Scout - Dreamernaut

Setup

1Your rocket

Motor class Weight (g)

Specific motor Airframe

Complex (staged or clustered) Sparky motor

Installed impulse per rocket (N·s)

Pads per wave Each wave fires

2Flight

Altitude (ft) FAA ceiling (ft)

Descent rate (ft/s)

3Launch day

Date

4Field

Click the corners of the field on the map, then Finish.

Map

Viability heat map Range layout Sectional chart Military routes Obstacles

Colors

Saved sites

How to use Scout

This is the tool I use to scout where the bootcamp can go next. It needs an internet connection for the map and the live FAA, weather, parcel and OpenStreetMap data.

Set up your rocket. Pick the motor class and target altitude under Setup, or use the bootcamp rocket.
Pick a place. Search for it at the top or click anywhere on the map.
Read the verdict. Scout checks the site against the NAR and Tripoli safety codes and FAA 14 CFR Part 101. Draw the field and save the site to keep it.

What Scout checks

Verdict, in three rows: Site (safety-code gates, never points), Conditions (for the launch day, with hard weather stops), Clearance (waiver, written permission, named RSO). The verdict is a scouting score. The RSO authorizes a launch, under an FAA waiver when the flight needs one.
Airspace: class with real floors (a Class B shelf is not a surface area), special-use airspace, military training routes, national-defense TFR areas, stadium rule, obstacles (live FAA data); the 101.25 rule that applies, or "no waiver needed"
Who to call: the ARTCC that owns the airspace (phone editable), the FAA service center for the 7711-2, the NWS office, MOA/MTR scheduling contacts
Clear area: occupied structures and public roads inside 1,500 ft (untyped buildings are VERIFY, never green), power lines, railways, the 101.25(g) cap (OpenStreetMap)
Field: draw the boundary to see the area, smallest dimension vs the NAR table at the requested ceiling, pad-to-edge vs the personnel distance and the 101.25(g) standoff
Landowner: parcel ID and property address at the pad and along the recovery line (Indiana statewide layer), with the assessor lookup
Weather: the launch day (16-day forecast, NWS alerts, METAR ceilings vs the target), the windows strip, sun angles, dryness, and 10-year climatology
Drift: worst daylight hour, a descent-rate range, the 101.27 radius in NM, hazards and parcels at the landing zone, range layout on the map
Waiver: the trigger, a realistic ceiling, the 45-day legal minimum and the 60 to 90 days it usually takes, the ATC window, calendar export
Clubs, logistics, cohort readiness: nearest NAR sections and Tripoli prefectures, food, fuel, hospital, parking, shelter, the bus and flight-operations checklist
Site packet, in three printable sections: internal report with the 7711-2 answers, the landowner letter, the ATC notification and NOTAM request

The Site colors follow the light and dark switch in the menu. Field is black on white for sunlight.

The full guide to Scout covers every card, the map layers and saving sites.

Official safety codes and rules

These links open the governing bodies' own pages, so you always read the edition in force. Tripoli and NAR both revise their codes, so use the quick reference tab for convenience and these pages as the authority.

Tripoli Rocketry Association

National Association of Rocketry

FAA

Live regulation text

Standards

NFPA 1127, Code for High Power Rocketry (the standard the safety codes implement; free read-only access with an NFPA account)

High-power rocketry safety reference

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 Unified Safety Code (TUSC, Version 2, Jan 2026; cited by section number) and FAA 14 CFR Part 101 Subpart C (cited by section). Always check the live codes before a launch.

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 (TUSC 13-5)
"Class 1 HP"	up to 160	Level 1	TUSC: a G or smaller motor counts as high power when it averages over 80 N, throws sparks, or holds over 125 g of propellant

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). NAR also counts any hybrid motor, any sparky (spark-throwing) motor and any rocket with airframe parts of ductile metal as high power, so an F or G that is hybrid or sparky, or flies in a rocket over 1,500 g, needs Level 1. Sparky (titanium sponge) motors trigger the 1.5 x cleared area (NAR HPR code item 7, Tripoli 13-14.2).

FAA rocket class (14 CFR 101.22)

Scout works out the FAA class from the propellant mass, gross weight and airframe you enter, because the motor letter alone does not decide it.

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).

Minimum distance table (NAR HPR Safety Code table; TUSC 13.17 and 13-14.2)

Impulse (N·s)	Motor	Cleared area dia. (NAR)	Pad clearance radius (TUSC)	Personnel dist.	Complex rocket
0 - 320	H	50 ft	25 ft	100 ft	200 ft
320.01 - 640	I	50 ft	25 ft	100 ft	200 ft
640.01 - 1,280	J	50 ft	25 ft	100 ft	200 ft
1,280.01 - 2,560	K	75 ft	37.5 ft	200 ft	300 ft
2,560.01 - 5,120	L	100 ft	50 ft	300 ft	500 ft
5,120.01 - 10,240	M	125 ft	62.5 ft	500 ft	1,000 ft
10,240.01 - 20,480	N	125 ft	62.5 ft	1,000 ft	1,500 ft
20,480.01 - 40,960	O	125 ft	62.5 ft	1,500 ft	2,000 ft

Sparky motors: cleared area and pad clearance × 1.5 (NAR HPR code item 7; TUSC 13-14.2). Drag race: when three or more high-power rockets fire together, add up their impulse and everyone stands at the complex distance for the total, no more than the lesser of 2,000 ft or 1.5 times the highest expected altitude (TUSC 13-13; NFPA 1127 4.16.3.3); everyone stops and watches until they are down. Pad crew may stand at half the distance only when the RSO says so; spectators and photographers never (TUSC 13-15). 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; TUSC 9-3
Launch angle within 20° of vertical; blast deflector; longer rail when the wind is over 5 mph. NAR HPR code item 7; TUSC 13-6
Never launch into clouds, at targets, near aircraft, over spectators, or beyond the site boundary. NAR HPR code item 9; TUSC 9-5, 9-6; 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. TUSC 7-10; Scout 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 (Tripoli asks for 5:1 thrust-to-weight, and the RSO can approve as low as 3:1). NAR HPR code item 8; TUSC 7-1.4
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; TUSC 9-2
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; TUSC 13-7, 13-8, 13-10
Recovery system that returns all parts safely; flame-resistant wadding; no recovery from power lines or tall trees; no flying when it is likely to come down in spectator areas or outside the launch site, and never try to catch it. Landing speed 35 ft/s or slower; electronic recovery above 2,560 N·s. NAR HPR code items 12 and 13; TUSC 11-1, 11-3 to 11-6
No smoking, open flame or heat sources within 25 ft of motors. NAR HPR code item 3; TUSC 13-14.1
Launch site at least the greater of one-quarter of the highest expected altitude or 1,500 ft from people and property not part of the launch. TUSC 13-16.1; 14 CFR 101.25(g)
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. Scout 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)