Launch Policies – OregonRocketry

OregonRocketry Launch Policies

OregonRocketry holds public launches approximately 5 times a year at our launch sites near Sheridan, Oregon and Brothers, Oregon.

Launch fees for non-members and their families are $10 per day or $15 per weekend. Leaders of organized youth groups will be charged a membership fee of $35.00. Groups of more than five are strongly encouraged to make an additional donation. There is no charge for spectators.

Launch fees are waived for members. For membership information see Here.

All persons attending Brothers launches must fill out the OregonRocketry Release waiver. Found on the membership page.

Rules for Everyone!

Everyone attending an OregonRocketry launch (both fliers and spectators) should understand and follow these rules to ensure safety
Parents please keep your children under control and be sure they understand these rules.
Please stay behind the flagged flight line barrier, and please do not set up your chairs etc. right at the barrier.
Pay attention! Every flight is potentially dangerous to you and your family. If the Launch Control Officer (LCO) yells “Heads up!” he means it!
If the LCO announces a flight as a “Heads Up” flight, that means get on your feet and pay attention until the rocket’s recovery device deploys or until the rocket is on the ground.
If you are away from the pad area and cannot hear the public address speakers, please tune your FM radio to 103.9 MHz to monitor LCO announcements.
Do not attempt to catch any rocket as it lands. Even a small rocket can cause an injury.
Do not pick-up or move any rocket that is not yours, unless you have the owner’s permission.
Please do not drive on the field to recover rockets.
Park your car in the marked area at Sheridan or along the access road at Brothers, and please do not park in any areas designated for vendors or for launch administration.
Please drive 3mph as you approach the launch area at Brothers, and within the launch area. A vehicle moving any faster can raise a surprising amount of very annoying dust!
Overnight camping is permitted, with some restrictions. Please talk to the person at the OregonRocketry booth for details.
Please use only the provided toilet facilities (porta-potties). Please do not throw trash into the porta-potties!
No sagebrush fires allowed at the Brothers site, please bring firewood.
Please keep control of your trash and carry it off the field when you leave.
Please do not use FRS channel 9 except for emergencies.
The decisions of the Range Safety Officers are final and may not be appealed on the flying field.

Procedures for Fliers

All rockets must be inspected and approved by the Range Safety Officer (RSO) or the Flight Check-in Officer (FCO) prior to each flight.
Please be prepared to show that your rocket is powered by Tripoli or NAR certified motor, that it will have a stable flight, and that it will recover safely.
Low-power (impulse class E and below) rockets may be brought to the pad manager’s table for safety checks, but high-power rockets should be checked in the prep area. Safety Officers will be available in the prep area most of the day (look for the orange vest). If you can’t find a safety officer, please ask at the information booth before coming to the PM table.
High-power rockets (total impulse class H or above) and any rocket not built from a stock kit should have documentation for the RSO showing that the rocket will be stable.
Please fill out a flight card before the safety check and pad assignment.
Please fill out the card completely; several people have scales and rulers if you need them. Safety Officers will not initial incomplete cards.
Igniters for low-power motors may be installed in the prep area.
Igniters for high-power motors should be installed at the launch pad.
If this is not possible (either because the igniter must be built into a reloadable motor during assembly or because the igniters for a cluster or multistage rocket must be installed before the rocket is assembled), the igniters may be installed in the prep area. Short the igniter leads together before installing the igniter. The igniter leads must remain shorted or shunted until the rocket is on the pad.
All electronic staging and recovery devices must be safed or powered off and shunted when the rocket is brought to the PM table.
If the RSO or FCO rejects your rocket at the safety check, you must correct the problem(s) and have the rocket checked again before flying.
The Pad Manager will assign your flight rack and pad after the rocket is approved by the RSO. Once you have a pad assignment, please move away from the gate area until your rack is called.
Do not enter the range to load or recover a rocket until the Launch Control Officer (LCO) announces “the range is open”.
When your rack is called, enter the launch area through the gate and go to your pad. In some cases, you may have to change the launch rod or rail at your pad. If you have any questions about this or difficulty with your pad, please ask the LCO or launch assistant for help.
After you have loaded your rocket, leave the launch area through the gate and give your flight card to the LCO or assistant. Rockets without flight cards won’t be launched!
You may pick up or move another flier’s rocket that has landed only under the following conditions:
You have the owner’s permission to do so.
If you are a long distance away, and the rocket is undamaged, and no one appears to be looking for it, you may carefully bring it back to the LCO table; if the rocket is damaged, please note the location and report it to the LCO.
If the rocket is being dragged by the wind, please carefully stop the rocket and place the parachute under its body tube or nose cone, and note the location and report it to the LCO.
If you find a reloadable motor casing or other part that has separated from a rocket, wait until it has cooled off and bring it back to the LCO table.

Other Information

Porta-potties are available on-site, funded by the range fees
Food and drink vendors are generally available at Sheridan, but NOT at Brothers.
Please remember to bring plenty of sunscreen and drinking water, especially at Brothers. We also recommend bringing a shovel (camp shovel is OK) and a container of water in case of fire.
A first aid kit is available at the information booth.
In case of emergency, you may contact the RSO and LCO on FRS channel 9. This channel should be used only for emergencies and problems that require the immediate attention of the RSO or LCO.
When you’re not flying one of your own rockets, please help track and locate other people’s rockets. Monitor FRS channel 11 for people asking for help tracking their rockets during flight or locating their rockets after they’ve landed.