Advanced: Fly a peep to as close to 1500 feet as possible based on an altimeter

May 7, 2011
General: Sci-fi / Futuristic / Alien Day
Youth: decorate a rocket to have aliens on-board
Challenge: Fly a Mars Lander type rocket
Advanced: Warp Factor

Jun 4, 2011
General: Multi Stage Day
Youth: fly a two stage rocket and find both the booster and sustainer
Challenge: fly a three stage rocket
Advanced: fly a four stage rocket

Jul 9, 2011
General: Glider Day
Youth: Bring a hand glider and fly it
Challenge: Glider Duration
Advanced: Fly an glider with 24 inch wingspan or greater (Maybe R/C)

Sep 10, 2011
General: Patriot Day (Fly any patriotic rocket)Youth: decorate a patriotic rocket (red white & blue)
Challenge: fly a red motor, white motor and blue motor during the day
Advanced: fly a red motor, white motor and blue motor on one rocket

Oct 1, 2011
General: Odd Roc Day
Youth Build and fly an Applewhite 13mm saucer
Challenge: Build an totally original Odd Roc
Advanced: Fly an rocket on K or larger motor

Nov 5, 2011
General: Cluster DayYouth: Paint a rocket the same color as a pumpkin
Challenge: Modify a rocket to take three motors instead of one
Advanced: Cluster 7 or more motors

Dec 3, 2011
General: Christmas Theme Rockets
Youth: Decorate a rocket for Christmas
Challenge: Fly a high power Christmas Rocket
Advanced: Fly a Christmas Tree (away cell)

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday December 11th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00 AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Dec 11, 2010

• General: Drag Race day
• Youth: Decorate a rocket for Christmas
• Challenge: Drag race a matched rocket and motor with a friend
• Advanced: Drag race H or larger rockets

Use a green flight card for any rocket in drag race and you will entered for a drawing from the prize pool.

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday November 13th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00 AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Nov 13, 2010

• General: Cluster Day
• Youth: Paint a rocket the same color as a pumpkin
• Challenge: Modify a rocket to take three motors instead of one
• Advanced: Cluster 7 or more motors

Use a green flight card for any Cluster rocket and you will entered for a drawing from the prize pool.

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday October 16th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00 AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Oct 16, 2010

• General: Odd Roc Day
• Youth Build and fly an Applewhite 13mm saucer
• Challenge: Build an totally original Odd Roc
• Advanced: Fly an rocket on K or larger motor

Use a green flight card for any Odd rocket and you will entered for a drawing from the prize pool.

Note this launch is the third Saturday instead of the usual second Saturday of the month. This is due to the PMW ROCKTOBER SKIES  launch.

The next monthly S.E.A.R.S. Launch is Saturday September 11th at Samson, AL. We setup at 8:30 AM, the waiver opens for launches at 9:00 AM. We usually go until about 4:00 PM. Beginners are welcome. Bring the whole family!. Everyone is also invited to Crews BBQ in Samson after the launch. For more info see http://www.sears572.com/sears-launch-info

Sep 11, 2010

•         General: Patriot Day (Fly any patriotic rocket)
•         Youth: decorate a patriotic rocket (red white & blue)
•         Challenge: fly a red motor, white motor and blue motor during the day
•         Advanced: fly a red motor, white motor and blue motor on one rocket

Use a green flight card for any patriotic rocket and you will entered for a drawing from the prize pool.

Location: Green’s Sod Farm, Samson, AL

Author: Russ Roberts

  Our annual Boost Glider event was a hot one with very little wind. Most members flew a glider of some sort. The Edmonds pop-pod gliders were the most popular and always perform well. We got some great hang time and may have benefitted from thermal activity at a few spots.

  The launch was well attended by our younger members who kept the low power pads busy all day long. Kids always make the launches more enjoyable because their excitement and enthusiasm is contagious. Ben White had a great 2 stage flight with an Estes Mongoose. Seth’s Metalizer blinded us with its chrome brilliance. Bentley had so much fun, that his dad had to carry him away to get him to leave the launch. Alexa Stetson sold sno-cones that were greatly appreciated by all flyers suffering from the heat. Drake took frequent flyer award with 9 launches working up to E motors. William Thorne provided invaluable recovery assistance with his keen rocket tracking eyes, and saved us from quite a few long walks by fetching our rockets.

  Angel and Patty Huet from the University of South Alabama showed up to prepare for a student rocketry competition. We loaned them some rockets and showed them how to fly. They’ll probably be back when their project is ready for testing.

  Thanks to a NAR safety grant, we now have a set of fire swatters. Hopefully we won’t ever need them, but they’ll be on the trailer just in case.

  My 29mm mongoose flew into the sun and was not found. The (soybean?) crop is now over a foot high, and will hide smaller rockets that would have been easy to spot if they were lying on the sod. I will start flying my tracker more often and am going to get an audible beacon for smaller rockets.

  Photos have already been posted to the gallery, so I won’t recount who flew what; the pictures tell the story. Greg Lane’s Applewhite 54mm Stealth was the flight of the day. This huge draggy odd-roc has a slow liftoff that really amplifies the noise and smoke from the K-550 motor. Tumble recovery on a HPR just doesn’t seem right, but it works well and makes for a short recovery walk.

Russ brought one of the most impressive rockets yet. It is a plastic model conversion of an F104 and had a successful flight!

See more F104 pictures and the rest of the launch pictures in our gallery.