Civil Air Patrol Service award

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Recently Mary and I have become Civil Air Patrol members of our local 61 squadron in Camarillo CA. This came about because the Civil Air Patrol had contacted me about being a NAR representative to work with their Cadets aerospace rocketry program which Mary and I were happy to do.

We work with the cadets and senior members in the construction and training of building and flying rockets.

At last night’s meeting we proudly received the certificate of appreciation. This is only the beginning of our efforts to help cadets and senior members rocketry. The Ventura Rocketeers section 855 is paying it forward.

Lastest News??? 12-19-2022

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If you’re not seeing the latest news here on the front page it’s because you need to click on the menu button up top that says”Latest News”. Or you can follow this website and every time we have news to post you will get an email.

Here’s a direct link:

https://sngaero.wordpress.com/latest-news/

Our last two launches were scrubbed by rain. We are launching on the 21st this time to avoid the possibility of rain. 

Kits update 10-28-2022

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I cast up the parts for the V-2 Resin cast kit. I forgot how nice these parts are and it inspired me to build another V-2 for myself with a different paint scheme and a camera.

Seen here is one of the resin cast fins just hanging on the mount for the boat tail. These fins just get glued on with CA and are surprisingly sturdy. I know this because I have flown my V-2 and on landing the fins stay attached well.

I have another set of parts to cast today and both these kits will ship next week.

Great News! We have a launch site! 9-3-2022

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We are proud to announce we have an official legal launch site on private land. After three years our efforts have finally paid off. We never gave up.

Launches will be twice a month on Saturdays in Moorpark centrally located between Venture, Santa Barbara and LA counties.

Our first launch will be September 24th at 8 am. The field is private. All launches are Ventura Rocketeers only. You must be on our mailing list or a member of our section to fly rockets there. 

We can launch up to D engines although the TARC teams and Students have been allowed up to F. For general use overall we will be using A-D. The launch site is about 20 acres and there are strict rules we must follow.

Mary listed the rules sent out to all our members:

To launch with us as a Ventura Rocketeer please read the following:

1) if you do not want to be a member, but want to launch, the cost is $5 a family for the day of the event

2) if you want to join the Ventura Rocketeers, the cost is $30 per year

3) Spectators ( ie, you just want to come and watch) is no charge

4) Attached is a flight card, please print it out, and fill one section out per each rocket

5) All Rocketeers and Spectators must park in the parking lot and walk out to the launch site (about a half a mile)

6) This is a private farm. Entry is only allowed on prescribed launch dates. They are a business and you will not be allowed in. 

7) We must be aware of horse traffic on the property. We will keep a close eye on horses near our launch at any given time. If they are close to us we must wait until they are at a safe distance before launching. That means out of sight.

This site is being used mainly to support students and youth in their education in aerospace rocketry.

If you are interested contact us: ventura.rocketeers@gmail.com

Wings Over Camarillo Air show 8-22-2022

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We had a great time at the air show this weekend where we spent two days in a hangar talking to many interested families who would like to get the children involved in model rocketry.The airshow was spectacular and a lot of fun. We were invited to attend to participate in the STEM Pavilion with our Ventura Rocketeers NAR section 855 group.

Here’s a few pictures from the event. I’ll have video and more pictures posted later this week.

In closing I’d like to point out that many parents saw the extreme importance of listening to their child’s interest and supporting it. Model flight of any kind is the gateway to a better life for these children that will grow up to have amazing careers in aviation and science.

One family had a 3 year old that craved rockets and airplanes. I asked the parents where this came from? They replied he was born that way.

We let him hold a rocket in his hands and his face lit up like a newborn star. It was an amazing moment. This boy will probably walk on Mars one day and it’s because his parents saw and supported the light in his eyes.

This is why we keep trying to find that field locally so these children can build their dreams and see them fly into the sky. It’s the most important thing we can do.

Please listen to your children. Support their interests. I saw that many parents didn’t share their children’s interest and just tugged them away from our table. It was very sad. Others said they were sending their kids to Space Camp. That’s what we call, “The Right Stuff”.

Thank you! 1-17-2022

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  I wish to thank you all for the orders we have received recently. We still make the current kits listed in the stores. Please note that the kits will no longer include the decals. You can get them directly from http://www.stickershock.com  

Please note when ordering a kit there will be a week to 2 week wait. I hand craft every kit myself. We do not have them on the shelf as we don’t have them mass produced overseas. Everything is bought in the USA and hand made at my studio in Ventura.

Once purchased you can watch your item being made in daily reports here:

steveneills.art.blog