Spectator Information - Indiana Rocketry

Attending an Indiana Rocketry,Inc. event is a fun, family-friendly  activity. Not only are the flights exciting, but such events also  afford the opportunity to get away from busy city traffic and enjoy the  fresh air, sunshine, and wide-open spaces. Spectators are always  welcome, and admission is FREE. Rocketeers are always willing to talk  about their rockets and flights, so visitors are encouraged to engage  flyers to learn about hobby rocketry. Indiana Rocketry,Inc. launches  provide a unique opportunity for hands-on learning in the areas of  science, math, engineering, and technology — nothing is quite as  exciting as seeing a rocket fly! If you plan on attending an Indiana  Rocketry,Inc. event as a spectator, below are some things you should  know.        

Event Times and Scheduling

Range  hours posted for events are APPROXIMATE. Field conditions, road  conditions, weather conditions (wind, rain, and/or cold temperatures),  and other factors can affect the start time of activities. If  questionable conditions exist, please check the club website or Facebook  page for updates. Published range hours are the outer bounds of when  activities will occur – that is, we will never fly before the start time  nor after the closing time. Our events are governed by a waiver issued  by the FAA which includes start and stop times, which are not flexible.  Most of the time, flyers will arrive early in the day and begin prepping  and flying their rockets shortly after the waiver start time. Your best  bet to enjoy the activity as a spectator is to arrive early. The  exceptions are if it is cold, overcast, windy or snowy. In those cases,  things might start slowly in hopes of improving weather conditions. If  it is a “slow” day and everyone has finished flying, we will pack up and  go home early. There is no advance schedule of events. Nearly all  projects are individual endeavors, and each participant has his/her own  constraints. Sometimes there are lull periods when there is no flight  activity, and other times there will be a rush of many rockets launching  at once — for example, to enjoy particularly good weather conditions.

Spectators should always  stay behind the marked flight line. Staying behind the flight line is  mandatory and flight activity will not take place when persons are  beyond the flight line. Each flight will be announced by the Launch  Control Officer (LCO). The announcement will include the name of the  flyer, the name of the rocket, the motor(s) being used and a countdown  to launch. The LCO may also give a few more details about the rocket,  including any flight control electronics on-board or unique flight profile information.        

There will be model rocket  flights from the closer set of launch pads. More complex flights occur  at distances set back further from the flight line. Total installed  power is classified by an alphabetical nomenclature that can give you an  idea of what you might expect from the flight being announced. Small  model rockets from the near set of launch pads have a designation of an  A, B, C, or D class motor. For example, you will hear the LCO announce  “On pad twenty-one Tommy Rocket flying his Estes Alpha on a Bee Six Four (B6-4)  in three…two…one”, following which the rocket will head skyward. If you  pay attention, it doesn’t take very many launches to get a general feel  from the LCO announcement of the speed and power of the rocket being  launched.

A normal rocket flight will  have a powered boost phase, during which time the motor is burning its  fuel and the rocket is accelerating, a coast period after the motor  burns out as the rocket continues skyward from the momentum generated by  the motor, an ejection event near the peak altitude of the flight which  deploys a parachute, and a controlled descent back to the ground under  streamer or ‘chute. Some rockets will deploy a very small parachute (the  “drogue ‘chute”) at apogee and descend quickly to a predetermined  altitude where another ejection event occurs, and a much larger main  parachute is deployed to bring the rocket softly back to Earth.        

Sometimes things can go awry  during the launch or recovery portion of a rocket flight. You should  pay attention to the flights and all announcements and warnings, should  an anomalous event occur. However, model rocketry has a time-proven safety record, with over 500 million launches occurring safely since 1957.        

Never attempt to catch a  rocket descending under parachute. Never go near a vehicle caught in  power lines. Do not attempt to remove anything from power lines.  Spectators and especially children should not approach or pick-up a  vehicle that reaches the ground after flight. Most flyers like to  perform an initial assessment of the rocket immediately following  touchdown, especially if the flight or recovery was not nominal. Parents  should know where their children are always and ensure that they are  aware of the safety rules.       

Enjoy yourself while  attending the launch. If you have questions about what is happening,  most participants will be glad to discuss Indiana Rocketry,Inc. with  you. A few people, like the Launch Control Officer (LCO) and Range  Safety Officer (RSO), are ‘on-duty’ during range operations, and  might not be able to stop and talk with you. During slow times, the RSO  should be able to answer your questions or direct you to another Indiana  Rocketry member or club officer who will be happy to talk to you.