About the NAR
Team America
Model Rocket Info (G and under)
High Power Info (over G motors)
Educational Resources
Find A Launch
Find A Local Club
Safety Information
Rocket Motor Information
Contest Flying
NAR Products
Sport Rocketry Magazine




Electronic Rocketeer August 2009

Small NAR Logo National Association of Rocketry 
     
The Electronic Rocketeer - Issue #14 -  August 2009
NAR High Power Technology Award
 
The NAR Board has decided to begin recognizing outstanding achievement in the technical aspects of high power rocket flight by establishing an annual "High Power Technology Award".  The single annual prize is $500 and a NAR recognition plaque.  
 
Details are posted on the NAR website, but in general the award is for flight-demonstrated innovation in airframe design or construction, payload, tracking, recovery system, or mission performance. Nominations for the 2009 award will be accepted until February 1, 2010 and should be sent to Sport Services Committee Chair Art Upton at artupton@yahoo.com
- Rocket Info Links -
Malfunctioning
 Engine?
  
Even though the rocket engines that we use are carefully safety-tested by the manufacturer and by the NAR Standards & Testing Committee, a small percentage have some form of malfunction when fired.  It is important that both the manufacturer and the NAR get feedback that this has occurred, with details of the circumstances and the label information from the engine.
 
The report to the NAR is done by using the "Malfunctioning Engine Statistical Survey (MESS) report form online or by downloading and filling out a paper MESS form.
NAR  Brochures 
 
The NAR has resources that can assist you in your efforts to get the good word out about the NAR and to recruit members.  These include two different color tri-fold brochures about the NAR: one designed for use with educators that emphasizes our hobby's educational value; and another designed for use with the public that emphasizes its fun and challenge.  Both are available for download from the NAR website (use the links above, or look in the "Useful Documents" section), or you can send a note to Marie at NAR HQ and ask her to mail you a moderate supply.   
New Pink Book for 2009
 
The changes to the US Model Rocket Sporting Code ("Pink Book") that were approved by the members in the recent Rules Change Proposal voting have been incorporated in the new 2009 edition.  This edition is now in effect and is available for online review or download on the NAR website. 
Message from the NAR President
Greetings!
 
I just returned from the NAR Annual Meet (NARAM-51) in Johnstown, PA.  A big "thank you" to Steve Foster and his team from the Pittsburgh Space Command section for hosting a very well-done national meet.  Congratulations to our 2009 National Champions:
 
A Division:  Alyssa Stenberg of New York
B Division:  Brian Guzek of Pennsylvania
C Division:  Chad Ring of Indiana
Team Division: Pod Bay Doors team (Matt Steele, Chas Russell, Bob Ferrante, Pat McCarthy) from SSS section
Section:  Superstition Spacemodeling Society (SSS) of Arizona
 
Congratulations and thanks as well to the recipients of the NAR's two annual national service awards:
 
NAR President's Award for service to the NAR:  The Tom Ha family for exceptional service in running NAR Technical Services
Howard Galloway Award for service to the entire spacemodeling hobby:  Mark Bundick for leading the successful 9-year legal battle against BATFE
 
As part of each NARAM we hold our annual meeting of the Association, where we complete the process of elections for the 3 Board of Trustees positions that are up each year, and complete voting on any ByLaws changes that are up for consideration.  The three candidates for election this year were Trip Barber, John Lyngdal, and Jennifer Ash-Poole.  All were elected.  The ByLaws amendment to permanently establish a Technology Committee was approved, and Jennifer Ash-Poole was appointed as its first chair.  At this meeting, I also reviewed for the NAR member attendees the current status and planned future initiatives of the NAR.  These are described in detail in a "State of the NAR" document that I handed out at the meeting and that is now posted on the NAR website.
 
The Board of Trustees also held one of its two semi-annual meetings at NARAM (the other is held at NARCON).  I will have the detailed minutes of this meeting posted within 30 days. The two big decisions affecting the largest number of members were to establish a set of organizational growth goals for the next year (described in my handout document), and to establish an annual High Power Technology Award.  We also continued the Section Safety Equipment Grant and Section NAR Membership Growth Bonus programs for 2010.
 
On the BATFE lawsuit front, since the July E-Rocketeer BATFE has published a letter acknowledging that APCP is no longer subject to their regulation.  We have also completed filing our claim and a rebuttal to the BATFE motion in opposition to our claim, for restitution of a fraction of the legal expenses we incurred in defeating the BATFE in this case.  We may get some of our half of the $700K that NAR/TRA spent in legal fees back, but will not know how much, if any, for many months. 
 
Finally, if you want to tell me some news, make a suggestion, or provide some feedback on the NAR, please send me a direct e-mail at president@nar.org.  Don't assume that posting something about the NAR in any online forum will get to me; the only online forum I visit is the NAR Section Officer Yahoo group, and I am not on any listservers.  My "real" job on the Navy headquarters staff in the Pentagon does not leave me with enough spare time in the evenings to do all the business of being NAR President and in addition to go looking for useful input in the noise of online forums!
 
Be safe, have fun, and pay forward with your rocketry. 
 
Trip Barber
NAR 4322
NAR President
National Events for 2010
 
The program for the NAR's major national events for 2010 has been established by Ted Cochran, NAR National Events Committee Chair.   A big thank-you to the NAR sections and event directors who have stepped forward and submitted a bid to take their turn supporting us all by hosting one of these events.
 
NAR Convention: March 12 -14 at the Robert Goddard Museum at Clark University, Worcester, MA.  Bill Spadafora will be event director. Host section is CMASS.

National Sport Launch: May 28 - 31 near Alamogordo, NM.  Jim Basler will be event director.  Host sections are FLARE and SMRA.  Tours of the White Sands Missile Range and Museum and the NM Space Museum are being organized as part of the event. 

NARAM-52: July 30 - August 6 at Hudson Ranch near Pueblo, CO.  Mike Konshak will be CD.  Host section is Peak City.  The event will include both HPR and modroc competition.  See www.peakcity.org  for the event list and more details.
Safety Note: NAR Insurance
 
There has been significant discussion recently in various online forums concerning what the NAR's rocket-flying insurance does and does not cover.  Almost all of the questions actually were already answered by one of the 28 "Insurance Frequently Asked Questions" that are posted on the NAR website.  Members with insurance issues should read this carefully; it was reviewed and approved by our insurance agent Bob Blomster on the basis of what is written in our full policy plus how the insurance industry and the courts customarily handle liability insurance issues.   Remember that our goal is to fly so safely that we never have to actually use the insurance!  If you do have a claim issue, call NAR HQ and also use the online claim form to report it. 
 
Members who need more proof of their personal insurance than just their NAR card may download a proof of insurance certificate from the website to use with their NAR card.  This certificate is very similar to what is issued to sections and to launch site owners. 

Return to the NAR home page  |  Join the NAR