Launch Site
EARS currently hold monthly launches on a 1,600 acre farm near the village
of Elsworth, which is about 15-20 minutes West of Cambridge. The launch
site is excellent with ample parking and preparation areas. We now have
a Porta-Loo on site which makes it much easier for visitors with children.
There is no on site water. The site is also a working farm and the farmer
can be spraying his crops or working in fields close to the launch area,
also launches around harvest can be affected.
For a bigger version click the image (0.5Mb) for a bigger one still click
here.
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Because safety is our primary concern, all our flying is done in accordance with the UKRA Safety Code. We also require that all flyers have some form of third party insurance, just in case something goes wrong. So if you wish to fly up to and including G impulse, we ask you to have at least BMFA insurance and if you fly H or above impulse, then you must be a UKRA member and you can only fly within your certification level. For overseas and other visitors it is possible to take out temporary 1 month UKRA membership. This will cover you up to G impulse or to a certification level held by members of other UKRA recognised rocketry organisations (TRA, NAR, CAR). To avoid disapointment please let us know in advance if you plan to do this by emailing us.
The launch site is in uncontrolled airspace up to 19,500 feet and we issue NOTAM's through the CAA to inform other air traffic when we are launching. For our launches we request that the CAA issue a NOTAM for 10,000 feet. Our ability to fly to this altitude may change as a result of the current consultation document issued by NATS and the CAA to relocate air corridors to major airports and holding stacks. (one is likely to be situated on top of the EARS site.)
Useful GPS and OS Map Coordinates for the EARS Site :-
- GPS Coords: WGS 84 N52 15.068 W0 05.561
- Ord Survey: TL 30198 63628
- Site Elevation: 53m ASL
Getting to the site is easy as it's not very far from the A1, A14 or the M11. Follow the directions below to get to the site:
IMPORTANT: The old Brockley Road junction on the A428, as still currently shown on most online and paper maps, is now permanently closed. Brockley Road now joins the A428 at the new Cambourne Junction on the new dual carriageway section. Keep an eye out for the large white water tower which is right next to the junction. Updated details have been added to the instructions above and the map below. Please note that the Ordnance Survey, Multimap and streetmap.co.uk do not yet have updated their maps to show the new junction on the A 428.
The site is sign posted on event days from Brockley Road, with "A3" size signs which look like this...
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Please note the colours may be different
on the actual signs. The signs can be "dayglo" Green, Pink,
Red or Orange. Either way we hope you find them easy to spot !
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We would like to ask flyers and visitors to take either the Elsworth Track (A) (GPS Coords: WGS 84 N52 15.730 W0 07.099 Ord Survey: TL 28416 64808) or the Brockley Road Track (B) (GPS Co-ords: WGS 84 N52 14.648 W0 05.215 Ord Survey: TL 30613 62859). rather than the Rouges Lane track (C). This will help prevent disruption to the flight lines. Thanks.
