Clubs and contacts
Launch OS knows 101 NAR sections and Tripoli prefectures by town. Contact people change every election, so contacts are not stored here: the Nearby clubs card links each club to the official directory where the current section advisor or prefect is listed, plus the club's own site when it has one.
- Tripoli prefecture map and list: prefect name and contact for every prefecture.
- NAR section locator: section contacts and launch schedules by location.
- Indiana partners already in the bootcamp's corner: Indiana Rocketry (LDRS 44 hosts, Sheridan waiver) and Rocketeers of Central Indiana (AMA Muncie field).
High-Power Rocketry Safety Reference (encoded)
Tables scroll sideways on a phone: swipe the table left to see the rest.
Encoded from the NAR High Power Rocket Safety Code (Aug 2012; items cited by number), the Tripoli Rocketry Safety Code (unified code; cited by topic because the unified code is renumbered between editions, open the live code for the section), and FAA 14 CFR Part 101 Subpart C (cited by section). Rows that could not be tied to a section were removed. Always verify against the current official documents before flying.
Motor classes & certification
| Class | Total impulse (N·s) | Certification | Source |
| A-G | 1.26 - 160 | None (model rocket motors) | NFPA 1122 / NAR model rocket code |
| H | 160.01 - 320 | Level 1 | NAR / Tripoli certification programs; impulse classes per NFPA 1127 |
| I | 320.01 - 640 | Level 1 |
| J | 640.01 - 1,280 | Level 2 |
| K | 1,280.01 - 2,560 | Level 2 |
| L | 2,560.01 - 5,120 | Level 2 |
| M | 5,120.01 - 10,240 | Level 3 |
| N | 10,240.01 - 20,480 | Level 3 |
| O | 20,480.01 - 40,960 | Level 3 |
| P-T | 40,960.01 - 889,600 | Tripoli C3RC review | Tripoli Class 3 review committee |
A motor is high-power (and the rocket an HPR rocket) if total impulse is over 160 N·s, average thrust is over 80 N, or propellant is over 125 g (NFPA 1127 definitions). Sparky (titanium sponge) motors trigger the 1.5 x cleared area (NAR HPR code item 7).
FAA rocket class, 14 CFR 101.22 (not a motor letter: Launch OS computes it from the propellant mass, gross weight and airframe you enter)
- Class 1, model rocket (101.22(a)): ALL of: (1) no more than 125 g of propellant; (2) a slow-burning propellant; (3) made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic; (4) no substantial metal parts; (5) weighs no more than 1,500 g including the propellant. Exempt from 101.25 and from the 101.27 ATC notice. A fiberglass or metal-framed rocket is never Class 1, whatever the motor. Some H motors carry under 125 g of propellant; the rocket still has to meet the other four conditions.
- Class 2, high-power rocket (101.22(b)): an amateur rocket other than a model rocket, propelled by a motor or motors with a combined total impulse of 40,960 N·s or less. 101.25 operating limits, 101.27 notice for every launch, waiver/authorization when a 101.25 trigger fires, 101.29(a) information 45 days before.
- Class 3, advanced high-power rocket (101.22(c)): anything larger. 101.29(b) safety package to the FAA (AST).
NAR minimum distance table (NAR HPR Safety Code, accompanying table)
| Impulse (N·s) | Motor | Cleared area dia. | Personnel dist. | Complex rocket |
| 0 - 320 | H | 50 ft | 100 ft | 200 ft |
| 320.01 - 640 | I | 50 ft | 100 ft | 200 ft |
| 640.01 - 1,280 | J | 50 ft | 100 ft | 200 ft |
| 1,280.01 - 2,560 | K | 75 ft | 200 ft | 300 ft |
| 2,560.01 - 5,120 | L | 100 ft | 300 ft | 500 ft |
| 5,120.01 - 10,240 | M | 125 ft | 500 ft | 1,000 ft |
| 10,240.01 - 20,480 | N | 125 ft | 1,000 ft | 1,500 ft |
| 20,480.01 - 40,960 | O | 125 ft | 1,500 ft | 2,000 ft |
Sparky motors: cleared area × 1.5 (NAR HPR code item 7). Launcher at least the personnel distance from any site boundary, and 1,500 ft from any occupied building or any public highway carrying more than 10 vehicles/hr, launch traffic excluded (NAR HPR code item 11).
Launch site size (NAR HPR Safety Code item 10)
- Smallest site dimension at least half the maximum altitude to which rockets are allowed to be flown at that site (the waiver ceiling, not one flight's target), or 1,500 ft, whichever is greater. Inverse: max altitude allowed at most 2 × the smallest dimension. NAR HPR code item 10
- Exception: 1,000 ft is enough for rockets under 160 N·s, under 1,500 g, flying under 2,000 ft. NAR HPR code item 10
- The site must be an open area where trees, power lines, occupied buildings and uninvolved persons do not present a hazard. NAR HPR code item 10
Key flight rules (cited)
- Surface wind no more than 20 mph. NAR HPR code item 9; Tripoli code (launch operations)
- Launch angle within 20° of vertical; blast deflector; longer rail when the wind is over 5 mph. NAR HPR code item 7
- Never launch into clouds, at targets, near aircraft, over spectators, or beyond the site boundary. NAR HPR code item 9; 14 CFR 101.25(c)
- No flight at any altitude where cloud cover is more than five-tenths. 14 CFR 101.25(a)
- Cease operations when a thunderstorm is within 10 miles. Tripoli code (weather); Launch OS treats an NWS Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado warning or watch as this condition
- Liftoff weight no more than one-third of the certified average thrust of the motors ignited at launch (5:1 thrust-to-weight is the common rule of thumb, not a code number). NAR HPR code item 8
- Misfire: remove the interlock or disconnect the battery, wait 60 s before anyone approaches. 5-second countdown; a means to warn participants and spectators. NAR HPR code items 5 and 6
- Electrical ignition only, safety interlock in series with the launch switch, igniter installed at the pad or prep area; onboard energetics inhibited until the rocket is on the pad. NAR HPR code item 4
- Recovery system that returns all parts safely; flame-resistant wadding; no recovery from power lines or tall trees; no flying when recovery is likely in crowds or within 1,500 ft of an occupied building or highway. NAR HPR code items 12 and 13
- No smoking, open flame or heat sources within 25 ft of motors. NAR HPR code item 3
- Reasonable precautions to report and control a fire caused by rocket activity. 14 CFR 101.25(i)
- A person at least 18 years old charged with the safety of the operation, with final approval authority on every high-power flight. 14 CFR 101.25(h)
FAA 14 CFR §101.25, Class 2/3 operating limitations
- (a) No flight at any altitude where clouds or obscuring phenomena of more than five-tenths coverage prevail; (b) no flight where horizontal visibility is under 5 miles; (c) no flight into any cloud.
- (d) No flight between sunset and sunrise without prior FAA authorization.
- (e) No flight within 5 NM (9.26 km) of any airport boundary without prior FAA authorization. Launch OS measures from the airport reference point and adds 1 NM of margin.
- (f) No flight in controlled airspace without prior FAA authorization. Class E begins at 700 ft AGL in the shaded areas of the sectional and at 1,200 ft AGL elsewhere (14 CFR 71.71); Class B and C shelves have MSL floors, and only their surface areas reach the ground.
- (g) Keep the greater of ¼ the maximum expected altitude or 1,500 ft from any person or property not associated with the operation. Inverse: max altitude at most 4 × that separation.
- (h) A person at least 18 must be charged with safety and hold final approval on initiating a flight; (i) fire precautions.
Getting the waiver
- File FAA Form 7711-2 with your FAA service center at least 45 days before the launch (§101.29(a): number of rockets, propulsion, launcher, recovery system, highest altitude AGL, site lat/lon/elevation, additional safety procedures). 45 days is the legal minimum; busy centers take longer, plan 60 to 90 days.
- Class 2 into Class A (18,000 ft MSL and up), all Class 3, or waiving the 101.25(g) standoff itself: forwarded to FAA/AST for safety analysis (adds a 30-day step or more). FAA JO 7400.2, chapter 31
- Waiver issued on Form 7711-1 with special provisions: activation and termination calls to the Center, NOTAM issuance, cease on ATC request, the cloud and visibility limits restated.
- Every Class 2/3 launch, waiver or not: notify the nearest ATC facility 24 h to 3 days before flying with the operator, start date and time, radius in NM, center lat/lon, highest altitude, duration. §101.27(a) to (g)
Sources