Clubs / Tripoli San Diego (Holtville, CA)
Plaster Blaster Remembered

From 2002 to 2013, Tripoli San Diego (TRASD) hosted a high power rocketry event called the Plaster Blaster. Their launch site was the BLM's Plaster City East Staging Area, where TRASD had a 25,000' FAA waiver. US Gypsum's Plaster City drywall plant was several miles west, hence the name Plaster Blaster. I attended 7 of the 12 Blasters, starting in 2006. I videotaped the first two I went to, 2006 and 2008, and turned them into regular DVDs. However, in the later years, I mostly just took digital still photos. I did video record a few of the flights in the later years though, mostly the big projects. I've assembled the video clips into an iMovie movie, mostly so I could watch them, but since the work's already done, I might as well share them on here. It was good while it lasted. In 2014 TRASD lost their waiver for Plaster City East and moved their launch site to the abandoned Holtville Airport a few years later. Their waiver is lower at Holtville, don't remember what it is. The leadership changed and they never resurrected the Plaster Blaster or any resemblance thereto. Although the Blaster diminished with virtually every year after 2008, still a lot of cool flights took off. The action was really hot back in the mid-2000s when people still had lots of money to burn.

Author Don Longjuan
Duration 24:33

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