SOUTH  EASTERN  VIRGINIA  ROCKETRY  ASSOCIATION

Rocket Recovery Team:
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Through thick woods, tall trees, sharp shrubs, poisonous plants, deep creeks, tall fences, loud neighbors, lousy weather, and large insects, our motto is -

" No Rocket Left Behind "

Recovery Teams

Members - Rocket Hound, Eagle Eye, William Tell, Tracker, Tree Climber

Steps for rocket recovery.

Rocket locating (best to use a GPS or RF transmitter system) -

1. Watch rocket all the way down. Best if someone is taking a video. Mark an unique landscape feature on where the rocket went in the trees. Set up a GPS line from observation point to landscape feature.
2. Draw on a paper map the center line with a couple of other lines a couple of degrees on each side.
3. If possible, start at the point where the line goes into the trees and keep going down that path. Might need to take clearing equipment - hedges, trimmers, etc. to make a path.
4. Otherwise, start from a convenient side or back point and move into the center line.
5. Keep marking off on the map the areas that you have searched until you find the rocket.

Rocket tree recovery -

1. Once found, then use poles and ladders, as shown here, to get the rocket down. The equipment here can go up to 60'.

2. If the rocket is very high then we have a friend of the Club tree climber who has recovered several rockets from 50' on up. See - Sep. 3, 2011

Equipment used:
   Location:
            GPS -
            Map printouts -
            Binoculars -  
   Rocket recovery:
            45' pole -
            17' pole extension -
            20' ladder -
            Bow and arrow to shoot a line over the cords
    Scrub clearing:
            Hedge trimmer - electric
            Hedge clippers - manual
            Pruner - manual
            Pole pruner - manual
    Other:
            Bug spray -

Recovery technique on display

Way up there!                                                             With Team Mascot "Retriever"

                                                                      Double poles

 

Two poles and a ladder!

Where is it?                                                                One rocket recovered

Thick woods

Tall trees                                                                    Captured!

Another rocket recovered!

We'll get it down!

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Rocket recovery - Jul. 25, 2010:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red rocket high in a tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Zoomed in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Almost down.

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