This calendar may be subject to change. Events may be added, deleted or changed as the year progresses. Before attending any event listed here, contact Greg Smith, Director of Operations, at 217-840-1678, or through email to operations@ciarocketry.org

General Schedule Meeting Topics Special Events Contests Complete Schedule
January February March April May June July August September October November December


General Schedule

Regularly scheduled events will be held each month as follows:
First Tuesday
Membership meeting at the Springer Cultural Center, 301 N. Randolph St. in downtown Champaign or occasional special events elsewhere.
We generally have a presentation or particular topic planned for these meetings. However, there is always plenty of time for discussion of any and all rocketry topics.

Third Tuesday
CIA business meeting will be held at Papa Del's Pizza, 1201 S. Neil St., Champaign and Hickory River Smokehouse, 1706 N. Cunningham Ave, Urbana on alternating months.
Occasionally we will meet at various other restaurants around C-U. Locations will be announced on the email list.

Second & Fourth Saturdays
Rocket launches at Dodds Park. Rockets are limited to 4000' MSL (~3250' AGL) altitude and "H" motor impulse by FAA waiver and site dimension restrictions. In late fall and early spring we will hold some of our launches at our alternate high-power sites at the Rantoul Aviation Center and near Forsyth, Illinois. At these sites we have a waiver to 10,000 feet. Contact our Director of Operations, Greg Smith, at operations@ciarocketry.org if you plan to fly motors of "L" impulse or greater.

Fifth Saturdays
On months with 5 Saturdays we will schedule an extra rocket launch on the last Saturday.

Launch Times
The times listed for most of our launches are "Noon - 6 p.m." This generally means we will meet around noon to set up and flying will commence around 1. However, when there is soccer in the park in the morning we may have to wait until they have finished before setting up.

We may also start some launches earlier than noon. This is the case for GARLO and also for some of our high power launches. Part of the reason for this is to have more time to fly high power when we are able to do so, but it is also due to the fact that these launches tend to take place at times of the year when the sun sets earlier and so we need to end the launch earlier.

The ending time will depend on a number of factors. We can often fly until dark, so we sometimes stay later than 6, and sometimes we have to end earlier than that, depending on the time of the year. We also have to end early occasionally due to changes in the weather conditions.

These dates may vary depending on holidays and various other schedule conflicts.

There are often other events added, such as a "bad movie night" at a member's home, or a rocket build-and-fly workshop. To receive announcements of launches, meetings and other CIA activities subscribe to the CIA email list. Find out about the list and subscribe here. Contact cia-list-owner@ciarocketry.org if you have any trouble with the list.


2024 Meeting Topics

We have scheduled topics for the monthly meetings this year. However we are always looking for ideas as topics of future meetings.

January Tuesday 9 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Rocket Media
Bring book, videos, etc. to share.

Note: This meeting has been postponed from January 2 due to the holidays.

7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
February Tuesday 6 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Forum on rocket design, construction and repair methods.
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
March Tuesday 5 Membership Meeting
Annual membership meeting and election of club officers.
Meeting Topic: Recovery Systems & Dual Deployment "How To"
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
April Tuesday 2 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Rocket Photography
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
May Tuesday 7 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Introduction to model rocketry for new members and anyone who is interested.
New board members take office.

Note: This meeting is being held at the Martens Center. Not at the Springer Center.

7 - 9 p.m. Martens Center
June Tuesday 4 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: GARLO Prep
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
July Tuesday 2 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: GARLO Wrapup
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
August Tuesday 6 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Introduction to Medium and High Power Rocketry
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
September Tuesday 3 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Rocketry Electronics
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
October Tuesday 1 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Our annual swap meet. Bring your surplus rocket related equipment and supplies to buy, sell and trade with other members.
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
November Tuesday 5 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Rocketry Software (OpenRocket, RockSim, etc.)
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
December Tuesday 3 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Annual Wrapup, Rocket nostalgia and "Tall Tales". Bring stories and artifacts to share.
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center


2024 Special Events

January Monday 1 New Year Rocket Launch Noon - 6 p.m. Dodds Park
February Saturday 24 Insect Fear Film Festival
Theme: Ant-Men
Check back for more information as it becomes available
7 p.m. Foellinger Auditorium
May Tuesday 7 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Introduction to model rocketry for new members and anyone who is interested.
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
May Saturday 11 Build & Fly Workshop
Fee $24, call 398-2550 to register.
9 - 11 a.m. Leonhard Center
June Monday 10 The CIA will assist the students of the Illinois Aerospace Institute (Session 1) at the University of Illinois in building rockets 7 - 9 p.m. Talbot Hall, Room 103
June Friday 14 The CIA will assist the students of the Illinois Aerospace Institute (Session 1) at the University of Illinois in flying their rockets
(set up starting at noon)
1 - 4 p.m. Dodds Park
June Saturday 29 GARLO 2024
Theme: Music of the Spheres
All-day rocket launch, followed by an awards ceremony/potluck picnic.
Rain date: Saturday, July 13
Special Contests:
Best Rocket based on music
Best Rocket based on spheres

Note: Due to the weather forecast GARLO is being postponed to July 13.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Dodds Park
July Friday 12 The CIA will assist the students of the Aerospace EAGER Camp at the University of Illinois in flying their rockets
(set up starting at noon)
1 - 4 p.m. Dodds Park
July Monday 15 The CIA will assist the students of the Illinois Aerospace Institute (Session 2) at the University of Illinois in building rockets 7 - 9 p.m. Talbot Hall, Room 103
July Friday 19 The CIA will assist the students of the Illinois Aerospace Institute (Session 2) at the University of Illinois in flying their rockets
(set up starting at noon)
1 - 4 p.m. Dodds Park
July Friday 26 The CIA will demonstrate rockets for kids from the Champaign Park District Summer Camp
(set up starting at 9:30 a.m.)
10:30 a.m. Douglass Park in Champaign
August Tuesday 6 Membership Meeting
Meeting Topic: Introduction to Medium and High Power Rocketry
7 - 9 p.m. Springer Center
August Saturday 24 Rocket Launch
Annual Nostalgia Launch featuring rockets and launch equipment more than 30 years old. Dig out those old rockets and get them flying again.
Noon - 6 p.m. Dodds Park
September Saturday 14 Rocket Launch
Followed by night launching of rockets equipped with lights, beepers, etc.
Noon - 6 p.m. Dodds Park


2024 Contests

The NAR has changed the way they organize and run contests. We had decided to give a try at holding a contest in 2020, but it ended up being cancelled. We will try again at some point in the future.

We hope to hold some NAR competitions each year. The dates listed are the first dates we will try to hold these events. If the launch is cancelled, due to bad weather for example, then we will attempt to hold the contest at the next scheduled launch. If a contest gets postponed too many times we may have to cancel it.

Basic information about competition can be found at NAR Rocketry Competition.

For a quick overview of the different events for beginners check out the document Competition for Casual Competitor (PDF - 155 KB)

Details of the contest events can be found in the NAR U.S. Model Rocket Sporting Code (AKA "Pink Book").

May Saturday 23 Rocket Launch
CIA Section Meet: Illinois Missile Crisis
In addition to the usual sport launches of the day there will be the following contest events.
1/2A Boost Glider Duration
1/2A Streamer Duration
1/2A Altitude (Altimeter)
B Payload Altitude (Altimeter)
This launch has been cancelled
Noon - 6 p.m. Dodds Park


CIA web pages are maintained by webmaster@ciarocketry.org, last update June 3, 2024