A New 'Flying Season' ?

 Back in the years when I first stuck my long nose into the hobby of model rocketry - I'm talking early 1970s through the 1980s - I recall that rocket flying season in Colorado generally began in April and extended through summer and into mid-fall. 

The cold and snowy months of late October through March were the times one spent indoors building models and preparing for the start of flying season. Sure, there would be those infrequent weekends during the winter months when there would occur a brief spell of warmer weather and club launches could be scheduled, but generally it was still considered as 'building season'.

Ever since I became a Born-Again-Rocketeer in 2016, I have become acutely aware of how different things are now, due to the ongoing climate change phenomenon.

I can't speak for other parts of the country, but here in Colorado there have been significant changes.

1. Hotter summers.   Over the past several years, central and eastern Colorado have seen warmer summers and longer periods of heat.  Each year, we seem to break the previous record for consecutive 90-degree plus days. Additionally, hotter days have been extending well into October.  I had visual evidence of these changes this year.  I still had petunias blooming in my front porch planters on November 2nd, which until this year, was totally unheard of !  The flowers probably would have gone longer if it hadn't been for the first significant freeze and snowfall the next day. 

 It has also been the norm lately that much of Colorado is now considered drought zone.

2.  More wind.   I have definitely noticed that there are many, many more consecutive days characterized by non-stop windy conditions, something that was very rare in past years. This, of course, makes it nearly impossible to establish a regular schedule of rocket flying.

3.  Fire weather warnings and burn bans.   This is the result of a combination of the above two effects. Hot weather combined with less moisture, dry vegetation, and high winds has caused local governments and municipalities to implement strict open burn restrictions, extending for weeks on end.  These, of course, include the flying of model rockets. The bans and restrictions are for good reasons.  Who hasn't noticed the outbreaks of massive wildfires which have swept across the western states and Canada every summer?  We've certainly had our share along the Colorado Front Range.  I don't recall this ever happening in such a frequent manner in the past. 

4.   Bad air quality.  This is tied to the wildfire issue. For extended periods during the summer, the Front Range is subject to heavy smoke volume from wildfires.  Even when there are no local Colorado fires, prevailing winds bring in smoke from fires burning in states hundreds of miles away.  Also, there are many days along the Front Range when ozone levels are at a dangerously high level.  These issues usually lead to serious warnings from the NWS for people with respiratory issues to avoid any extended outdoor activity (including model rocketry, again).

So, taking everything listed above as a whole, summertime during this era of climate change has, in fact, become increasingly unsuitable for enjoying the flying aspect of the model rocketry hobby.  

For my part, I have noted that, in the past several years, the most satisfying conditions for flying model rockets have been in the October through March time frame! The best conditions occur during the days following a big snowstorm when a high-pressure cell moves in and parks over Colorado, bringing comfortable temperatures and low wind levels.

As far as this curmudgeonly old rocketeer and blogger is concerned, the summer months have now become the new 'building season', while winter is the time to get out and do some meaningful rocket flying.  Completely opposite from the old days.

Go figure....