| Description | Pictures | |
|---|---|---|
| mine | web | |
| My Level 1 certification flight pictures | 8 | 2 |
| My Level 2 certification flight pictures | 9 | 1 |
| Misc Saturday launch pictures | 11 | |
| Sunday storm and travel home | 9 | |
| all my pictures | 37 | |
| Mike Brest's XPRS 1 photos | 16 | |
| Jamie Clay's XPRS 2002 photos | 41 | |
| AeroPAC newsletter (when published) | ? | ? |
The launch started on Friday, September 27 but that was my travel day so I arrived after the launch windows were closed for the day. (See "What a month... Sept 2002" for more on all the travelling that month.) I came there with the plan to attempt my Level 1 and 2 high-power rocketry certifications with two flights of one rocket, hopefully in one day. It was an ambitious plan, though not unprecedented. At least my mentor Owen DeLong had done the same thing in May. I'd be very surprised if it had never been done that way before, though Owen was the only person I'd heard of who had done that. And before he did it, I had heard some L2-certified rocketeers expressed doubt to him that it could be done. So that's why I think it's still rare.
But the advent of L1/L2 rocket kits like Giant Leap Rocketry's Firestorm 54 kit have indeed made it possible to get L1 and L2 in one day. If anyone were to consider attempting the same thing, I'd only recommend it if you've been hanging around the hobby a lot, have watched a lot of rocketeers at work and are basically making up for lost time. Otherwise you probably should stage/lengthen the learning process between L1 and L2 to gain experience along the way.
But if you do go forward with this, I'd suggest first finding a rocketeer who is at least L2-certified and can answer questions and show you where to get supplies in your area. The only change I made to the kit was some wraps of fiberglass and epoxy around the forward end of the body tube to prevent "zippering" of the tube by the kevlar shock cord. I painted my rocket multiple bright colors so that it was "designed to be found."
Background info: model rockets typically have A, B or C motors. The power doubles with every letter. Model rockets go up to G, with no certification required to buy, posess and fly them, except for age restrictions for those under 18. Level 1 high-power rocketry (HPR) is H and I motors. Level 2 is J, K and L motors. Level 3 is M, N and O. Above that, you're into experimental HPR as high as rocket engine manufacturers are willing or able to provide commercial motors.
For certification at each level of high-power rocketry, which is required
to buy/own/use the motors, you must perform a certification flight at that
level. You build the rocket. Then with your certification paperwork in
hand, you can buy one motor for the certification flight.
There is also a written exam required before the Level 2 flight and
a design review before the Level 3 flight.
Certain officials from the HPR organizations must witness and sign off
on the successful flight and recovery of the rocket to complete the
certification at that level.
Typically for a certification flight, most people use among the smallest
motors for the level in order to minimize stresses on the rocket to
reduce risks of structural failure.
Back up to "What a month! Sept 2002"
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copyright (c) 2002 Ian Kluft