Balls 17

[Brent McNeely]

Dunno if I’ll attend Balls this year. I think if I do go, it would be for XPRS or ARLISS which I think are better launches with more going on.

Having lived in Nevada for 17 years and attending two to three black rock launches including Balls for the last 13 years, I really would rather not see kids, families or the general public at EX launches there such as Balls. That said, EX has come a long way. In the beginning when I attended I’d say over 50% of motors would fail… and given many where all metal rockets, its just not a place you want to bring any spectators just for safety reasons. I suppose if they built a bunker for the public to sit in it might be a different story. That said, today, EX has a much much better success rate. My last Balls launch has perhaps a 10% failure rate and is almost at a level to where I’d feel comfortable having spectators there. Given that most of the launches in our hobby are family oriented, there are a variety of other launches which are great for kids, friends and family. I’d highly recommend the XPRS or ARLISS launches for families and friends. Both take place at Black Rock and I having attended all of the above many times, I feel they would just be more interesting and fun for these groups. Balls, for those who’ve never been, has only a handful of rockets that launch each day. You can sit for over an hour between flights and can be pretty yucky there. In contrast, XPRS will have a rocket going up every couple mins or less.

ps. my own little plug for XPRS… I named that launch… notice the Xtreme in the name? LOL

[Art HoagParticipant]

ps. my own little plug for XPRS… I named that launch… notice the Xtreme in the name? LOL

Nice 🙂

Art

[elviss_boy]

My dad and I will be attending hopefully. If not many NCR people are going out then we probably wont. Its one heck of a place out there, but you have to think of saftly before fun.

[Art HoagParticipant]

I heard on some thread, on some forum that Ken Plattner was planning on going 😉

Oh, heck, I guess I am planning on it too. Yah, I will be going, it is about time I go to Balls I guess.

Doug might be going. Doug, were we thinking of going to Balls with the rocket?

Art

[Doug GerrardParticipant]

I guess so since they won’t let it fly at Argonia for LDRS 27. It has to survive its maiden flight at MHM first.

Doug

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

What’s this? Something they won’t let you fly at LDRS? At MHM? I’m there!

By the way Doug, I wanted to ask you if I can fly off your pad at MHM – probably Friday.

Warren

[Doug GerrardParticipant]

Yea, they won’t let any rocket fly with any “exposed” aluminum. It can have aluminum fin cans, nose tips, etc, but it must be painted. Of course no aluminum airframes but painting an aluminum piece that can be polished to nice bright shiny finish is just wrong.

Sorry but the pad has already been spoken for.

Doug

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