Tag Archives: pyrotechnic operator

April 2023 meeting

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by Joel Cool-Panama, Secretary, RRS.ORG

The Reaction Research Society held its monthly meeting at the Mary Star of the Sea High School, 7:30 PM PST. We went over the agenda quickly as the symposium preparations for the next day were underway.

Agenda topics of the meeting were:

  • Symposium in preparation
    • Model rocket flights at Mary Star High School were not approved
    • Mark Holthaus of FAR confirmed to attend
  • RRS charitable trust status being examined
  • Jim Gross’ eletrical firing video to be hosted over Zoom
    • permission granted for educational purposes
      • DVD will be donated to the RRS
  • RRS invited to LMU’s Engineering Design Showcase
    • Dave plans to attend
  • Pyro-op recommendation letters (Larry)
  • UCLA Capstone and Frank school launch both on June 10 at MTA
  • Bill Claybaugh next launch on Saturday, April 22nd

Current Events

The first topic of discussion at this month’s meeting was that LAFD did not approve the model rocket launch at the RRS Symposium. Paper rockets will be flowninstead.

In addition to this good news, it was also revealed that some additional attendees would be present, in addition to those already known. These include Mark Holthaus of FAR, as well as the Lander Challenge project. Unfortunately, it was also revealed that Northrop Grumman had pulled their attendance from the event.

The topic of the RRS’ charitable trust status was also discussed. It seems that California has changed some annual requirements for renewal. The RRS intends to seek answers regarding the changes. The RRS is a registered 501(c)3 educational nonprofit group in California.

There is some good news for those seeking their pyro-op licenses, though. Jim Gross has announced that he will allow his video watch meeting to be hosted over Zoom. Several members are seeking their Class 2 license and need letters of recommendation for their applications..

Continuing in the vein of pyro-op recommendation letters, some have had questions about the standards that license holders use to write them. The topic has been tabled until the next meeting on May 12th..

In regards to public events, the RRS has been invited to Loyola Marymount University’s Engineering Design Showcase event, set to occur on April 28th. RRS President Dave Nordling is set to attend, but the event is open to the public, so any society member may attend if they are so interested.

Bill Claybaugh has a launch event planned at the MTA next Saturday and it is on track. It is expected that his six-inch diameter solid rocket will reach an altitude of 69,000 feet and be recovered within 5 nautical miles of the launch site, but there are some weather concerns regarding the launch day. It was also mentioned that air traffic control wants to have a single point of contact from all waiver holders. For launches from the RRS MTA, this will be the President.

In additon to Bill’s launch, there is also a UCLA launch planned for June 10th. This is the senior capstone project for this year which will be F and G sized model rockets. Vice-President Frank Miuccio coincidentally also has a model rocket class on location that same day, so the two groups are likely to share the MTA.

The next society meeting will be on May 12th, 2023, at the Compton/Woodley Airport location. Contact the secretary for details.

November 2022 meeting

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by Frank Miuccio, Vice President, RRS.ORG

The Reaction Research Society held its monthly meeting November 11, 2022, at 730pm, at the front office of the Compton/Woodley Airport. Others were able to join us by teleconference.

Agenda topics for the meeting were:

  1. Review of recent MTA/rocket events:
  2. Upcoming MTA events including bathroom work & USC static fire on 11/12/22
  3. 1-day welding class in Oceanside – who is interested?
  4. CALFIRE fee increases
  5. 2023 executive council nominations

Recent MTA/rocket events were reviewed including the November 5th work event on the restroom.

RRS has purchased a 20-foot high cube container that will be placec next to the new bathroom container which will be our new fire station which will house fire suppression equipment. It was suggested that we paint the container red or at least part of it red. The RRS also purchased a 35 GPM water pump with 1” hose and adapters and spray nozzles. An all-terrain vehicle for firefighting has been on our bucket list for awhile. We discussed current fire suppression tools including the pressurized water type fire extinguishers and shovels. It was recommended we do a fire training class at the MTA yearly so people know how to use the current and future solutions. We will need a volunteer to coordinate this effort.

Upcoming MTA events include the static fire event with USC RPL from Friday 11/11/2022 and into Saturday 11/12/2022. USC’s latest 6-inch vehicle, Firebiter, will be tested before committing to launch their next flight article later this year.

Bathroom work continues. There are a few items that still need to be installed such as some plumbing and connections to the infrastructure.

The RRS has found a skilled private individual, Jay Miller (and son), willing to teach a one-day welding class. The cost will be substantial but split among those who will attend. It is not common to find this kind of training on a weekend. Jay will have 3 rigs to divide among the students at their shop in Oceanside, CA. Metal welding samples of aluminum, carbon and stainless steels with filler material and plates to weld on will be provided as well as gases.

Carpooling is recommended once a firm date is set. People with interest need to confirm very soon.

CALFIRE is opening a public comment sessions for proposed fee increases which affecting our operations.

Pyrotechnic operator annual license fees for Rockets Classes 1, 2 and 3 from $50 to $100

Public Display licenses will increase from $200 to $350 annually.

RRS members will attend this meeting with CALFIRE in December. The RRS will produce a joint statement representing the society’s opposition to fee increases. It is unlikely we will be successful in dissuading the state fire marshal from increasing fees.

This topic also went to discussing the process to become a pyrotechnic operator and encouraged more people to begin the application process to become licensed. Frank said he will update people as he goes through the process. The hardest part is securing five letter of recommendation from licensed pyro-ops. After letters are ready, applicants need to be fingerprinted at Live Scan locations in California.

Cameron Kurtz spoke to the RRS about a solid motor project he was working on (he is in Texas). He was looking if anyone had data that he could use. John Krell and Michael Rouleau will be working with Cameron offline

2023 executive council nominations were held as we do at each November meeting. RRS member, Drew Cortopassi, was appointed as our election chairman. Drew will be sending out ballots to the administrative members and must receive them back before the December meeting. Nominees are listed below. All offices are running unopposed.

Secretary = Joel Cool-Panama

Treasurer = Larry Hoffing

Vice-President = Frank Miuccio

President = Dave Nording

Straw rockets and air rockets were discussed. They are very simple and popular tools used in our educational programs. Frank showed the launchers used for the classes to launch them. Frank also showed examples of straw rockets and air rockets.

On straw rockets, the process of the nose cones was discussed. First phase starts with molded clay. Second phase was foam ear plugs. Third phase was rubber end caps (bolt caps cover). This latest version has improved the launch. Frank also discussed what students learn from the activities.

Next meeting will be December 9, 2022. Meetings are always held on the 2nd Friday of each month.

September 2022 meeting

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by Keith Yoerg, Secretary, RRS.ORG

The Reaction Research Society held our monthly meeting on September 9th. It was the first in-person meeting in 31 months We met at the front office of the Compton/Woodley Airport at our usual starting time of 7:30pm. This was a new location for us and we are grateful to the staff of Los Angeles County for their hospitality.

We still held our teleconference which continues to allow our members living far from the city to join us. We will stay at this location for the next two more meetings to decide if this will be our permanent location.

September meeting agenda

  1. Review of recent MTA/rocket events:
  2. Upcoming MTA events
    • Bathroom work to continue this month
    • New concrete launch pad
    • USC RPL testing campaign
  3. Catching-up in person

This is a placeholder until the full meeting minutes can be transferred.

Our next meeting will be on October 14 at the same location at the front office of the Compton/Woodley Airport. We will meet every 2nd Friday of each month. Contact the RRS secretary for information.