The Air Show

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

Of the several rocketry clubs that I am affiliated with, one has successfully switched from an open farm field to a small, sleepy county airport when the landlord decided he didn't want to be a landlord any more.

So, with some salesmanship and putting our best foot forward, we secured permission to launch alongside the runway at this small airport.  

The price was right.  As a landlord, they didn't require any payment from us,  with assurances that we had permission from the FAA and would manage all NOTAMs and that we had insurance through the National Rocketry association, they accepted us.

There was a small price to pay, however...

As an aging group of pilots, the airport board of directors/volunteers are in need of new blood.  That is, they need volunteers to keep the airport going.

As a result, they requested that our group volunteer at their major fundraisers each year.  This would be in the form of volunteers to coordinate parking, crowd control, food service, or similar "brawn" that is always necessary when a gathering descends upon their facility.

It's not a bad price, and usually our club officers and their wives show up to help with the food service.

But there's an additional request that was made after the first year.  They want us to demonstrate our rockets for the crowd at their annual airshow.

This is more tricky than it may sound, as normally, we keep as much distance between us and planes in the air as possible.

It also means getting additional permission from the FAA. The government agency had recently come under fire for failing to police and regulate small rural airshows where fatalities had occurred.  So, there was some concern that they might not take to well to this additional feature at the airshow.

Still, we prepared and submitted the proper forms, dotting the i's and crossing the T's so that we would be legal and safe.

The day of the airshow, we were slotted someplace in the middle of a sunny, clear day that was warm, but not insufferable.  The chicken dinners were a hit, and selling very well, despite the pandemic.  The turn out was very good.

We had also planed an information table to promote our club and the hobby.  We approached an area distributor of rocketry supplies and negotiated a deal to take virtually all his "Duck Dodgers" rockets at cost.  We turned around and sold them AT COST, making no money on the deal, but including a flier or two with every sale for $5 to get the rocket into a school child's hands.

When the time for the presentation and demonstration flights arrived, I was the presence on the PA system to introduce us and educate the masses to what we do.  I made certain to tell the audience of our information booth table and the fact that we were selling smaller rockets than they would be seeing fly, AT COST.  I stressed that the rockets would NOT fly without additional supplies, namely black powder motors that could be purchased at hobby shops and Hobby Lobby.  I made it clear that we were NOT supplying children nor families with motors.

I also realized that most of these families that packed the airport were of the type that would crowd the 4th of July fireworks display.  So I made very sure to differentiate our model rockets from explosive fireworks, and how we were regulated and had strict safety procedures in place.  While not beating them over the head, I stressed at each point that we checked the skies, were in radio contact with the tower, and a private radio channel was coordinating between myself and the launch crew on top of the adjacent hill.

I made certain that they understood where we normally launched, and how we wanted each rocket to land safely under parachute.  I also stressed that there was an element of risk involved, and that we could not control the flight once the motor ignited.  I stressed that if a rocket should come down in their area, they should move aside and NOT TOUCH the hot body of the rocket...that we would come collect it.

Despite all this verbiage and instruction to the audience, the demonstration went quite well.  Our initial low power rocket didn't go very high, but all eyes were on it, as it drifted back down and onto the deserted runway.  I played this off, saying it was a test flight so that we could observe the drift of winds aloft and that the next 3 rockets were of higher power and would go much higher.

True to his word, our club president launched each one in sequence, and the audience could hear his voice over my radio bleeding into the microphone...checking the sky and the range before launch, counting down, and advising us when the next launch was ready.

It all went well until the final "rocket" was launched. 

As a stunt, we had decided to end the demonstration with a crowd pleaser... a cable spool that would be launched.  We had tested the spool the night before and it flew perfectly.  But today, it CATO'd only a dozen feet into the air.

Thinking quickly, I explained that there are always risks in model rocketry and that you had to be willing to accept them and the potential loss of your rocket as part of the hobby.  I also indicated that while it wasn't very aerodynamic, we had demonstrated that with a  sufficient motor, we weren't beyond pushing the envelop in a safe, controlled manner.

The audience applauded, and our part of the presentation was over.  We reclaimed our rockets from the field adjacent to the runway, and the air show proceeded to the great delight of the audience.

Only later did I find out how badly the spool had CATO'd ....and that my initial low power rocket had vanished.  Someone had picked it up. It was gone.

We returned to our info table and for the next 90 minutes we sold Duck Dodgers rockets briskly until every one was gone.  I was thrilled that they had become such a hit, and I was convinced that we would have a large turn-out at our next rocket launches with families returning.

I was wrong.  Not a single rocket came back. I don't know if they are setting on a shelf or have been trampled under foot or eaten by the family dog, but not a single family returned to launch with us, despite my invitation.

But on the more positive side, I learned that my low power rocket had been cleared from the runway by the runway crew and stored in the airport office awaiting me to claim it.  I just didn't see that happen while announcing.

And finally, during the after-the-show post-mortem discussion, I learned that the FAA representative at the field who had final approval on every part of the day, was very pleased with our demonstration. He particularly complimented us on our emphasis on safety.  That had registered with him BIG TIME.  As a result, the airport and the FAA would like us to return to present again this year.

We are considering it, but also weighing how many volunteer rocketeers we need to expand the demo, or if it is worth it.  The Spool has been rebuilt, and may fly again.  But I remain unconvinced that our sale of "ready to fly" rockets is worth the effort.

The jury is still out.

But I'd be interested in your input.  Let the Thrifty Rocketeer know your input.