Membership Update

[Angelo Castellano]

Hello Members,

The newest Executive and I have been in office for four months now and an update is due to the membership. Over the past several months, things have been busy. These updates will be published to the CARWEB as announcements, and they will find permanent homes in the relevant sections on CARWEB. To help us keep topics organized, they are sequentially numbered as they come up, but they are acted upon based on priority.

2008-9 Safety distances for hybrid launches

Following news from other rocketry organizations, and a review by the Range Safety Officer (RSO) Committee and the Chief RSO, it was recognized that the distances from launch pads for hybrid powered rockets were not adequate. Therefore, a decision was made to require a minimum safe distance of 30m for all hybrid launches.

http://www.canadianrocketry.org/index.php?news=5

2009-4 CAR Motor Certification Committee (MC2)

The CAR Motor Certification Committee (MC2) is now functioning again and the new MC2 Chair, Thomas Raithby, has completed the first testing session in 2009. A total of 52 motors were certified and the letters of certification, representative thrust curves and some test photos have been published to CARWEB.

http://www.canadianrocketry.org/motor_index.php

2009-3 Nine kilometre distance from airports

It was recognized that the 9km rule was not required based on Transport Canada regulations and placed an unfair burden on CAR members, who have a long record of safety. It was therefore decided that the rule would be removed from the CAR Model Rocket Safety Code.

http://www.canadianrocketry.org/model_safety_code.php

Ontario Representative

The position of Ontario representative is still open, and David Buhler, CAR Elections, will make another call for nominations.

We urge all Ontario members to consider running for this position, where you can have an opportunity to speak for your region, and to bring your vision and concerns to our organization.

Leadership transition

The process of obtaining all records from previous executive members continues. Further activities and updates will almost certainly develop from that ongoing transition.

Status of the Canadian Association of Rocketry

The corporate status of CAR is currently being reviewed and will be corrected and up todate shortly. Then, government liasons will be appointed.

Membership

There were very few new members on our roster in the calendar year 2008. This is an important issue that will be addressed in the coming weeks. If you have ideas or suggestions, please contact your regional representatives (Directors) to bring those ideas to the table.

Conclusion

It’s been a busy first few months as Chairman of the Canadian Association of Rocketry. We have some tasks completed and many to go. The Directors and my Executive team have been working hard to bring success to CAR. This in an invitation to all members and potential members: join us in our efforts to safely enjoy our hobby and to bring it to more people.

Kindest regards,

Angelo Castellano
CAR Chairman

(June 4 - updated 2008 membership facts)