Back In The Day, Part 22 - The Skywatchers Club - 1975-1979

At the end of 1974, Skywatchers/ROMAR was no longer a section of the NAR, as a few of the early members had left, and the club no longer had the required ten NAR license carriers.

But that didn't mean the group was inactive.  Far from it. 

In reality, many local folks of all ages were attracted to the club and joined. At one point in 1975 Skywatchers enjoyed a 25+ member roster. 

The club continued to hold numerous contest meets over the four year period from 1975-79.  Since these weren't NAR sanctioned, some additional competition events were held that weren't found in the Pink Book - things like Eggloft Short Flight, Ping Pong Ball Spot Landing, Parasite Glider duration, and Mini/Maxi Scale (kind of similar to today's Classic Model event, except that we built up-scaled or down-scaled versions of then-existing kits).  Oh, and we started a new tradition in Colorado of holding Odd-ball (Odd-Roc) events at least once or twice a year.

Around this time we had a second local club to compete with - the Rapirhawks, led by Dr. Warren Layfield.

Besides contests, Skywatchers embarked on holding several demo launches throughout each year.  These were mostly sponsored by various local hobby stores, and were conducted in the parking lots of the associated shopping malls.  Other demos were held in conjunction with hobby shows and other similar events.  Once in a while, the club would enjoy a scheduled visit by local newspaper or TV reporters, so we would conduct special demos at the club launch site for the benefit of the professional media cameras.

By far, the most interesting demo put on by the club was conducted in the little rural town of Limon, Colorado.  The provided launch site was located smack-dab in the downtown area, and was flown out of a small vacant lot surrounded by buildings, tall trees, and telephone poles.  Quite interesting....

On yet another occasion, a demo being conducted at a large shopping mall in Colorado Springs was interrupted by the onset of a major Spring blizzard!  Needless to say, the club members running the demo were happy to pack up and hang out at the display tables - inside the mall!

Many of the club business meetings incorporated model-building workshops once the Roberts
Rules of Order stuff was out of the way.  In these workshops, everyone participated in building the same design or kit.  These projects ranged from Gnat boost/gliders to the Cherokee-D, and many others in between.  It was a great way to learn new building techniques and share ideas.

Despite the high level of activity over this five year period, the club gradually dwindled down to half a dozen regular members by 1978. Only three of the original ROMAR charter members remained: Glade & Lillian Gordon, and myself. Other folks came and went, but the club failed to sustain any growth. 

But, not to despair, things were about to change radically in late 1979.

But, that's a subject for another post.

In the meantime, below are some scans of photos I have from the 1975-1979 era of Skywatchers Rocket club.  Most of these photos were taken by me unless otherwise noted. Please forgive the quality of some of the images.  At the time I had a crappy little camera with a super slow shutter speed.  Any launch pictures are quite blurry.  Plus my photography skills at the time were on par with the crappiness of the camera!




Skywatchers member Glade Gordon prepares an upscale Estes Beta for flight on October 3, 1976.
 

A quick note:  By mid 1975, sport meets were no longer flown off the old Peak City racks.  Instead, the club began using a nice sturdy steel launch pad built by Glade Gordon.  This pad featured a central adjustable tower, a 1/8" rod, and a 3/16" rod.  The pad served the club well for many years.  Most of the photos of club rockets are seen on this launch pad.

 

Dave Wright's Maxi V-2 caught at ignition, July 24, 1977. 

 

My Minotaur B/G ready for flight.  This model was designed to fly on the 18mm AVI D engines.
"Uhh...yes, kid....please step away from the launch rack!"

 

An unidentified Skywatchers member preps a Red Max for flight.

 

Dave Wright's Centuri SST Shuttle awaits flight, Feb. 6, 1977

 

If you had just pranged a Mars Lander, how would you react?  Dave Wright demonstrates one way! Feb. 6, 1977

One of my early Rocket/glider birds, the "Zircon" poised for flight in 1976.

Glade Gordon's Maxi-Alpha on the pad awaiting ignition.  Sadly, a moment later, the model was badly damaged by a D engine CATO.  November 27, 1977

 

Even in 1977, a SPEV was a rare bird to be seen at a rocket launch. Feb. 6, 1977

 

Glade Gordon loads up an Estes Renegade on the pad, Jan. 2, 1978.

 

My ol' Big Bertha on the pad in 1976.  The model was a little shorter than normal due to a previous flight mishap.

 

A very small turnout for a competition meet in 1978.  Skywatchers members pose for a photo with Pikes Peak in the background. Left to right: Dave Frederickson (?), Lillian Gordon, Glade Gordon, Ed Mitton, Dave Wright.