Rocketeers Have A Blast

DAYTON -- The Blue Mountain Rocketeers may be one of the best kept and secrets in the Dayton area despite the group's explosive habits.

Blue Mountain Rocketeers' cofounder and rocket aficionado Tim Quigg said the Blue Mountain Rocketeers is consistently ranked at the top of the national rocketry groups.

"Blue Mountain Rocketeers is the premiere youth model rocketry group in the nation," Quigg said.

Quigg, a senior communications officer for the sheriff's department, said beyond the club's exceptional national standing, Blue Mountain Rocketeers has another factor that sets it apart from other groups in the area, rocketry and otherwise. The group is run by youth, for youth, Quigg said. The group is managed by a board composed of youth 18 and younger. While Quigg said he is the section adviser, the students decide what course the club will take.

"They run it all," Quigg said. "I'm just there to advise."

Quigg added there are only a handful of groups in the U.S. run this way. Quigg, who will be 53 in August, said the group and the students keep him young.

The group is more than just a teaching and learning experience for Quigg and the students. Quigg lights up when he talks about the group. Beneath the buzz cut is a man working toward a pyrotechnician's license who has dedicated his time to teaching children how to build rockets and chasing storms with his son John. Quigg and his son launch rockets into tornados with transmitting payloads, computers that can relay data about the storm back to the controller. He said he is working on a four-dimensional model that will make a better early warning system, allowing people more time to evacuate or prepare for a storm or tornado.

Quigg said he has spent a lot of time working with atrisk youth who even grew to call Quigg and his wife Liz "Mom and Dad" because of the bonds they developed.

The youth members of the club's board are full of kind things to say about Quigg and the Blue Mountain Rocketeers.

Two members of the youth board are siblings Ryan and Allison Fink, ages 13 and 15, respectively. Ryan is currently the president of Blue Mountain Rocketeers and has been on the board for about four years. Allison is the current treasurer/secretary and has been on the board for about three years.

Sherrill Fink, Ryan and Allison's mother, was quick to caution that Ryan may be a bit shy in an interview with the Times. But once the conversation turned to rockets and what he has learned from Quigg and the other advisers in the group, he was suddenly bubbling with information about rocket motor grades, requirements and limitations for the rockets, and even background about the alfalfa field the group uses for launches.

Ryan said he joined Blue Mountain Rocketeers first and loved the group. He brought a rocket kit home for Allison and she had a lot of fun with it, he said.

Together, the siblings are a wealth of information rivaling even what the average user might find on Google.

And Ryan and Allison both have big responsibilities in the group.

"It's kind of funny to be a teenager and be in charge of something like this," Allison said. "Everyone just has a lot of fun like they're grown up children."

The kids, with some guidance, make all of the decisions for the group. Allison said as treasurer she approves all expenses and cosigns on all checks for the group.

And even though their responsibilities are more adult, Ryan said the group tries to stay family friendly at the events. Drinking alcohol isn't allowed at the launches. The youth leadership helps maintain the family atmosphere because youth are so heavily involved in the program, Allison said.

The friendly atmosphere carries into a bond between members.

"If you show up and you forgot something, like your tape, everyone has extras and will help you," Allison said.

Special Award

This weekend, the Blue Mountain Rocketeers will have a special reason to have a blast. The group will be honoring long-time member and contributor Dave Davis by presenting him with the highest award a rocket club member can receive during their Blue Mountain Blast launch this weekend, June 8-10, in an alfalfa field off of Whetstone Road, about four miles north of Dayton.

Davis will be receiving the president's award from the National Association of Rocketry. The National Association of Rocketry has presented the award just 22 times since its inception 55 years ago. Quigg received the award for his work with youth and model rocketry in 2001 and Davis' reception of the award will make Blue Mountain Rocketeers the only rocketry club in the country with two recipients of the prestigious honor, Quigg added.

Davis is currently an aerospace engineer at Boeing, but he still makes time to come out to launches every month with the rocketeers, Quigg said. Davis has donated and built equipment for Blue Mountain Rocketeers and the donations have all come out of his pocket, Quigg added. He also said that Davis has been heavily involved with model rocket groups in the Pacific Northwest for the last 20 years.

Ryan andAllison spoke as highly of Davis as they did of Quigg.

"Mr. Dave Davis is especially ready to help you," Allison said.

Ryan said the group is excited to present Davis with the President's Award as well as a plaque from the group for his service with Blue Mountain Rocketeers. The ceremony is timed well as Davis' birthday also falls on this weekend.

The siblings praised Davis for his work with the group and said he and Quigg have been helpful as mentors and teachers.

"Mr. Quigg is one of those people who does everything," Allison said. "And [Davis] is always there, he's very patient."

The Blue Mountain Blast launches will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, and the ceremony for Davis will be at noon on Saturday, June 9, at the launch site. For more information on the Blue Mountain Rocketeers, visit their site at www.BlueMountainRocketeers615.org. The launches are open to the public and directions to the launch site can be found on the Blue Mountain Rocketeers website under launch site info.

Blue Mountain Blast And Award Ceremony

Noon, Saturday Dayton Area

For More Information, bmr615.org/