Mar 8, 2025
The March 8th SoAR Launch event at Mill Springs Academy was held under mostly sunny skies with mild temperatures, but oh – those gusty winds were challenging. Most launches were made on A and B motors to keep recovery chances at their best, but still there were a few trees snagging rockets and many recoveries made in the adjacent fields beyond the tree line. The event saw a very good turnout, and for the day there were a total of 122 launches accomplished. A lot of new families came out and had their first flights with plenty of help provided by the club’s more experienced members.
Of special note was flight by the team “The Flying Nuggets” of their scratch-built Buff Chicken (egg payload) ARC competition test flight with a F15-4 for power. Kevin Boyd launched his Estes Super Bid Bertha on an E20-4, and Kevin Scholberg flew his scratch-built Nike Z-Fin on an E16-4 and his Quadraporte on a cluster of two E12-4s. Darren continued his scratch-built X-Wing test flights with Franken Wing on an E12-4 and his Dynastar Lexx Jet also on an E12-4.
All-in-all a very good launch event with a lot of great spectator activity to entice new club memberships and continued participation in upcoming events. Event photos by Kevin Boyd [here]. Some additional photos from the event [here].
Motor Ignition Counts:
A – 49
B – 39
C – 18
D – 9
E – 7
F – 1
Feb 22, 2025
The February 22nd SoAR launch event in Dawsonville began with a partly sunny sky with clouds increasing by the afternoon. What was forecasted as relatively light winds ended up being quite gusty at times adding the wind chill factor and making for some long recovery walks for many of those reaching higher altitudes. But even with the weather challenges, there were eighty-seven flights accomplished by the end of the event.
Launches of special interest included an impressive flight by Bill Humiston of his Apogee Kronos on a G53-7J, the twenty TARC Challenge team roaring-off-the-pad flights each on a F42-4, Kevin Scholberg’s beautifully detailed Estes scale model of an Honest John modified to a 29mm motor mount and powered by a F15-6, and Kevin’s The Launch Pad ASRAAM on a cluster of two D12-5s, Terry Bliss was back with Brains! Brains! Brains! powered with three-staged C11-0s, but a more stable flight with made just two brains (lower IQ) with two-staged C11-0s. Georgia Tech’s GNC (Guidance Navigation and Controls) team accomplished two flights of their Scarlet rocket working on gimbaled thrust-vectoring test flights with a G12 for power. There was also a first two-stage flight successfully accomplished by Joseph Kalinowski with his Estes “ork” using a B6-0/B6-4 staging.
Event photos by Kevin Boyd [here]. Some additional photos from the event [here]
Motor ignition counts:
A – 9
B – 7
C – 24
D – 16
E – 7
F – 22
G – 3
Feb 8, 2025
The SoAR launch event on February 8th at Mill Springs Academy began with mostly cloudy skies, mild temperature, and a bit of troublesome wind (although fortunately directed down the longer length of the recovery field). Attendance was good with many families, SoAR regulars, and college aerospace teams. By the end of the event there were a total of 129 launches accomplished.
Of special spectator interest were Terri Bliss’ scratch-built Dollar Tree Brains! Brains! Brains! – a three-stage colander creation powered by C11/C11/B6 combination (flown twice) and also a great flight of Kevin Scholberg’s The Launch Pad Amraam with a two-cluster of C11s for power. Other spectacular flights included a custom 3D printed Golden Eye flown by Atlas Olive on a D21, Robert Harris’ Orange Spool that roared off the launch pad with a G79 for power, Kevin Scholberg’s Estes Argent lifted off the pad with an E16, and Darren’s test flights of his scratch-built X-Wings Watch the Towers and Red 5 on E12s.
The day ended with GNC (Guidance Navigation and Controls) working on a gimbaled thrust-vectoring test flight with a G12 for power.
Event photos by Kevin Boyd [here]. Some additional photos from the event [here]
Motor Ignition Counts:
A – 33
B – 49
C – 32
D – 12
E – 7
F – 0
G – 2
Jan 25, 2025
Despite a chilly start, SoAR’s first rocket launch event of the year on January 25th turned out excellent. Comfortable temperatures by afternoon, mild winds, and sunny skies made for a perfect day. For this event there were eighty-five launches accomplished.
Of special note were the numerous TARC team launches testing their designs based on the 2025 competition rules. Other remarkable launches included Ray Lecture’s LOC Goblin powered by a G76, Chris’s Eggtimer EZ-DD launched with a G40 and his two-stage Estes Loadstar lifted by a combination of C6-0 to C6-5. Both included a new tracking system that was successfully used to recover both. Also spectacular, there was Kevin Scholberg’s scratch-built Old SoAR Rocket roaring up on a G74, and Ryan Cambell’s LOC Magnum powered by a G64.
Darren continued to test his designs including the first flight of his scratch-built X-Wing Wedge V-2 on a E12 and his scratch-built PLA X-Wing Big X1 with a F44. These look awesome as they lift off the launch pad. Ray also successfully launched and recovered his amazing scratch-built Venus Probe BT-60 with a FJ23 for lifting power.
Some photos of the event [here]
Motor Ignition Counts:
A – 8
B – 13
C – 20
D – 14
E – 14
F – 13
G – 4
Dec 15, 2024
The December 14th SoAR launch event at Mill Springs Academy began mostly blustery with overcast skies. Rocket launches started at a slow pace initially, but by noon the pace picked up as youth groups and families arrived to add to the activity out on the launch pads. The afternoon also brought some sunshine, warming temperatures, and a few breaks from the stiff easterly wind. Most recoveries were made down the length of the field, although with good launch angle selection and helpful timing of the wind, some rockets were recovered at or very near the launch area. For the day there were 150 total launches.
Terry Bliss supported a steady demand for rocket preparation help and repairs from parents and youth coming out for their first launch. This greatly helped lessen troubles during RSO flight-ready inspections, with problems out on the launch pads, and more successful recoveries.
Some highlights of the day included the first launch of the day by Tom Thurmond of his battery-powered propeller rocket, that flew successfully and was recovered by parachute. Also, of special interest were Kevin Scholberg’s Orange Web of Terror that used a cluster of seven motors ignited by a flash pan underneath and his scratch-built Captain America Shield flown with a cluster of three D11-Ps. Blake Hardegree flew scratch-built Timmy on an E15-7 (rocket and motor supplied by Jorge) for a successful on field recovery. Jeffrey Fellman launched three Estes Super Big Berthas on D12-5s.
Another positive note was how many youngsters and parents expressed their gratitude for the help and encouragement they received from club members throughout the day. So, a key highlight was how successful and fun the day was considering the weather challenges. Some photos from the event [here].
Motor Ignition Counts:
A – 83
B – 46
C – 18
D – 8
E – 4
Oct 26, 2024
The October 26th Southern Area Rocketry launch event in Dawsonville had excellent weather conditions with clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and light to moderate winds; all of this with colorful Fall foliage as a backdrop. No wonder then that the event was well attended and for the day there were 129 total launches accomplished. Mid-power rockets were steadily being placed on the launch pads with excellent flights and generally good recoveries (always a few mishaps).
Jorge Blanco got in a successful flight of his Apogee TTV “timer test vehicle” with an E30-4/B6-4 two stage combination and with a new altimeter that solved earlier problems. Kevin Scholberg brought out his scratch-built Halloween Hellraiser flown on a cluster of two D12-5s and recovered in two parts with entrails spewed out – quite a sight.
For G-power there was Dion’s Estes Der Big Red Max powered by a G77 as was the LOC/scratch-built The Raven which was also flown on a G80. Herb Howe launched his Sunward King Tut pyramid with a G35-4 which was impressive and unique. Ryan Campbell had two flights (powered by G64 and G76) of his LOC Alien with dual deployment on recovery. Well done. These were just a small sample of the highlights.
Some event photos [here]
Motor ignition counts:
A – 16
B – 28
C – 22
D – 26
E – 28
F – 15
G – 8
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