LAUNCH SITE DETAILS

LAUNCH SITE INFORMATION

 Our site is just above sea level ~279 feet.  

The soil is a sandy loam which is remarkably forgiving to rockets, but much less forgiving to vehicles that stray off the roads.  When you park, make sure your ‘drive wheels’ are nearest to the access roads. 

Our site is located on the private farm of the Doug Gaskins family.  The farm will plant winter wheat right after our launch.  Yes, the white stuff you see all around is cotton.  You are welcomed to take some home but don’t plant the seeds in Georgia without a license.  The Boll Weevil still exists and it is controlled through pheromones and selective spraying.  If lot of folks grew cotton, the Boll Weevil would destroy all the crops. 

We are bordered by forests on all sides with active farms beyond. The surrounding landowners are sympathetic to our activities because of the good behavior of our program, and what it does for the local youth and because we are courteous neighbors. If you must go onto an adjacent property, stop and talk to the owner; please do so in a respectful way. Close gates coming and going. Do not drive on another’s property. Collect your rocket as quickly as possible, and get off the farm. Be polite, do no harm, and leave no trace. 

The topography is flat. The ground cover is low. Remember to pick a point on the horizon when your rocket lands. Even in low cover, rockets can hide. 

Expect daytime temperatures of 70 degrees.  November is Georgia’s dryest month but we do get rain.  The biggest challenge are days with low ceiling.  Remember, NAR safety guidelines prohibit flight into clouds (the FAA takes an equally dim view of model rockets flying into clouds). 

There is a cell tower to the NW of the field so the vendors should be able to offer credit card service at our launch site.  However, bring cash as a contingency.