NARAM 42 Report | C.R.A.S.H.

NARAM 2000… By Bruce Markielewski NARAM (National Association of Rocketry Annual Meet), is a combination of sport flying, social events, meetings, and the country’s highest level of rocketry competition. Every year the level of competition across the country continues to increase, with model designs, materials, techniques, and communication methods constantly improving, and competitors pushing (and sometimes exceeding) the envelope. Although the engine sizes are small by today’s standards, NARAM attracts the highest level of competitive spirit year after year. For many of the participants NARAM represents the culmination of a year’s worth of effort planning, building, and competing to reach a position where a national championship is within their grasp.
For some, the goals are less extreme – to test their abilities against the best and maybe place in an event or two. Still others simply enjoy reviving old friendships, making new ones, and a chance to meet the people who made model rocketry the great hobby it has become. For all, the ultimate goal was to have an enjoyable and memorable time, and for most, this goal was achieved. We knew NARAM 2000 (or 42, if you prefer) would be a special event, not just because it would be the last of the millennium, but also because of it’s location so close to one of the birthplaces of the hobby. Early on, our NARAM 2000 committee decided to name the launch site “Estesland”, in honor of Vernon Estes, the founder of Estes Industries and the owner of the site. Mr. Estes’ gracious offer of the 400 acre expanse just outside of Cañon City made hosting the event for the sixth time in Colorado (and first time in 31 years) possible.
During the previous 15 months, the committee, comprised of members of NAR Sections COSROCS and C.R.A.S.H., and the Tripoli Colorado Prefect, labored tirelessly to create a truly awesome event. Led by Contest Director Ken Mizoi, the committee met the challenges of organizing an affair of this scale, although there were times when the event’s happening were in doubt. Fire bans throughout the areadue to numerous forest fires in the mountain regions threatened to cancel NARAM, and changes in FAA authorization hierarchy along with proximity to a local airport severely limited our goals. A high power waiver became unattainable, but cooperation from the Fremont County Airport and County officials allowed our plans to continue. While limited to low “H” powered models, most attendees didn’t miss the higher impulse flights and enjoyed the other aspects that NARAM has to offer.
While NAR Board meetings were beginning the Thursday before, officially NARAM started Saturday morning, July 29th, with the first two days devoted to sport flying and socializing. Equipment Manager Mark James and Greg Sandras made sure the sport range was ready. Over 200 flights were made the first day, and throughout the week a very busy sport range continued the pace. Well over a thousand sport flights were made during the event, and many Level 1 certification flights were successfully made. Throughout the week, spectators were awed and amused by a wide assortment of models, ranging from “E” powered radio controlled rocket gliders to the fan favorite “oddrocs” of UROC’s Frank Hunt and Randall Redd. Everything from ready-to-fly to scratch built models, MICRO MAXX through “H”, and fantasy through scale historical models made the sport range an exciting place to be, not to mention a few flights that didn’t perform quite as intended! Celebrities were in abundance, with gracious hosts Vernon and Gleda Estes on hand through out the week, reminiscing with the group, signing autographs, and encouraging the beginners. Astronaut Jay Apt was on hand on Saturday, flying in to the Fremont County Airport in his own private aircraft. Later in the week, Mel Johnson (business partner and engineer of Model Missiles, Inc. with the late G. Harry Stine) visited the site, renewing old acquaintances. Mel and Bill Stine discussed the Model Rocket Museum being established by Bill and Vernon. Mel graciously donated several 40 year old collectors items to the project. John Shutz, designer of the first boost glider and Estes Industries Vice President during the “early years” arrived, and I was awed when Vernon introduced him to me as I was preparing for a contest flight. More well revered personalities were in attendance and I apologize for not remembering them all. Still, these are the people that made the hobby special, and being able to meet them is worth the trip alone.
Special thanks go out to the members of the Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Department, whose presence on site helped make the event a possibility. Not only did they provide more than adequate fire protection services and clear cactus from the parking, vendor and range head areas, their breakfast and lunch concessions were a fantastic bonus for everyone. Nearly 300 people attended this year’s event coming from all over the country, and from as far away as Hawaii and even England! Registration and Hospitality Coordinator, Kathleen Williams, greeted the arrivals and oriented the newcomers, handing out programs, shirts, and patches, answered questions, and directed traffic throughout the week. Kathleen’s outstanding efforts helped make this NARAM a huge success. Throughout the week, a large number of rocketry vendors displayed their products on-site, and kept the attendees well stocked with models, engines, recovery items, and other rocketry related items. Along with more sport flying on Sunday, NARAM committee members and other volunteers, lead by Chief Range Safety Officer David Nauer, made the final preparations for the upcoming contest events. The fliers meeting was held Sunday evening, with Ken officially welcoming the participants and presenting the “ground rules” and range assignments for the upcoming events. Giant Sport Scale and R&D projects were turned in for judging after the meeting, and contestants made last minute late night preparations for the next day. Competitors in three age divisions (A, B, and C), plus a Team division would be competing in 10 very different events in the next five days, with Meet and National Championships on the line.
Things became a lot more serious Monday morning, with the first two competition events, “1/4A” Parachute Duration and “B” Streamer Duration, dominating the activities. While these events are generally considered relatively easy compared to most others, winning one of the top places in either is as challenging as any other. Trying to keep a “1/4A” parachute model aloft for a minute or more on three or four flights is truly a tough task, as only a few competitors managed this feat. And, to place in “B” Streamer Duration, two flights totaling three minutes was a necessity. To win, a five minute total or more was the norm. This was the busiest competition day of the week, with over 400 flights attempted between the two events.
In the “1/4A” Parachute Duration, C.R.A.S.H. was well represented. In “A” Division, Joey Puryear had three nice flights, and took fourth place. Paul Gray outscored the rest of “B” Division for first place, and in “C” Division, Mel Gray qualified for the flyoff round, and took second place. Paul Gray also did well in “B” Streamer Duration, taking second place in “B Division. In “C” Division, Bruce Markielewski had a fantastic nine minute flight on his second attempt to win the event, while Ed O’Neill followed in second place. Monday evening’s NAR Town Meeting and Association Meeting gave NAR President, Mark Bundick, and NAR Board Members the opportunity to present the varied ongoing activities of the National Association of Rocketry, and allowed members the chance to ask questions, make suggestions, and be a part of the processes that direct the future NAR endeavors. The events flown Tuesday (“4xA” Cluster Altitude and “1/2A” Helicopter Duration) stepped up the difficulty factor considerably! In each, the task of building a stable model that deploys as intended while retaining the engine(s) is only half the battle. With 4xA Cluster Altitude, getting four small engines ignited simultaneously and getting a closed track were keys to placing in the event. There weren’t nearly as many flights attempted compared to the previous day, as fewer competitors accepted the challenges of these events and fewer flights were required. In “4xA” Cluster Altitude, Paul Gray finished a fine second place, while in “C” Division, Bob Ellis finished fourth. In the Team Division, the Paranoid Androids (Todd and Kathleen Williams) finished third. In “1/2A” Helicopter Duration, new member James Snow, and Paul Gray finished second and third in “B” Division, while Ed O’Neill captured first place in “C” Division on two impressive flights. While the NAR competition was progressing, another competition was underway on the sport range. The second annual RC/RG Championship was a popular event for the spectators, as many of the best rocket glider pilots competed for the coveted title. These giant models were under “E” power, nearly soaring out of site. Total times in three flights determined the champion, with George Gassaway earning the prize with a score of over nine minutes. While not contributing tothe NAR National Championship point totals, this special event continues to gain in popularity, in part due to its similarity to events flown in the World Space Modeling Championships. Tuesday evening was entirely devoted to the Manufacturer’s Forum, where representatives of about 20 of rocketry’s suppliers had the opportunity to display and market their products, while answering questions from the packed audience. Most had model kits as their main product line, although there were many other items, including recovery systems, electronic devices, books, software, launch equipment, and scratch building components. The Manufacturer’s Forum is annually one of NARAM’s most popular activities. Wednesday’s “D” Super-roc Altitude event was one of the most popular, possibly due to the difficulty in creating a structurally sound model with a length from 1-1/2 to 3 meters, and then fly it as high as possible! Many flights were not as planned, as loops and prangs were the result of many of these “flying noodles”. An uncooperative data processing program kept Data/Results Chief Todd Williams busy ensuring that the tracking calculations were correct and complete.
Randy Chambers captured second place in “A” Division. James Snow won first in “B” Division, and Paul Gray finished fourth. Bruce Markielewski set a new NAR Record in “C” Division, taking first, with Ed O’Neill closely behind in second place. “A” Boost Glider Duration was also flown on Wednesday and while less exciting than the Super-rocs, is still a very challenging event. In many cases, a successful flight was one where the model thermalled away, while a shred, Red Baron, or other disaster kept many participants from having a chance to place in the event. Third in “A” Division was earned by another new C.R.A.S.H. Member, Davey Willson, while Bob Ellis captured a second place in “C” Division. A couple of special flights also took place on Wednesday. Vernon Estes flew the very first production Big Bertha model as a huge crowd cheered the launch and safe recovery. Later, Mike Jerauld flew a vintage Cineroc movie camera on the equally vintage two-stage Omega kit, collecting 30 seconds of Super-8 film history during the flight.
The aptly named Mid-week Social was held at the Holy Cross Abbey, just a couple of blocks from the Cañon Inn (this NARAM’s headquarters), and well over 200 took part in the fine dinner provided by the Abbey. Most of the conversations naturally hinged on the last few day’s contest and sport flying activities, as the gathering gave everyone a chance to meet and converse with those who’s names were known, but the faces less familiar. After the dinner, the Annual NAR Auction began. The combination Social and Auction turned out to be a great stroke of planning, contributing to a large crowd and late running auction. Auctioneer Jennifer Ash-Poole kept the bids flowing smoothly, with Vernon and Ken assisting in displaying the wide assortment of items donated by the many generous contributors. Many fine collectors items were sold, and anything signed by Vernon went for a high price. The highest bid, for a vintage Centuri Saturn V, went for over $350. The auction earned a record amount, with the entire proceeds going towards the NAR’s Bob Canon Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mrs. Canon, Bob Canon’s widow was in attendance and donated many of the fine items. Thursday’s competition events were two more crowd favorites – “C” Eggloft Duration and “D” Rocket Glider Duration. Both require excellent building and flying skills, and while there were many great flights in both events, times well over 10 minutes were required in some cases to win. Surprisingly, quite a large number of eggs survived the Eggloft Duration event, showing that the competition skills in all divisions were as high as ever. Even though “D” Rocket Glider Duration is one of the most difficult events, many accepted the challenge with most having successful flights. Paul Gray won another first place in “C” Eggloft Duration, “B” Division. Rick Hyman finished third in “C” Division. In “D” Rocket Glider Duration, Randy Chambers finished fourth in “A” Division, while Paul Gray took another second place in “B” Division.
The competition continued in the evening, although no flying was part of the activities. Instead, competitors in the Research and Development event gave presentations on their projects. Many of these required months of planning, data collection and processing, design and testing, as well as drawing conclusions from their efforts. While only 23 total competitors from the four divisions entered this challenging event, each presentation provided a diverse and educational aspect of the hobby. Research and Development is where many of the newest ideas and techniques are born, continuing to improve and expand the level of competition and the hobby in general. In “C” Division Research and Development, Rick Hyman and Bruce Markielewski were second and third, respectively, both doing reports on different aspects of the aerodynamic effects of low speed airfoils. Their reports are both available for viewing online at: http://members.aol.com/rickhyman/smallairfoils.
Several special events were flown on Friday. Two “40th Anniversary” Estes Alphas, signed by Vernon and Gleda Estes, and later by Bill Stine, had been making their way through each state in the country. NARAM was the obvious choice for Colorado’s flights. C.R.A.S.H. and COSROCS representatives Kathleen Williams and Mark James each prepped a model, while Vernon had the honor of pushing the launch button. The launch was arranged as a “drag race”. Both lifted off nearly simultaneously under A8-3 power, flying perfectly, and recovering safely. Once their tour is complete, one will be displayed at the Smithsonian, and the other will join Vernon’s fine personal museum collection. Although only a few models were entered due to the lateness of the announcement of the event, the Science Fiction and Future Scale “fun” event was flown. The rules were very similar to the usual scale events, although the models entered were scale reproductions of spacecraft from science fiction movies and television shows, or conceptual designs of future vehicles. Quest Aerospace, a big NARAM contributor who donated enough MICRO MAXX kits for all registrants, sponsored another fun event. This time the contest was a spot landing event, where participants try to land their MICRO MAXX models closest to prizes scattered around the launch area. Nearly every one who flew was a winner in this event! Friday was a big day indeed, as the last event of the competition was held. Giant Sport Scale is just as it sounds – very large and incredibly detailed scale models were flown as the scale judges, Marc McReynolds, Peter Alway, andJohn Langford rated their performance. These flight scores, combined with the earlier static points determined the winners. By far, this was the most photographed event of the competition, perhaps due to the large size, but more likely because of the incredible detail and craftsmanship displayed on these museum quality models. More competitors nerves are frayed in this than any other event, since a bad flight or engine malfunction can destroy months of tedious work. While most survived the ordeal (models and their owners), a few of the best met their untimely demise.
James Snow took third place in “B” Division with his fine Saturn 1B model. in “C” Division, Bruce Markielewski and Ed O’Neill took the top two places. Bruce was first with his Lunar Module, while Ed’s Black Brant II finished a fine second place. Soon after his flight, Bruce donated his Lunar Module to Vernon Estes for the Rocketry Museum. The last flight of the day, a magnificent Mercury Redstone model by John Pursley and team Jeckyll and Hyde, flew perfectly, signaling the end of a great week of flying – but NARAM wasn’t quite over just yet! That evening, the Awards Banquet room was packed, as nearly 300 dined on the Colorado cuisine, and socialized throughout the evening. Speeches and presentations were made, thanking Vernon and Gleda, and the various groups that made this NARAM a huge success. Over 200 trophies were awarded for the Event, Meet, and National Championship winners, plus many special awards for outstanding service, performance, and contributions to the rocketry hobby. For the Meet Championships, Paul Gray and James Snow took second and third respesctively in “B” Division. In “C” Division, Bruce Markielewski took first place, Ed O’Neill finished second, and Rick Hyman came in fourth. C.R.A.S.H. took second place as a section for the meet. Two C.R.A.S.H. members took places in the NAR National Championships – Paul Gray finished first in “B” Division, and Bruce Markielewski won the “C” Division National Championship. C.R.A.S.H. was the third place section in the National Championship standings.
C.R.AS.H. members also won a couple of special awards. James Snow was awarded the ScaleRoc Rookie of the Year Award for the best scale model by a new NARAM competitor. C.R.AS.H. was awarded the prestigious NAR Section of the Year Award for outstanding contributions to the hobby and public outreach programs. Once the obligatory photo sessions concluded, everyone said their final good-bye’s, and left for home with fond memories of an awesome event and anticipating another great NARAM next August in Geneseo, NY. We’d like to thank the trophy sponsors, Aurora Flight Sciences, Balsa Machining Services, Magnum Inc., Quest Aerospace, Thiokol Propulsion, and Totally Tubular. In all, C.R.A.S.H. members took home 37 of the trophies awarded! Congratulations to everyone who competed, and contributed to a great year of C.R.A.S.H. Rocketry!