ARGONIA, Kan. — It's not NASA or Space-X, but if you want to see some of the best amateur rocketry in the nation, Argonia is the place to be this Labor Day weekend.
The 28th annual AIRFest will bring flyers from all over the nation to test their rocket-building skills. These are not your typical Estes rockets. Some of these rockets are 15-feet tall or more and fly to 50,000 feet. The Argonia launch facility has been host to LDRS, which is the largest amateur rocket event in the country, and has been featured on the Discovery Channel.
If you are going out, there are a few things you need to know. The launch area is located on 80th Street, about six miles south of Argonia. It is a little remote because of the large rockets launched. The road is a little dirt strip going to the east for about two miles. You’ll want a lawn chair, sunscreen and maybe an umbrella for shade.
There are portable toilets and usually some good food for sale, but you might want to bring your own. There is a convenience store in Argonia where you can get gas, and buy food and drinks.
The flight range opens around 9 a.m. and rockets are flown as long as cloud and wind conditions are favorable, which should be the case this weekend. There is no set schedule, so there will be bursts of activity and then maybe some down time, but usually there is something launching every few minutes. If you have a son or daughter under 18 and they fly smaller model rockets, they are welcome to come down and use the small launch pads and shoot off their rockets too. Launches begin Friday and run through Monday. Argonia is located 50 miles southwest of Wichita.
If you want more information on AIRFest, go to Kloudbusters.org.
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