The 2004 National Sport Launch is just three days away from liftoff at the Hearne, Texas Municipal Airport! A special highlight of the weekend will be three memorial flights, honoring members of the Texas rocketry community who left us all too early. Here's today's update, courtesy of NSL Chief RSO Rick VanVoorhis...
Since NSL falls on the Memorial Day weekend this is also a memorial launch, specifically the Jim Turner Memorial launch and as such we will have some specific memorial flights planned.
The first memorial flight scheduled is the flight for the namesake Jim Turner. The flight will be a half scale Nike Smoke with the last M motor Jim sold (Aerotech M2000), lit by one of the last extra large Fire-in-the-Hole Igniters. Jim was very special to us here in Texas, not only did he make arguably the best igniter produced in the country (thankfully we have David Bachelder now making equally good igniters) but he came to our launches and sold motors as well as some other rocket stuff. He never made much money at it but truly enjoyed the company of all us crazy rocket flyers. In the winter of 2002 he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told he would have to get his affairs in order. He still attended the Memorial Day launch in McGregor Texas that year, both Saturday and Sunday. He died the following day so with that we in Texas have declared the Memorial Day launch for him and this was one of the expressed terms of us doing the NSL in Texas this year, it is still the Jim Turner Memorial Launch. The current schedule for the launch is to try and start the launch with this flight but if we do not have the skies for the flight it will have to be delayed for the earliest possible launch window.
The second memorial flight is going to be with my Gold Rush on three J570 Aerotech motors in honor of Tom Lanier. Tom as many in Texas know was a mainstay of rocketry in southeast Texas. As both President and Prefect of the Houston club he ran many launches and would absolutely work his tail off to make them as good as possible for everyone involved. Some also know that he was 15% owner of Dr. Rocket and as such was a large force in the rocket industry. After his sudden death right before LDRS 21 in Amarillo Stu Barrett was asked to help his widow liquidate his rocket motor supply as well as many of his rockets and equipment. I purchased the three J570 motors from Stu so they are actually motors that Tom owned. One other thing, Tom also was the level 2 certifying individual for both Stu and myself. The current schedule is to try and get the flight off Sunday afternoon.
The third memorial flight to be flown is by "Rocket Babe" Rita Long to honor Beth Sapp. Some will remember Beth as one of the Rocket babes at LDRS 22 in Kansas. This was one of the entries in the "From the Ground Up" contest to build a rocket as fast as possible and fly it on a Cesaroni K motor. Those of us still mourn the sudden passing of Beth just a few months ago and all of us treasure the memories of the plucky girl in the small body with a personality as big as the sky. Beth left behind a loving husband Tim, who is one of the suppliers of NO2 for the Hybrid motors at this launch, and two kids who practically grew up at Texas launches. Rita has the rocket they built for the contest and will duplicate the flight in Beth's honor sometime Monday.
Rick VanVoorhis
Thanks for the update, Rick.
I'll never forget Jim Turner at that last launch in McGregor, two years ago. He sat quietly under his tent, frail, ashen, and obviously quite ravaged by his illness. Each time a rocket flew, though, a smile passed over his face. He passed away the next day.
We look forward to seeing all of you in Hearne this weekend.
James Duffy
National Sport Launch 2004 Event Director
jduffy@mac.com