About Temecula Rocket Group
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The Temecula Rocket Group is Section #690 of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), which simply means that it follows rules established by the largest and oldest rocketry organization in the world.  NAR was founded back in 1957 and hundreds of millions of model and high powered rocket flights have occured since.   All TRG members are also members of NAR, which is required by TRG bylaws.  Membership in NAR provides a number of additional benefits to TRG members such as insurance for damage and injuries related to rocketry activities.  …and before you get concerned about rocketry safety, the rules established by NAR and the TRG result in a very safe sport for the kids and spectators.

But the TRG is not only about rockets.  It was setup and is operated by the members, who are all in middle school and high school in the Temecula/Murrieta area.  We have two adult advisors, both of which have advanced certifications in rocketry and who advise the members on all aspects of club operations, including how to run membership meetings and other business functions, as well as rocket building techniques and theory.  The members elect a board of directors annually and the board of directors holds meetings and makes decisions using proper business processes.  Therefore the TRG is a great training ground for a future business career.  Perhaps the TRG members are destined for careers in aerospace management or engineering some day and the TRG helps prepare them for that future.

Although TRG has adult advisors, adults are not allowed to join TRG.  Even the advisors are not members per se and cannot vote on club matters.  However, parents and other family members are encouraged to join in club activities, and even fly rockets at club sponsored events along with the boys and girls who are members.  We only ask that non-members who want to fly at a club event be accompanied by an Adult.

The TRG holds monthly build sessions where members can gather to work on their own rocketry projects or group projects.   In 2007, the members built and flew a 8 pound Bowling Ball as a club project and a 4 inch diameter “Jayhawk” High Power rocket. They plan to build and fly several rockets this year as part of specific science experimentation, including an 8 foot tall, ½ scale “Patriot Missile” during 2008.  The members are very innovative and frequently hold planned and ad hoc rocket contests and “drag races” with their projects.  It all adds to the enjoyment and educational aspects of TRG Membership.

Each month, the TRG holds “launches” where the members can fly their projects at a properly prepared and managed rocket range, all overseen by the adult advisors.  And the members take “field trips” to such places as NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.  We try to organize events and trips directly involving rocketry and space exploration in order to expose the members to future career opportunities in Aerospace.  

Many of the TRG members and parents are also members of the Rocketry Organization of California (ROC), a high-power rocketry club.  Although TRG launches are limited to D-power flights due to space and permit limitations, ROC launches occur monthly in Lucerne Dry Lake.  Flights using motors up to M-power are possible at ROC, so the TRG is able to fly larger projects, up to their certification levels.  For more information on ROC, please visit their website.

You can see some of the club activities and get more information on the club’s website at www.temecularocket.com.   In particular, check out the Calendar of Events page for our build and launch sessions and the photos section to see the TRG in action.

So, if you would like to join the TRG, Check out our "Getting Started in Model Rocketry with the TRG" page to learn more.  We look forward to seeing you at the next club event and welcome you to our group.

                                      Sincerely, 

                                      Kevin Yackley
                                     Murrieta Section Advisor

Origin of this web site ...

In the fall of 2006, My son Kev and I decided to start a model rocket club in the Temecula Valley.  We went through a lot of preparation and named our club the Temecula Valley Model Rocketry Association.  Our intent was to provide a means to share our enthusiasm for Rockets and to provide a fun and educational platform for our sons and daughters.  The founding members were me (Kevin Yackley), Jill King, Kevin King, and Khalid Elfellah.  We built our own mult-pad launching system and donated it to the club.  We had great hopes to build some interest, but soon found that to be more difficult than we had expected for many reasons.

Then in March 2007, we met Richard Dierking and the members of the Temecula Rocket Group.   Richard and some students in Temecula had formed a club about a year prior and had started from an existing group of similarly interested boys and girls.  Plus they already had their section with NAR established!  

Since the TRG was already well established and was already having regular meetings and launches, it only made sense that we join forces.  We contributed our resources and interest to the TRG and on March 25th attended our first TRG launch.

We're very excited to be a part of the TRG and look forward to working and learning with them.  We've found them to be a very intelligent group with a strong interest in Rocketry.

So with that, I sign off as President of the TVMRA and turn over the reigns to Richard and the TRG board of directors.  This web site now belongs to the TRG and it will continue grow along with the TRG.

-- Kevin Yackley, TVMRA President (now retired)