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Oktoberfest

Northern Colorado Rocketry's Oktoberfest is the premier regional launch in the Rocky Mountain West. Along with Mile High Mayhem, our Spring launch, this is NCR's humble attempt to put on the best, most fun and biggest regional launch in the Rocky Mountain West. Look for a lot of big motors to be burned and some impressive projects and a host of other exciting events including all of NCR's regular contests.

Oktoberfest is held, usually on the first full weekend in October, from Friday thru Sunday. The HPR waiver is open from 9AM to 6PM Friday, 8AM to 6PM Saturday, and 8AM to 2PM on Sunday. Night launches of G and below rockets is fine anytime. This launch is all-commercial certified motors on Friday and Saturday while Sunday is held in accordance with Tripoli Research rules - you must be Tripoli L2 or greater to fly and both certified and research motors are allowed. Pre-registration is highly recommended. (You can pre-register here on this website...just click THIS). Launch fees are $10 for members and $25 for non-members. These can be paid on-site at the NCR Administration Tent or snail-mailed to the address listed at the bottom of this page.

Site:

The site is located in the middle of the spare, but scenic Pawnee National Grasslands about 90 minutes from Denver, 75 minutes from Boulder/Longmont, 40 minutes from Fort Collins and 20 minutes from Cheyenne, WY. At an altitude of 5430', with such clear skies, sunscreen is a necessity. While Porta-Potties are on-site for this event, no drinking water or other facilities are provided so make sure you bring plenty of water and food. Camping is available on-site and lodgings are available at a special rate at the Comfort Inn in Wellington, Colorado, a short 25 minute ride away from the site. A hot dog or other food vendor MAY be onsite during the day Saturday.

Vendors:

Several vendors will be on site selling their wares: Giant Leap Rocketry, Missile Works, Photos by Nadine, and Rocket Garden are all regular attendees at our launches. To assure preferred motor availability and to save on shipping, place your orders with your favorite vendor now. Nadine will, as always, have her full portfolio of pictures on-site for you to order prints. She usually has proofs of the prior day's shots on hand Saturday and Sunday.

Facilities:

There will be Porta-Potties on-site but NO drinking water. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water as the site is in the midst of what surveyor Stephen Long (of Long's Peak fame) called "The Great American Desert" in 1823. There are no hookups for campers, though flyers and spectators are welcome to camp wherever they like along the flight-line so long as they follow USFS rules. Some folks come and set up tents and others brings RV's and various types of campers. There is 9 miles of good gravel road and a little over a mile of decent dirt road to the launch site. Directions and a map are available HERE.

Other Issues:

If you intend to certify either NAR or Tripoli at Oktoberfest, we recommend that you make your arrangements with the folks that will be certifying you in advance. If you are a member of NCR, you will want to have your cert team assembled prior to bringing your rocket to the RSOs table for check-in. For NAR certifications, make sure you have your witnesses lined up in advance. If you are a member of Tripoli, you will want to make arrangements with the NCR Prefect, Joe Hinton. You can email Joe at president@ncrocketry.org. L3 Tripoli certs will require you have the appropriate TAP members available to witness and sign your form.

Safety first! NCR makes every effort, as defined by the NAR Safety Code, NFPA 1127, and FAA FAR 101, to ensure the safety of all participants. But rocketry is not a zero risk endeavor. By participating in Oktoberfest, you are accepting the risks inherent to the hobby.

Copyright © by Northern Colorado Rocketry Club All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2005-09-13 (3425 reads)