The Next SLRA Meeting/Build Session is next Tuesday, February 24^th, 2026, at the Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ (11750 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63127) Coordinates 38.53096/-90.38616.

6:00 - 7:00 PM – Rocket Talk Social Hour/Dinner/Build Session
7:00 - ?:?? PM – SLRA Meeting
Post Meeting – More Rocket Talk and Build Session until 9:00 pm 

The meeting location is in the basement of the restaurant.  You’ll need to enter from the back of the restaurant.   We have lots of room to spread-out. There are lots of tables for enabling us to have a coincident Build Session. 

If you have a rocket project you’re working on, bring it to the meeting.  Be sure to bring a table cover (newspaper/poster board) and cutting board to prevent damage to tabletops.   

This is also a great opportunity to bring rocketry-related questions to ask seasoned Low to High Power Rocketeers who will be in attendance. Interested in Competition rocketry, those questions can be answered as well.

Schaefer’s Hobby is nearby as well.   They’re open till 6:00 pm. 

If you’re a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings from our website’s Meeting Minutes Page, the unresolved discussions from our previous meeting will be the basis of our “Old Business” discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John

Attendees: (18) Chris Franklin, Charles Barnett, John Sullivan, Chuck Meckfessel, Molly Meckfessel, Emma Meckfessel, Jason Garbus, Oliver Garbus, John O’Neill, Don Hanson, Craig Reeds (guest), Scott Thibodeaux (guest), Jack Oney, Chris Lagemann, Larry Hileman, John Buckley, Zane Grobie, John Sproules (guest)

Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ; 11750 Gravois Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63127

Called to order at 7:00 p.m.

New Attendees:  Jack Oney (returning-was member back in 2015, and Level 3 certified); John Sproules – moving here from Kansas City area – Welcome to both!

Achievements and Contributions:

• Dan Welling and others helped Don Hanson retrieve a rocket after 13 months out in the weather in Elsberry.  The rocket was essentially undamaged and flyable, and was flown to around 1100 feet in January – congratulations!

25 November 2025 SLRA Meeting Minutes approved

Treasury Status

• Current Balance $2,062.19
• Deposits: $769.18 from PayPal (member dues)
• Expenses: None

SLRA Memberships Total: Spreadsheet provided by Doug Probst, who couldn’t be at the meeting.  The spreadsheet shows 29 registered members for 2026 at present, consisting of 27 senior and 2 junior members.  Prior year registrations were 61.  Hopefully the 2026 numbers will increase with member renewals in the near future.

Launch Reports:

• Elsberry – January 17, 2026 – The launch was held, with 7 attendees.  Weather was extremely cold.  5-6 flights were made.  The wind picked up significantly around noon, when flying ended for the day.

Upcoming Launches

• Elsberry HP Launches – Fall/Winter 2025/2026. (Note: Subsequent to the October, 28 SLRA meeting, official dates have been announced and posted to the club website.  These are: February 21/22, and March 21/22.)  Note that the February launch dates don’t look promising at this point due to snow on the ground which needs to melt and clear the resulting mud.
• Buder Park – March 28, 2026
• Don Hanson noted that the Thunderstruck group (Pence, Indiana) will be hosting the next LDRS. 
• Mo-Kan (South Greenfield, MO)  http://tripolimokan.org  They generally launch the third Saturday of every month during the flying season.  Time: 12:00 CST-17:00 CST
• Central Illinois Aerospace – http://www.ciarocketry.org  Contact Greg Smith, Director of Operations, at 217-820-1678, or via email to operations@ciarocketry.org  Directions to their launch sites can be found on their website under the ‘Reconnaissance’ link. 
• Quad Cities rocket Club (Note: near Wildman Rocketry) https://qcrc.clubexpress.com  Email: Info@QCRC.us
• Goat Ranch – Springfield, MO – 3^rd Saturday of the month
• Kloudbusters, Argonia, Kansas.  Check their website for details on future launches:  https://kloudbusters.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=325948&module_id=566855

Old Business

• Joel recommends going to Club Express (CE) as the location for SLRA website.  

The website would contain information regarding club activities and serve as a site for maintaining records of club activities (i.e. Meetings, launch events, membership.  Photos and videos would be posted and maintained on the SLRA Facebook Page.  Joel will be contacting a Club Express Representative to obtain information on pricing and the process for transitioning the SLRA website to Club Express.  Note: Joel was not able to be present at this meeting.  This issue will be taken up at a meeting in 2026.

• GSLMA Status.  Doug Probst will be taking the reins on maintaining communication with Buder Park North Greater St. Louis Modeling Association members.  Nothing new on this item at this time. 
• Let Jason Garbus know if you are interested in pursuing a level 3 certification.  There is some new paperwork involved with the process.  Best to start early!
• John Buckley noted that all NAR members should log onto the new NAR website and check their profile to be sure they are associated with the St. Louis Rocketry Association (Section #551).  This needs to be done manually by each user. 
• It was also noted that we will have to hold to a ‘no membership card-no flight’ rule at our NAR/TRA launches.  However, a digitally downloaded membership card will be sufficient to allow a person to fly.
• Nina Fischer noted that the Washington University team was still looking for a mentor but will still be going ahead with their plans.  They plan to attend as many Elsberry launches as possible to get as many of their members Level 1 and Level 2 certified as possible.  She noted that the mentor would only need to be present for the Saturday/Sunday launch days in Alabama.
• Chris Franklin noted that the club would always like help with setup/teardown at the Elsberry launches. 
• LDRS – Pence, Indiana – April 16-19, 2026 – The hosting group would like to borrow our monster pad and 2 launch controllers.  Jason Garbus is planning on going to the event and will possibly need to take the club trailer there a weekend earlier, and will be custodian for the equipment.  The SLRA members voted in favor of making this equipment available for LDRS.

New Business    

• SLRA membership renewals – keep up the good work with member dues renewals. 
• Charter Renewals – John O’Neill attended.  Charter renewal certificate was forwarded to club treasurer by John Buckley.  Charter renewal certificate is on file.
• John O’Neill asked if there was any interest in the NAR Range Safety Officer training course.  Check out the NAR website for details. 
• Doug Probst spent considerable effort cleaning up the email list on the existing SLRA website.  There were many, many dubious entries found in the list which shouldn’t be there. 
• For 2026, St. Louis County Parks needs to be contacted to advise them of our scheduled Buder Park launch dates.  (Note: After the meeting, Doug Probst handled the scheduling requests.  Thanks, Doug!)  Subsequent to this effort, official club date reservations with St. Louis County Parks for the use of Buder were dropped by the club, because St. Louis County Parks required a $100 fee for each date reserved.  The club will pay daily use fees for rocket flyers instead.  For the two night launches, typically held in June and October, official club reservations with St. Louis County Parks will be pursued.)
• John O’Neill noted that the NAR has made available a guide for mentors.  This was forwarded to the club treasurer along with the club charter certificate, and is available if anyone would like a copy.
• Elsberry launch fees: Free for club members; $10 for high power, $5 for low power
• Doug Probst noted via email that a scout group will be joining us for the April Buder Park launch
• Jason Garbus noted that a University of Illinois group might possibly be joining us at our February Elsberry launch.  Their emails were going to the admin email inbox, and due to the high noise level (99% or more spam) in that inbox, their messages were easy to miss. 
• Locks on trailers aren’t the original combination locks.  Mike Walsh might have the keys to them. 

Adjourned 7:28 p.m.

Raffle items: Estes Skydart and Night Wing kits

The Next SLRA Meeting/Build Session is next Tuesday, January 27^th, 2026, at the Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ (11750 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63127) Coordinates 38.53096/-90.38616.

6:00 - 7:00 PM – Rocket Talk Social Hour/Dinner/Build Session
7:00 - ?:?? PM – SLRA Meeting
Post Meeting – More Rocket Talk and Build Session until 9:00 pm 

The meeting location is in the basement of the restaurant.  You’ll need to enter from the back of the restaurant.   We have lots of room to spread-out. There are lots of tables for enabling us to have a coincident Build Session. 

If you have a rocket project you’re working on, bring it to the meeting.  Be sure to bring a table cover (newspaper/poster board) and cutting board to prevent damage to tabletops.   

This is also a great opportunity to bring rocketry-related questions to ask seasoned Low to High Power Rocketeers who will be in attendance. Interested in Competition rocketry, those questions can be answered as well.

Schaefer’s Hobby is nearby as well.   They’re open till 6:00 pm. 

If you’re a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings from our website’s Meeting Minutes Page, the unresolved discussions from our previous meeting will be the basis of our “Old Business” discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John

Attendees: (16) Chris Franklin, Charles Barnett, John Sullivan, Chuck Meckfessel, Molly Meckfessel, Jason Garbus, John O’Neill, Skip Eberhart, Dennis Trigalski, Doug Probst, Amanda McLaughlin, Don Hanson, Rob Benton, Keith “Herb” Vinyard, Rumesh Palaniswamy, Mythli Rangasamy, Viibhu Rumesh

Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ; 11750 Gravois Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63127

Called to order at 7:05 p.m.

New Attendees:  Amanda McLaughlin, Rumesh Palaniswamy, Mythli Rangasamy, Viibhu Rumesh – Welcome!

Achievements and Contributions:

• Jason Garbus – Level 3 certification – congratulations!

23 September 2025 SLRA Meeting Minutes approved

Treasury Status

• Current Balance $1,488.91
• Deposits: $52.32 from PayPal
• Expenses: None

SLRA Memberships Total = 2025 current total = 55.  (53 Senior/2 Junior Members) – 2 additional from last month

Launch Reports:

• Elsberry – November 13/14 launch was cancelled due to wet weather.  December 6 next tentative launch. NOTAM is in place for the December 6 event

Upcoming Launches

• Elsberry HP Launches – Fall/Winter 2025/2026. (Note: Subsequent to the October, 28 SLRA meeting, official dates have been announced and posted to the club website.  These are: December 13/14, January 17/18, 2026, February 21/22, and March 21/22.)
• Buder Park – March 28, 2026
• Don Hanson noted that the Thunderstruck group (Pence, Indiana) will be hosting the next LDRS. 
• Mo-Kan (South Greenfield, MO)  http://tripolimokan.org  They generally launch the third Saturday of every month during the flying season.  Time: 12:00 CST-17:00 CST
• Central Illinois Aerospace – http://www.ciarocketry.org  Contact Greg Smith, Director of Operations, at 217-820-1678, or via email to operations@ciarocketry.org  Directions to their launch sites can be found on their website under the ‘Reconnaissance’ link. 
• Quad Cities rocket Club (Note: near Wildman Rocketry) https://qcrc.clubexpress.com  Email: Info@QCRC.us
• Goat Ranch
• Kloudbusters, Argonia, Kansas.  Check their website for details on future launches:  https://kloudbusters.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=325948&module_id=566855

Old Business

• Joel recommends going to Club Express (CE) as the location for SLRA website.  

The website would contain information regarding club activities and serve as a site for maintaining records of club activities (i.e. Meetings, launch events, membership.  Photos and videos would be posted and maintained on the SLRA Facebook Page.  Joel will be contacting a Club Express Representative to obtain information on pricing and the process for transitioning the SLRA website to Club Express.  Note: Joel was not able to be present at this meeting.  This issue will be taken up at a meeting in 2026.

• GSLMA Status.  Doug Probst will be taking the reins on maintaining communication with Buder Park North Greater St. Louis Modeling Association members.  Nothing new on this item at this time. 
• Let Jason Garbus know if you are interested in pursuing a level 3 certification.  There is some new paperwork involved with the process.  Best to start early!
• John Buckley noted that all NAR members should log onto the new NAR website and check their profile to be sure they are associated with the St. Louis Rocketry Association (Section #551).  This needs to be done manually by each user. 
• Nina Fischer noted that they (Wash. U) haven’t found a mentor as yet.  She noted that the mentor would only need to be present for the Saturday/Sunday launch days in Alabama. 
• For Elsberry 2025/2026 Fall/Winter launches, Jason has signed documents with the landowner at this point.  He is working on getting updated insurance certificates, which should be completed in the next few days.  At this time, there are still soybeans in the field at Elsberry.  He noted that the government shutdown has slowed processing on needed FAA paperwork, but waivers have been processed.  Specific launch dates have been listed above.  The possibility of flight fees for flyers at our launches was briefly discussed ($5 member/$10 non-member?) will be discussed further at January 2026 meeting.
• It was also noted that we will have to hold to a ‘no membership card-no flight’ rule at our NAR/TRA launches.  However, a digitally downloaded membership card will be sufficient to allow a person to fly.
• Nina Fischer noted that the Washington University team was still looking for a mentor but will still be going ahead with their plans.  They plan to attend as many Elsberry launches as possible to get as many of their members Level 1 and Level 2 certified as possible. 
• Chris Franklin noted that the club would like help with setup/teardown at the Elsberry launches. 

New Business    

• SLRA membership renewals – website is ready to accept renewals for 2026. 
• Charter Renewals – Need to attend a 1-hour online meeting headed by Chuck Neff of the NAR.  John O’Neill will attend this meeting and update the club at the January meeting regarding meeting content.
• John O’Neill asked if there was any interest in the NAR Range Safety Officer training course.  Check out the NAR website for details. 
• Amanda McLaughlin noted that the Wash U students will be attending the Elsberry launches to try to get as many members L1 & L2 certified as possible.  They may want to test their rocket for the upcoming Argonia Cup event at Elsberry as well.
• Keith Vinyard requested a mentor for the Chaminade ARC team, headed by Dr. Erickson.  A message to this effect will be sent to the SLRA membership.  After the meeting, an email was sent to the SLRA membership letting everyone know about the mentor request.
• Doug Probst spent considerable effort cleaning up the email list on the existing SLRA website.  There were many, many dubious entries found in the list which shouldn’t be there. 
• For next year, St. Louis County Parks needs to be contacted to advise them of our scheduled Buder Park launch dates.  (Note: After the meeting, Doug Probst handled the scheduling requests.  Thanks, Doug!)
• For next year, Bandanas needs to be contacted to book the basement room for the scheduled January-November Tuesday night meeting dates.  Secretary John will do this in early January.
• LDRS – Pence, Indiana – April 16-19, 2026 – The hosting group would like to borrow our monster pad and 2 launch controllers.  Jason Garbus is planning on going to the event, and will possibly need to take the club trailer there a weekend earlier, and will be custodian for the equipment.  The SLRA members voted in favor of making this equipment available for LDRS.

Adjourned 7:47 p.m.

At the November meeting, Keith Vinyard made a request to obtain a mentor for the Chaminade team.  They have six students, led by Dr. Erickson at Chaminade, that would like to get involved with the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC).  Any NAR senior members, not related to anyone on the team, or employed by the school can serve as an official flight observer.  Any Chaminade alumni interested?  If so, let them know!  For additional information the American Rocketry Challenge, check out:  https://rocketrychallenge.org/

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John

The Next SLRA Meeting/Build Session is next Tuesday, November 25th, at the Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ (11750 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63127) Coordinates 38.53096/-90.38616.

6:00 - 7:00 PM – Rocket Talk Social Hour/Dinner/Build Session
7:00 - ?:?? PM – SLRA Meeting
Post Meeting – More Rocket Talk and Build Session until 9:00 pm 

The meeting location is in the basement of the restaurant.  You’ll need to enter from the back of the restaurant.   We have lots of room to spread-out. There are lots of tables for enabling us to have a coincident Build Session. 

If you have a rocket project you’re working on, bring it to the meeting.  Be sure to bring a table cover (newspaper/poster board) and cutting board to prevent damage to tabletops.   

This is also a great opportunity to bring rocketry-related questions to ask seasoned Low to High Power Rocketeers who will be in attendance. Interested in Competition rocketry, those questions can be answered as well.

Schaefer’s Hobby is nearby as well.   They’re open till 6:00 pm. 

If you’re a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings from our website’s Meeting Minutes Page, the unresolved discussions from our previous meeting will be the basis of our “Old Business” discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John

Attendees: (18) Chris Franklin, Charles Barnett, John Sullivan, Chuck Meckfessel, Molly Meckfessel, Emma Meckfessel, John Buckley, Jason Garbus, Larry Hileman, Dan Cella, John O’Neill,  John Hilker, Skip Eberhart, Michael Thomas, Ken Gianino, Nina Fischer, Dave Corbin, Jim ______

Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ; 11750 Gravois Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63127

Called to order at 7:03 p.m.

New Attendees:  Jim ____ and Dave Corbin – Welcome!

Achievements and Contributions:

• John Buckley – thank you to John for his help in getting permission restored for using Buder Park for SLRA club launches.

23 September 2025 SLRA Meeting Minutes approved

Treasury Status

• Current Balance $1,436.59
• Deposits: $50.00 from raffles
• Expenses: $277.16

SLRA Memberships Total = 2025 current total = 53.  (51 Senior/2 Junior Members)

Launch Reports:

• Buder Park – October 25, 2025 – The SLRA club Spooktacular launch was held.  A total of 77 flights occurred.  Chris L. had the most flights (12).  The club had 2 new members join at the event – David Corbin (had 2 flights) and Stephanie Rubbelke and her daughter (had 5 flights).
• Ft. Leonard Wood – John O’Neill reported that 75 flights occurred. 

Upcoming Launches

• Elsberry HP Launches – Fall/Winter 2025/2026. (Note: Subsequent to the October, 28 SLRA meeting, official dates have been announced and posted to the club website.  These are: November 22/23, December 13/14, January 17/18, 2026, February 21/22, and March 21/22.)
• Buder Park – March 28, 2026
• Don Hanson noted that the Thunderstruck group (Pence, Indiana) will be hosting the next LDRS. 
• Mo-Kan (South Greenfield, MO)  http://tripolimokan.org  They generally launch the third Saturday of every month during the flying season.  Time: 12:00 CST-17:00 CST

Dates: October 18

• Central Illinois Aerospace – http://www.ciarocketry.org  Contact Greg Smith, Director of Operations, at 217-820-1678, or via email to operations@ciarocketry.org  Directions to their launch sites can be found on their website under the ‘Reconnaissance’ link. 
• Quad Cities rocket Club (Note: near Wildman Rocketry) https://qcrc.clubexpress.com  Upcoming events: Midwest Power November 7-9, 2025.  Email: Info@QCRC.us
• Goat Ranch
• Kloudbusters, Argonia, Kansas.  Check their website for details on future launches:  https://kloudbusters.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=325948&module_id=566855

Old Business

• Joel recommends going to Club Express (CE) as the location for SLRA website.  

The website would contain information regarding club activities and serve as a site for maintaining records of club activities (i.e. Meetings, launch events, membership.  Photos and videos would be posted and maintained on the SLRA Facebook Page.  Joel will be contacting a Club Express Representative to obtain information on pricing and the process for transitioning the SLRA website to Club Express.  Note: Joel was not able to be present at this meeting.  This issue will be taken up at a meeting in 2026.

• GSLMA Status.  Doug Probst will be taking the reins on maintaining communication with Buder Park North Greater St. Louis Modeling Association members.  Nothing new on this item at this time. 
• SLRA Support for Wash U/SLU Rocketry Teams.  No Interest expressed (possibly Jason Garbus?, or someone from CIA (Central Illinois Aerospace)? Note: Mike Walsh is not currently mentoring the teams.
• SLRA Trailers
•             * LP trailer presently at Don Hanson’s
•             * HP trailer presently at Mike Walsh’s for maintenance work – a recent work day was held
•             * Possibly put lights in the trailer
•             * Roof damage on HP Trailer from hail storm
•             * Once maintenance is complete, Mike will be taking it to the Storage rental location.

• Possible additional launch site – World Wide Technology Raceway.  At this point, Doug is still wanting to have an in-person conversation with the site owner before scheduling a launch.  Also, their weekend calendar is essentially full currently. 
• Box for the Buder Park launch fees?  (Note: $6 per day flying fees instituted recently.)  Thanks to Doug Probst for posting photos of the box on the SLRA website.  At least the ‘button pusher’ needs to be a NAR member and have Buder permit fees paid.  Club maintains attitude of making every attempt to comply with the Buder fees and NAR membership requirements. 
• Doug Probst mentioned the possibility of another launch site in Illinois – the YMCA located in Maryville.  They would be OK with using their soccer field for this purpose.  However, note that the use of an adjacent hay field will not be permitted by its owner.
• Contact St. Louis County for reimbursement of permit fee for cancelled June launch? (sometime in the future)
• Chris Franklin contacted St. Louis County, and NAR and Tripoli membership will be have been added as valid organizations, in addition to the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) as eligible for use of Buder Park. 
• There was considerable discussion about the situation with access to Buder Park and the insurance issue which recently occurred.  Briefly: on June 9, we were notified by St. Louis County Parks that additional language was required in our Certificate of Insurance.  The NAR insurance representative was unable to agree to the additional language.  Chris Franklin is going to contact someone at St. Louis County Parks over the next couple weeks to see if it can be determined that the required language is somewhat redundant and can be put aside, or possibly have a separate contract between SLRA and St. Louis County which includes the problematic language?
• Let Jason Garbus know if you are interested in pursuing a level 3 certification.  There is some new paperwork involved with the process.  Best to start early!
• Doug Probst mentioned the possibility of another launch site in Illinois – the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois.  They have a large field adjacent to the church.  An effort will be made to contact them for use of the site for future rocket launches.  John Buckley will contact Chuck Neff at the NAR for advice/information on making first contact with property owners.
• It appears at this time that single users (airplane or rocket flyers) can have continued access to Buder Park, with their own AMA or NAR insurance and payment of park use fees ($6 per day). 
• Doug Probst mentioned another possible launch location – Collinsville Middle School.  They would probably want some type of STEM program input from the club for use of their space.
• John Buckley noted that all NAR members should log onto the new NAR website and check their profile to be sure they are associated with the St. Louis Rocketry Association (Section #551).  This needs to be done manually by each user. 
• A $250 donation from the club to Elsberry for flood assistance was made.  If anyone would like to make their own donation, please make checks payable to Elsberry Ministerial Alliance and mail to:  109 N. Fourth St., Elsberry, MO  63343.   
• Club trailer currently in Mike Walsh’s name.  The trailer will be going to Dave Pape’s location.  When trailer(s) moved, storage fees for them can be cancelled.
• It was noted that there is nobody regularly monitoring the admin@stlouisrocketry.com email inbox.  The secretary will check the contents of this mailbox periodically.
• Nina Fischer noted that they (Wash. U) haven’t found a mentor as yet.  She noted that the mentor would only need to be present for the Saturday/Sunday launch days in Alabama. 
• The High Power trailer is now at Dave Pape’s.  Therefore, there is no longer a need for trailer storage fees. 
• John Buckley – noted that NAR competition rules are being modified over time to be in line with FAI contest rules.  Among other things, piston launchers are not in line with these rules, as is the requirement that all ejection plugs must remain attached to the model (no detachable/ejectable wadding for these models).  The NAR hosts a monthly Zoom meeting for those interested in keeping up with contest rule making. 
• Molly Meckfessel brought up the idea of holding a rocket launch for girl scouts, if any club members were interested in volunteering.  Specific dates, when known, should be emailed to all club members. 
• Proposed Buder Park launch dates have been posted on the website, and are also listed here as well:
• March 28, 2026
• April 11, 2026
• April 25, 2026
• May 9, 2026
• May 23, 2026
• June 13, 2026
• June 27, 2026
• July 11, 2026
• July 25, 2025
• August 8, 2026
• August 22, 2026
• September 12, 2026
• September 26, 2026
• October 10, 2026
• October 24, 2026

New Business    

• Regarding the situation at Buder Park, John Buckley stated that, following the communication between John Hochheimer, President of the NAR, Bob Bloemster, NAR insurance agent, and St. Louis County Parks, there should be no further issues with the club using Buder Park for club rocket launches.
• Jason Garbus is attending bi-weekly conference calls as TRA prefect.  LDRS next year will be run by Indiana group.  They have expressed interest in borrowing the SLRA megapad and some other club equipment.  Chris Franklin noted that the SLRA members needed some voice in this issue.  To be discussed further.
• For Elsberry 2025/2026 Fall/Winter launches, Jason has signed documents with the landowner at this point.  He is working on getting updated insurance certificates, which should be completed in the next few days.  At this time, there are still soybeans in the field at Elsberry.  He noted that the government shutdown has slowed processing on needed FAA paperwork, but waivers have been processed.  Specific launch dates have been listed above.  The possibility of flight fees for flyers at our launches was briefly discussed ($5 member/$10 non-member?) will be discussed further at November 2025 or January 2026 meeting.
• It was also noted that we will have to hold to a ‘no membership card-no flight’ rule at our NAR/TRA launches.  However, a digitally downloaded membership card will be sufficient to allow a person to fly.
• Doug Probst noted that one of the RC clubs using Buder ran into the insurance issue when attempting to schedule a club event on a recent weekend.  
• Nina Fischer noted that the Washington University team was still looking for a mentor but will still be going ahead with their plans.  They plan to attend as many Elsberry launches as possible to get as many of their members Level 1 and Level 2 certified as possible. 
• Chris Franklin noted that the club would like help with setup/teardown at the Elsberry launches. 

Adjourned 7:28 p.m.

Attendees: (20) Chris Franklin, Charles Barnett, John Sullivan, Doug Probst, Chuck Meckfessel, Molly Meckfessel, Emma Meckfessel, John Buckley, Jason Garbus, Chris Lageman, Don Hanson, Larry Hileman, Dan Cella, John O’Neill, Dennis Tuchalski, John Hilker, Skip Eberhart, Jonah Klein, Howard Klein, Michael Thomas

Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ; 11750 Gravois Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63127

Called to order at 7:05 p.m.

New Attendees:  Howard Klein and Jonah Klein – Welcome!

Achievements and Contributions:

• Chuck Meckfessel, John Hilker and John O’Neill made successful Level 2 flights, and Rob Benton made a successful Level 3 flight at AIRFest 31 in Argonia, Kansas.  Congratulations!

24 June 2025 SLRA Meeting Minutes approved

Treasury Status

• Current Balance $1,839.40
• Deposits: $292.68 from PayPal for membership dues
• Expenses: $75.00

SLRA Memberships Total = 2025 current total = 51.  (49 Senior/2 Junior Members)

Launch Reports:

• See website for September 3, 2025 post for full details.  Several SLRA members attended AIRFest 31 in Argonia, Kansas.  The event was sponsored by Kloudbusters.  Over 250 registered flyers and 20 vendors were present.  Many SLRA members also volunteered for range duties, setting up, and tearing down as needed.   SLRA attendees:  Rob Benton, Oliver and Jason Garbus, Brian Hamilton, Don Hanson, Hohn Hilker, Chris Lagemann, Chuck, Molly, and Emma Meckfessel, John O’Neill, and Doug Probst.

• Buder Park – September 21, 2025 – John Buckley and Keith Vinyard conducted a launch of some contest models.  John noted that there was also a TARC team present at the field. 

Upcoming Launches

• Elsberry HP Launch – Next Fall.  (Note: subsequent to the July meeting, excessive rainfall caused flooding in the Elsberry area.  The club has donated some financial help to the flood area.)
• Buder Park Launch – September 27 (not a fully-sanctioned club launch, but individual flyers will attend).
• Buder Park – October 25, 2025 – Spooktacular Night Launch – Note that this will be an official SLRA club event.
• Don Hanson noted that the Thunderstruck group (Pence, Indiana) will be hosting the next LDRS. 
• Mo-Kan (South Greenfield, MO)  http://tripolimokan.org  They generally launch the third Saturday of every month during the flying season.  Time: 12:00 CST-17:00 CST

Dates: October 18

• Central Illinois Aerospace – http://www.ciarocketry.org  Contact Greg Smith, Director of Operations, at 217-820-1678, or via email to operations@ciarocketry.org  Directions to their launch sites can be found on their website under the ‘Reconnaissance’ link.  Upcoming launch dates:  October 11, October 25 from noon to 6 p.m.
• Quad Cities rocket Club (Note: near Wildman Rocketry) https://qcrc.clubexpress.com  Upcoming events: Midwest Power November 7-9, 2025.  Email: Info@QCRC.us
• Goat Ranch
• AirFest – August 29 to September 1 – hosted by Kloudbusters, Argonia, Kansas.  Check their website for details on future launches:  https://kloudbusters.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=325948&module_id=566855
• John O’Neill noted that there was a CAP (Civil Air Patrol) launch this coming Sunday at Ft. Leonard Wood.

Old Business

• Joel recommends going to Club Express (CE) as the location for SLRA website.  

The website would contain information regarding club activities and serve as a site for maintaining records of club activities (i.e. Meetings, launch events, membership.  Photos and videos would be posted and maintained on the SLRA Facebook Page.  Joel will be contacting a Club Express Representative to obtain information on pricing and the process for transitioning the SLRA website to Club Express.  Note: Joel was not able to be present at this meeting. 

• GSLMA Status.  Doug Probst will be taking the reins on maintaining communication with Buder Park North Greater St. Louis Modeling Association members.  Nothing new on this item at this time. 
• SLRA Support for Wash U/SLU Rocketry Teams.  No Interest expressed (possibly Jason Garbus?, or someone from CIA (Central Illinois Aerospace)? Note: Mike Walsh is not currently mentoring the teams.
• SLRA Trailers
•             * LP trailer presently at Don Hanson’s
•             * HP trailer presently at Mike Walsh’s for maintenance work – a recent work day was held
•             * Possibly put lights in the trailer
•             * Roof damage on HP Trailer from hail storm
•             * Once maintenance is complete, Mike will be taking it to the Storage rental location.

• Possible additional launch site – World Wide Technology Raceway.  At this point, Doug is still wanting to have an in-person conversation with the site owner before scheduling a launch.  Also, their weekend calendar is essentially full currently. 
• Box for the Buder Park launch fees?  (Note: $6 per day flying fees instituted recently.)  Thanks to Doug Probst for posting photos of the box on the SLRA website.  At least the ‘button pusher’ needs to be a NAR member and have Buder permit fees paid.  Club maintains attitude of making every attempt to comply with the Buder fees and NAR membership requirements. 
• Doug Probst mentioned the possibility of another launch site in Illinois – the YMCA located in Maryville.  They would be OK with using their soccer field for this purpose.  However, note that the use of an adjacent hay field will not be permitted by its owner.
• Contact St. Louis County for reimbursement of permit fee for cancelled June launch? (sometime in the future)
• Chris Franklin contacted St. Louis County, and NAR and Tripoli membership will be have been added as valid organizations, in addition to the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) as eligible for use of Buder Park. 
• There was considerable discussion about the situation with access to Buder Park and the insurance issue which recently occurred.  Briefly: on June 9, we were notified by St. Louis County Parks that additional language was required in our Certificate of Insurance.  The NAR insurance representative was unable to agree to the additional language.  Chris Franklin is going to contact someone at St. Louis County Parks over the next couple weeks to see if it can be determined that the required language is somewhat redundant and can be put aside, or possibly have a separate contract between SLRA and St. Louis County which includes the problematic language?
• Doug Probst mentioned the Buder Park insurance issue at the last GSLMA Zoom meeting.  No one else had heard anything about this issue.  This is still the case as of this meeting. 
• Let Mike Walsh know if you are interested in pursuing a level 3 certification.  There is some new paperwork involved with the process.  Best to start early!
• Doug Probst mentioned the possibility of another launch site in Illinois – the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois.  They have a large field adjacent to the church.  An effort will be made to contact them for use of the site for future rocket launches.  John Buckley will contact Chuck Neff at the NAR for advice/information on making first contact with property owners.
• It appears at this time that single users (airplane or rocket flyers) can have continued access to Buder Park, with their own AMA or NAR insurance and payment of park use fees ($6 per day).  Further contact with St. Louis County Parks will be made in the near future regarding group/club use of Buder Park.  There still may need to be a separate contract/agreement between St. Louis County Parks and St. Louis Rocketry to the effect that we would not have any adverse impact with regard to St. Louis County’s sovereign immunity.
• Doug Probst mentioned another possible launch location – Collinsville Middle School.  They would probably want some type of STEM program input from the club for use of their space.
• John Buckley noted that all NAR members should log onto the new NAR website and check their profile to be sure they are associated with the St. Louis Rocketry Association (Section #551).  This needs to be done manually by each user. 
• Dan Welling is wanting to transition out of the position of Liaison with the Elsberry landowner.  Jason Garbus is bringing up the possibility of having 2-day launches at Elsberry in the future.  This way, if Saturday of a launch weekend is rained out, the possibility of launching on Sunday would be available. 
• A $250 donation from the club to Elsberry for flood assistance was made.  If anyone would like to make their own donation, please make checks payable to Elsberry Ministerial Alliance and mail to:  109 N. Fourth St., Elsberry, MO  63343.   
• Club trailer currently in Mike Walsh’s name.  The trailer will be going to Dave Pape’s location.  When trailer(s) moved, storage fees for them can be cancelled.
• It was noted that there is nobody regularly monitoring the admin@stlouisrocketry.com email inbox.  The secretary will check the contents of this mailbox periodically.
• Nina Fischer noted that they (Wash. U) haven’t found a mentor as yet.  She noted that the mentor would only need to be present for the Saturday/Sunday launch days in Alabama. 
•  

New Business    

• Regarding the situation at Buder Park, John Buckley noted that John Hochheimer, President of the NAR, will be contacting St. Louis County Parks in the near future regarding their insurance requirements.  (Note: subsequent to the meeting, a Letter of Agreement was received, signed by John Hochheimer, NAR President, which permitted the October 25, 2025 Spooktacular launch to proceed as an official club event.)
• Jason Garbus is attending bi-weekly conference calls as TRA prefect.  LDRS next year will be run by Indiana group.  They have expressed interest in borrowing the SLRA megapad and some other club equipment.  Chris Franklin noted that the SLRA members needed some voice in this issue.  To be discussed further.
• Regarding Elsberry 2025 Fall/winter launches – NOTAMS have been posted for candidate launch weekends.  Jason isn’t officially announcing dates just yet, but are covering some weekends in December, January, and February.
• Jason Garbus will be working on addressing necessary paperwork in next week or so.  He had also brought up that the landowner permission form had not been updated in the last 4 years. 
• Jason will have more to discuss at the October meeting. 
• It was also noted that we will have to hold to a ‘no membership card-no flight’ rule at our NAR/TRA launches.  However, a digitally downloaded membership card will be sufficient to allow a person to fly.
• Doug Probst noted that there are still no other GSLMA organizations which were presented with the insurance issues for the use of Buder Park that SLRA has had to deal with in recent months.
• The High Power trailer is now at Dave Pape’s.  Therefore, there is no longer a need for trailer storage fees. 
• John Buckley – noted that NAR competition rules are being modified over time to be in line with FAI contest rules.  Among other things, piston launchers are not in line with these rules, as is the requirement that all ejection plugs must remain attached to the model (no detachable/ejectable wadding for these models).  The NAR hosts a monthly Zoom meeting for those interested in keeping up with contest rule making. 
• Molly Meckfessel brought up the idea of holding a rocket launch for girl scouts, if any club members were interested in volunteering.  Specific dates, when known, should be emailed to all club members. 
• Proposed Buder Park launch dates have been posted on the website, and are also listed here as well:

March 28, 2026

April 11, 2026

April 25, 2026

May 9, 2026

May 23, 2026

June 13, 2026

June 27, 2026

July 11, 2026

July 25, 2025

August 8, 2026

August 22, 2026

September 12, 2026

September 26, 2026

October 10, 2026

October 24, 2026

Adjourned 7:46 p.m.

The Next SLRA Meeting/Build Session is next Tuesday, October 28th, at the Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ (11750 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63127) Coordinates 38.53096/-90.38616.

6:00 - 7:00 PM – Rocket Talk Social Hour/Dinner/Build Session
7:00 - ?:?? PM – SLRA Meeting
Post Meeting – More Rocket Talk and Build Session until 9:00 pm 

The meeting location is in the basement of the restaurant.  You’ll need to enter from the back of the restaurant.   We have lots of room to spread-out. There are lots of tables for enabling us to have a coincident Build Session. 

If you have a rocket project you’re working on, bring it to the meeting.  Be sure to bring a table cover (newspaper/poster board) and cutting board to prevent damage to tabletops.   

This is also a great opportunity to bring rocketry-related questions to ask seasoned Low to High Power Rocketeers who will be in attendance. Interested in Competition rocketry, those questions can be answered as well.

Schaefer’s Hobby is nearby as well.   They’re open till 6:00 pm. 

If you’re a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings from our website’s Meeting Minutes Page, the unresolved discussions from our previous meeting will be the basis of our “Old Business” discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John

The Next SLRA Meeting/Build Session is next Tuesday, September 23rd, at the Sunset Hills Bandana’s BBQ (11750 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63127) Coordinates 38.53096/-90.38616.

6:00 - 7:00 PM – Rocket Talk Social Hour/Dinner/Build Session
7:00 - ?:?? PM – SLRA Meeting
Post Meeting – More Rocket Talk and Build Session until 9:00 pm 

The meeting location is in the basement of the restaurant.  You’ll need to enter from the back of the restaurant.   We have lots of room to spread-out. There are lots of tables for enabling us to have a coincident Build Session. 

If you have a rocket project you’re working on, bring it to the meeting.  Be sure to bring a table cover (newspaper/poster board) and cutting board to prevent damage to tabletops.   

If my notes are right, I believe John Buckley and Keith Vinyard may be demonstrating building some FAI contest models at the September meeting, as well.

This is also a great opportunity to bring rocketry-related questions to ask seasoned Low to High Power Rocketeers who will be in attendance. Interested in Competition rocketry, those questions can be answered as well.

Schaefer’s Hobby is nearby as well.   They’re open till 6:00 pm. 

If you’re a member of SLRA and are registered on the website, you can view minutes of previous meetings from our website’s Meeting Minutes Page, the unresolved discussions from our previous meeting will be the basis of our “Old Business” discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

Happy Rocketeering!!!

Secretary John