First Timers

ATTENTION
Attendance at events hosted by the Rocketry Organization of California (ROC) is AT YOUR OWN RISK. Insurance to cover your rocketry activities is available as a benefit of membership in either the National Association of Rocketry or the Tripoli Rocketry Association. Please note that membership in ROC does NOT include insurance or any assumption of liability on the part of ROC. ROC membership allows you to fly at all of our launches without paying the daily launch fees, along with a few other membership benefits. All attendees at ROC events must check in at REGISTRATION at the launch and sign the ROC Agreement and Liability Release Form to indicate understanding and acceptance of the risk and liability. Spectators and flyers will be given a wristband to indicate that they have registered.

ROC Participation and Spectatorship

All individuals attending ROC events, regardless of their level of experience or degree of participation, are required to review, understand, and acknowledge the information below. This applies equally to newcomers, experienced participants, spectators, and staff. Familiarity with this information is essential to help ensure safety, maintain a respectful and inclusive environment, and support the smooth operation of the event.

If you are interested in visiting a ROC event, please visit our membership page for flying fees and other event information.

Day Launches

Our monthly Day Launch events occur on the second Saturday of every month and typically run from between 7 and 8 AM to between 11 AM and 2 PM. Times may vary depending on weather conditions and event participation. Adverse conditions, including but not limited to heat, rain, wind, and other airspace activities, may cause launches to be abbreviated or cancelled. Note: Conditions are nearly always better early in the day, so everyone is encouraged to arrive early.

ROCStock

ROCStock is a biannual event hosted by ROC during the weekend of the second Saturday in April and November. It is a multi-day event that offers a unique opportunity for non-local participants and vendors to engage with the ROC community. It serves as a platform for collaboration, learning, and hands-on experience with high-powered rocketry. Night launches may also be possible during this event. Range hours are subject to the same constraints as monthly launches, and the final day usually ends early, between 11 AM and 2 PM. Please refer to the launch schedule for ROCStock dates and event information in the latest news or subscribe to our emailing list for event and organization updates.

Cancellation Policy

ROC has established the following weather guidelines for cancelling a launch. If the temperature at the lakebed is expected to be close to 100 degrees by 11 AM, if there is more than a 50% chance of rain with 1/4″ or more in the forecast at the lakebed, or if it has rained recently and the lakebed is soggy, we will most likely cancel a launch. However, since weather forecasts and conditions can change daily, a decision will usually not be made until 3-4 days before a launch.

If we do have to cancel for any reason, an official message will be posted on our main webpage, our Facebook page, and on our e-mail list ROC-chat. IF NO MESSAGE IS POSTED, THEN A LAUNCH IS HAPPENING AS SCHEDULED. If a launch is cancelled, or if you simply want to launch on your own, anyone is welcome to go out on their own at any time. Just be aware that there will be no facilities and you must use motors G impulse and below.

Parking

The center north/south aisle due north of the portable toilets is an emergency access corridor, as is the area 100′ due south of the coned or roped-off flight line. If you park in either area, you will be asked to move your vehicle.

Depending on attendance, a couple of rows of cars usually form in the east/west direction. Once you find a space, please remember that spectators and participants may need more room than in a typical parking lot. We suggest parking about 10 feet away from neighboring vehicles when possible.

Spectator Rules and Safety Regulations

Keep your head up! Rocketry is an inherently dangerous activity. Objects often fall from the sky, sometimes at very high speed. We have rules and procedures to make this activity as safe as possible for everyone, but bad things can happen if the rules are not followed.

  • Check in at Registration as soon as you arrive and sign the ROC Agreement and Liability Release Form to indicate understanding and acceptance of the risk and liability. Copies are available onsite.
  • Pay attention. Every flight is potentially dangerous to you and your family. If the Launch Control Officer (LCO) yells “Heads up!” they mean it. If you see the incoming rocket, point at it so others can find it as well.
  • Please stay behind the coned or roped flight line barrier, and please do not set up your chairs or other items at the barrier.
  • The safety zone extends 100′ south of the flight line. No sitting in chairs or on the ground, and no operating wheeled vehicles such as cars, ATVs, bicycles, or tricycles in this area.
  • If the LCO announces a flight as a “Heads Up” flight, that means get on your feet and pay attention until the rocket’s recovery device deploys or the rocket is on or in the ground.
  • If you are away from the pad area and cannot hear the public address speakers, please tune your FM radio to 90.1 MHz to monitor LCO announcements.
  • Do not attempt to catch any rocket as it lands. Even a small rocket can cause injury.
  • Do not pick up or move any rocket that is not yours, unless you have the owner’s permission.
  • Park your car behind the line marked on the lakebed, and please do not park in any areas designated for vendors or launch administration. If there are no lines marked, as may be the case at some smaller monthly events, ensure you are 100′ south of the flight line and not in the center aisle between the LCO table and the portable toilets.
  • RVs and motor homes must park in the second row or farther south.
  • Please drive 3 mph as you approach the launch area and within the launch area. A vehicle moving faster can raise a surprising amount of very annoying dust.
  • Please use only the provided toilet facilities. Please do not throw trash into the toilets. Human waste, toilet paper, and sanitary products only.
  • Please keep control of your trash and carry it off the lakebed when you leave.
  • Please keep your children, friends, and family under control and make sure they understand these rules.
  • You may pick up or move another flyer’s rocket only under the following conditions:
    • You have the owner’s permission to do so.
    • If you are a long distance away, the rocket is undamaged, and no one appears to be looking for it, you may carefully bring it back to the Registration table.
    • If the rocket is damaged, please note the location and report it to the Registration table.
    • If the rocket is being dragged by the wind, please carefully stop it, place the parachute under its body tube or nose cone, note the location, and report it to the Registration table.
  • If you find a reloadable motor casing that has been ejected from a rocket, wait until it has cooled off and bring it back to the Registration table.
  • The use of drones, R/C aircraft, UAVs, RC gliders, and any similar non-rocket-powered flying device anywhere at the event at any time is expressly prohibited. This exclusion does not apply to rocket-powered RC gliders flown from the range in accordance with the NAR Rocket Powered Glider Safety Code.