One important difference: They lost their field, we didn't. Stay vigilant, save the sparkies for barren land like Pueblo!

Ken

Unfortunately, there is a third camp in the comments in that thread that is loudly proclaiming that rocket launches will cause fires, no matter what mitigation steps are taken. That's not exactly helpful to the efforts to convince the landowners that they should re-open the site to POTROCS.

We need to follow through on aggressively preventing fires at our own site and communicating that it's a manageable risk. At the last launch I saw Art and others setting a good example by staying alert for rockets that have a bad flight and running toward the remains in case they have an ejection charge go off on the ground.

I have long felt that we need to do more prevention efforts - particularly at our big launches. A weedwhacker to cut down everything around the pads or a lawnmower to reduce fuel load. Periodically wetting down pad areas and everything 20' or more around each pad (better muddy than burned). More extinguishers. Indian Pump backpacks, etc. etc. - best of all would be Wildland firefighting training for the club.

This really is a shame for POTROCS and one that was caused not by their landowner, but by the reaction of HIS neighbors - all wheat farmers with crop values far in excess of what TRA's fire insurance covers. They pressured him after the fire.

Warren

Were I a west-Texas rancher that raised 15-20 bu/acre wheat every other year (half the ground is fallowed, meaning it is planted every other year) and if I had survived drought, hail, grasshoppers etc. and was looking at bringing in the crop in another two weeks or so... and knowing that wheat straw burns about 400x faster than firewood... I'd probably raised heck a long time ago.

I honestly can't blame them. You all know where my heart lies with regard to rocketry - but this probably really made the neighbors take a look.

This is a very bad deal. For what it is worth, that site had a 50K waiver, too....

8) Not to be brutal, but... The club had banned Sparkies. The ban was in place so what happened would not happen. The flier had only a K Sparkie to test his SLI project with. The RSO and LSO let him fly the motor anyway. What the Hell kind of club are they running down there? 😡 This makes ALL clubs look bad! Last year at Octoberfest, I had a large order of Sparkie onhand because they had been in demand all year. The first morning of the launch, Joe said no sparkies. Joe and I packed them up. Not one of our members said a thing. They made other choices. No big deal. Jon did the same with his Loki motors.This was before the 'fire'.The guys down in Texasses just wanted to see the sparkie fly, so they did. Do they want us to believe that not one person in that club had a K motor to trade or sell the young man? At NCR the guys would have given him a new motor. In the last few weeks a flier electrocuted himself on powerlines, now this. Accidents will always be a part of rocketry, but if we are to grow as a hobby, we MUST stop the STUPID CRAP. The Texas club should have a new motto.. Stupid is as stupid does! HEY! what happend to my soapbox? I'm not finished yet!Damn that Sara, just walked in here and took it! Rats! 🙄

Clearly they shouldn't have been flying that sparkie that day, but for an explanation that make it more understandable about why they did, see the first-hand account on post #60, from the SLI mentor John Chandler:

http://www.rocketryplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6524&page=6

Having read the threads on the TRA members email list, this was clearly a pretty low risk day - no wind, mild temperatures, damp soil... and they took all the proper precautions - more in fact than I've seen us do. However, it just got away from them. Ground cover was the significant issue. Barre, the club president made the call and he has said it was a bad call.

Pat Gordzelik has successfully negotiated for a planned CANSAT launch on the site in June and it looks like the landowners are going to give him the chance to argue for use of the site when there isn't a wheat crop in the ground. Keep your fingers crossed for them.

Personally, I like sparkies, mainly because of the roar. I have a couple of them in my collection but I don't think I'll be flying them anytime soon. I know I have at least one K555, anyone interested in sale or trade?

W

Tim Thomas - your comments are ON THE BUTTON. I don't know what more could be said. They violated their own rules, and there you have it.

This isn't the eastern half of the USA that gets 40" of rain annually. This isn't the salt flats or the playa where there is nothing to burn. This was grass prairie adjacent to a mature wheat crop with a club that had specifically precluded usage of a motor like this. It is a self-inflicted wound.

This is a learning experience. May NCR never be in a similar situation. Let's make a resolution to be more aware, more responsive, and more responsible.

Hind Sight is always 20/20 guys.
They mighta been talkin like this after our fire. 🙄

If our fire had been caused by a Skidmark after we specifically said we weren't going to fly Skidmarks... Yikes. I can't even imagine.

I respectfully disagree in that it appears they had the foresight (not the hindsight) to preclude these motors. And then they did it anyway. It is so unfortunate. It is a great group of guys that probably don't have another launch site within 300 miles. Ouch.

Well! At least your being respectful. 😉

I just baught me one of these indian things.
http://store.gomed-tech.com/fedco-indian-backpack-firefighting-pump-p736.aspx

If you guys start a fire around my truck I will be ready. 😉
If its out in the field my fat butt will probably be the last there. 😉

I just baught me one of these indian things.

That's Cool!! Hope you never need it.

I had my garden sprayer at the last launch and people were asking me if I was killing weeds.
I said no I am Orkin Man. I kill what ever bugs me, weeds,fires,bugs.

Sooo don't bug me. 😆

Minor detail: The fire was not caused by an AMW or ProX Skidmark, but by a Loki Spitfire motor.

The Skidmark propellant fully complies with NFPA, which specifies what metals and what particle size can be used for a Sparky motor as a result of an experimental study. I can not comment on the contents / composition of the Spitfire propellant, because I don't know the details.

Jeroen