The genesis of the Skywatchers / ROMAR model rocket club in Colorado Springs is largely shrouded in mystery - at least as far as yours truly is concerned. The organization was already in existence before I arrived and stuck my long nose into the action. I'm sure that any of the folks who were original members might know when the club first formed, but I haven't been in contact with them for many, many years. Skywatchers may well have originated as early as 1972.
Anyway, at the invitation of my high school chum, Marc Kramer, I joined Skywatchers in the summer of 1973. I was a junior in high school at the time, and had a few small models built and a little bit of flying experience under my belt, but I was still quite a neophyte to the hobby.
The original club roster consisted of maybe a dozen members, and held monthly meetings in the back room of Custom Hobbies at the intersection of Platte Avenue and Circle Drive in Colorado Springs.
The club's flying range was a large field on the east side of town off of Airport Road. (Incidentally, Airport Road did not go to the airport....). The field was large enough to accommodate F-engine flights. Even though the space was earmarked for future development, Skywatchers gained permission to us it in the interim.
It's interesting to note that the second home my wife and I bought in the late 1990s was located on the downrange end of that very same field.
At the December, 1973 club meeting, it was announced that the Skywatchers Rocket Club had submitted an application to the National Association of Rocketry for becoming a chartered section.
Next Post: The birth of ROMAR
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