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Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus X – March 16th – 17th, 2002

March 16, 2002competitionuser

	“1/4A” Flexi-Wing Duration (WF 18)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total		Pl. Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Ariana Williams	91	NF	91		10	540
x	Randy Chambers	NF	DQ	0		0	0
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	37	DQ	37		10	540
2	Steve Clapp	18	16	34		6	324
3t	Bob Ellis	4	7	11		4	216
3t	David Tjarks	11	DQ	11		4	216
	Team Division
1	Paranoid Androids	11	NF	11		10	540
2	CRASH Kidz	8	NF	8		6	324
	“1/2A” Parachute Duration Multi Round (WF 11)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Flight 3	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Randy Chambers	25	20	NF	45	10	330
2	Ariana Williams	25	NF	NF	25	6	198
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	120	120	120	360	10	330
2	Steve Clapp	120	93	120	333	6	198
3	Bob Ellis	27	23	NF	50	4	132
4	David Nauer	5	5	10	20	2	66
	“1/2A” Cluster Altitude (WF 14)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best		Pl. Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
–	Randy Chambers	TL	NF	0		1	42
–	Ariana Williams	CATO	NF	0		1	42
	C Division
1	Steve Clapp	238	NF	238		10	420
2	Bob Ellis	213	DQ	213		6	252
3	David Tjarks	86	NF	86		4	168
–	Tom Sarber	CATO	NF	0		1	42
–	George Shaiffer	NC	NF	0		1	42
x	Bruce Markielewski	DQ	DQ	0		0	0
	Team Division
1	CRASH Kidz	157	NF	157		10	420
–	Paranoid Androids	CATO	TL	0		1	42
	“A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 18)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total		Pl. Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Ariana Williams	32	48	80		10	540
2	Randy Chambers	16	55	71		6	324
3	Brian Williams	50	NF	50		4	216
	C Division
1	Steve Clapp	108	110	218		10	540
2	Dave Nauer	107	29	136		6	324
3	Tom Sarber	72	10	82		4	216
4	Bruce Markielewski	DQ	50	50		2	108
5	Bob Ellis	DQ	19	19		1	54
	Team Division
1	Paranoid Androids	42	55	97		10	540
2	CRASH Kidz	45	NF	45		6	324
	“B” Eggloft Altitude (WF 19)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best		Pl. Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A/C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	120	95	120		10	570
2	Bob Ellis	58	NF	58		6	342
3	Ariana Williams	50	NF	50		4	228
x	Steve Clapp	DQ	DQ	0		0	0
	Team Division
1	CRASH Kidz	63	NF	63		10	570
2	Paranoid Androids	55	NF	55		6	342
	Overall NAR Points
Pl.	Contestant	1/4A FW	1/2A PD	1/2A CA	A BG	B ELA	Total
	A Division
1	Ariana Williams	540	198	42	540	228	1548
2	Randy Chambers	0	330	42	324	—-	696
3	Brian Williams	—-	—-	—-	216	—-	216
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	540	330	0	108	570	1548
2	Steve Clapp	324	198	420	540	0	1482
3	Bob Ellis	216	132	252	54	342	996
4	Dave Nauer	—-	66	—-	324	—-	390
5	David Tjarks	216	—-	168	—-	—-	384
6	Tom Sarber	—-	—-	42	216	—-	258
7	George Shaiffer	—-	—-	42	—-	—-	42
	Team Division
1	CRASH Kidz	324	—-	420	324	570	1638
2	Paranoid Androids	540	—-	42	540	342	1464

Colorado Model Rocketry Championships XI – November 17th-18th, 2001

November 18, 2001competitionuser

By Bruce Markielewski Our Eleventh CMRC contest featured four tough events, befitting of the state championship event. This contest attracted just barely enough participants to qualify as a NAR Regional, but this time without any COSROCS members attending. In spite of the difficulty, relatively few flights were disqualified. “B” Rocket Glider Duration was hotly contested in “A” Division, with Randy Chambers edging Ariana Williams by two seconds. Bruce Markielewski won “C” Division with a fine second flight of nearly four minutes. Paranoid Androids (Todd and Kathleen Williams) won the Team Division over CRASH Kidz (Dave Hanson and Christiana Williams). In “A” Division, newcomer Donald Gierach’s two consistent Skywinder flights earned first place over Ariana, who only flew once. David Tjarks surprised everyone by thermalling his first helicopter flight away with a flight over five minutes. Bruce was a distant second. Once again in Team Division, Paranoid Androids won easily over second place CRASH Kidz.
“B” Eggloft Duration was harder than usual, as the best flight of the contest was only 24 seconds. Brian Williams won the event in “A” Division over sister Ariana, and in “C” Division, David Tjarks beat Dan Kuckes handily. In the Team Division, Paranoid Androids took first as CRASH Kidz were unable to keep their eggs intact. Peanut Sport scale was perhaps the toughest event of the four. Ariana won the “A” Division over Brian. “C” and Team Divisions were combined for this event, and Bruce’s very nicely crafted Little Joe II won easily over Paranoid Androids and third place CRASH Kidz. Overall, Ariana captured first in “A” Division, placing in all four events. Brian was a distant second, followed by Randy in third. Bruce won the “C” Division title over David Tjarks, who won the only two events he entered. Still, his second place finish was a fine accomplishment considering this was his first contest. Dave will no doubt be a competitor to contend with in the future. Paranoid Androids easily won the team Division crown, with CRASH Kidz a distant second place. Everyone had a great time, and are looking forward to next year’s challenging contests, both here and in Colorado Springs! Special thanks go to Dave Gianakos, who did an outstanding job as the scale judge for this contest.
	“B” Rocket Glider Duration (WF 21)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total Pts.	Place Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Randall Chambers	7	12	19	10	630
2	Ariana Williams	7	10	17	6	378
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	54	181	235	10	630
x	Rick Hyman	DQ	NF	0	0	0
	T Division
1	Paranoid Androids	16	NF	16	10	630
2	CRASH Kidz	11	NF	11	6	378
	“C” Helicopter Duration (WF 22)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total Pts.	Place Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Donald Gierach	16	14	30	10	660
2	Ariana Williams	21	NF	21	6	396
x	Randall Chambers	DQ	DQ	0	0	0
	C Division
1	David Tjarks	317	18	335	10	660
2	Bruce Markielewski	82	43	125	6	396
x	Rick Hyman	DQ	NF	0	0	0
	T Division
1	Paranoid Androids	44	NF	44	10	660
2	CRASH Kidz	DQ	16	16	6	396
	“B” Eggloft Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Place Pts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Brian Williams	23	15	23	10	510
2	Ariana Williams	14	NF	14	6	306
3	Randall Chambers	DQ	FP	0	1	51
	C Division
1	David Tjarks	23	24	24	10	510
2	Dan Kuckes	DQ	7	7	6	306
x	Bruce Markielewski	DQ	DQ	0	0	0
	T Division
1	Paranoid Androids	18	23	23	10	510
x	CRASH Kidz	DQ	DQ	0	0	0
	Peanut Sport Scale (WF 20)
Pl.	Contestant	Static	Flight	Total	Place Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Ariana Williams	424	100	524	10	600
2	Brian Williams	296	100	396	6	360
	C/T Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	790	105	895	10	600
2	Paranoid Androids	377	100	477	6	360
3	CRASH Kidz	255	100	355	4	240
	Total Overall Points
Pl.	Contestant	B ELD	B RG	C HD	P SPSC	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Ariana Williams	306	378	396	600	1680
2	Brian Williams	510	—-	—-	360	870
3	Randall Chambers (I)	51	630	0	—-	681
4	Donald Gierach (I)	—-	—-	660	—-	660
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	0	630	396	600	1626
2	David Tjarks	510	—-	660	—-	1170
3	Dan Kuckes (I)	306	—-	—-	—-	306
x	Richard Hyman (I)	—-	0	0	—-	0
	T Division
1	Paranoid Androids	510	630	660	360	2160
2	CRASH Kidz	0	378	396	240	1014
	Section	Points
	C.R.A.S.H.	8520
	Independent (I)	1647

Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus IX – April 21st & May 12th, 2001

May 12, 2001competitionuser

By Bruce Markielewski Not every contest goes as planned, as proven by CARCIS IX. April 21st, 2001 started out gloomy and got nastier as the day went on. We had only 14 contest flights attempted, including 5 eggloft flights. Bruce’s first eggloft flight was the only one that closed. However, the southerly winds were picking up, and the model dropped into the middle of Bear Creek Lake! The wind eventually blew it to the south shore, where Ed and Bruce eventually found it, about a foot from the edge. The egg was fine! One lesson learned – if you have to hike to the other side of the lake, go around the east end, as there’s far less obstacles to traverse. By the time the egglofter rescue team returned, everyone except Rick had left for the Pizza Party at Kevin’s. The wind and rain had increased, making further flying impossible that day. Our next scheduled day was supposed to be Sunday, April 22nd, but snow and more wind canceled the continuation of the contest that day. Our next launch would have been May 6th, but a conflict with a bike race that day forced us to postpone until May 12th. We finally had a day of decent weather, and were able to finish the contest. There were only two contestants in the combined “A” and “B” Division, Paul Gray and Randy Chambers, and Paul won all of the events easily. Randy did try hard and entered all of the events, having some consistent flights in “1/2A” Streamer Duration. In “C” Division, Kevin won easily with three MAX’s, but Rick made it close until his third flight had deployment problems. Bruce was a solid third, and Dave captured fourth with a single flight. “1/2A” Super-roc Duration was closely contested, and Mel’s only flight nearly won the event. Kevin prevailed, just ahead of Bruce. “1/2A” Boost Glider was a bit more lopsided, as Kevin’s second flight was the best of the day, but unfortunately thermalled away. Bruce was a distant second, just ahead of Rick and Ed. “A'” Rocket Glider followed a similar pattern, as Kevin outpaced Bruce and Rick once again. In “C” Eggloft Duration, the tables were turned, as Rick managed to beat Bruce’s earlier attempt. Ed took a solid third, followed by Greg Sandras. Kevin had a pair of very high flights, but broke the egg on both flights, disqualifying him from the event. Overall, Kevin’s four first places put him solidly in first. Bruce’s consistent second place in four events also earned second place overall. Rick Hyman took third, entering only four events, and Ed was fourth, flying only three events. Because of the earlier bad weather and the rescheduling of the contest, many who entered originally were not able to attend the final day, and fly the remainder of their flights. Had they been able to continue, the results might have turned out much differently!
	“1/2A” Streamer Duration Multi-round (WF 11)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Flight 3	Total	NAR Pts
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	MAX	59	MAX	179	120
2	Randy Chambers	26	42	24	92	72
	C Division
1	Kevin Kuczek	MAX	MAX	MAX	180	120
2	Rick Hyman	MAX	MAX	21	141	72
3	Bruce Markielewski	37	MAX	34	131	48
4	Dave Nauer	46	NF	NF	46	24
x	Ed O’Neill	LST	NF	NF	0	12
x	Greg Sandras	SEP	SEP	NF	DQ	0
x	Mel Gray	SEP	NF	NF	DQ	0
x	Bob Ellis	NVB	NVB	NF	DQ	0
	“1/2A” Super-Roc Duration (WF 13)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	NAR Pts
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	26300	3800	30100	130
2	Randy Chambers	SEP	1100	1100	78
	C Division
1	Kevin Kuczek	4300	7000	11300	130
2	Bruce Markielewski	7400	3500	10900	78
3	Mel Gray	10400	NF	10400	52
	“1/2A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	NAR Pts
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	83	35	118	170
x	Randy Chambers	SHR	SHR	DQ	0
	C Division
1	Kevin Kuczek	91	125	216	170
2	Bruce Markielewski	57	32	89	102
3	Rick Hyman	9	62	71	68
4	Ed O’Neill	19	39	58	34
5	Mel Gray	47	NF	47	17
6	Greg Sandras	14	20	34	17
7	Dave Nauer	30	NF	30	17
8	Ken McConnell	6	12	18	17
	“A” Rocket Glider Duration (WF 20)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	NAR Pts
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	59	43	102	200
2	Randy Chambers	5	NG	5	120
	C Division
1	Kevin Kuzcek	83	247	330	200
2	Bruce Markielewski	38	98	136	120
3	Rick Hyman	16	18	34	80
	“C” Eggloft Altitude (WF 18)
Pl.	Contestant	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	NAR Pts
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	77	EGG	77	180
2	Randy Chambers	EGG	EGG	DQ	0
	“C” Division
1	Rick Hyman	340	NF	340	180
2	Bruce Markielewski	306	288	306	108
3	Ed O’Neill	240	NF	240	72
4	Greg Sandras	DQ	153	153	36
x	Dave Nauer	NC	NF	0	18
x	Dan Fougner	NC	NF	0	18
x	Mel Gray	EGG	NF	DQ	0
x	Kevin Kuczek	EGG	EGG	DQ	0
	Overall Points
Pl.	Contestant	1/2A SD	1/2A SRD	1/2A BG	A RG	C ELA	Total
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	120	130	170	200	180	2400
2	Randy Chambers	72	78	0	120	0	810
	C Division
1	Kevin Kuczek	120	130	170	200	0	1860
2	Bruce Markielewski	48	78	102	120	108	1368
3	Rick Hyman	72	—-	68	80	180	1200
4	Ed O’Neill	12	—-	34	—-	72	354
5	Mel Gray	0	52	17	—-	0	207
6	Dave Nauer	24	—-	17	—-	18	177
7	Greg Sandras	0	—-	17	—-	36	159
8	Dan Fougner	—-	—-	—-	—-	18	54
9	Ken McConnell	—-	17	—-	—-	—-	51
x	Bob Ellis	0	—-	—-	—-	—-	0
Pl.	Section	NAR Points
1	C.R.A.S.H.	8199
2	COSROCS	336
3	Independent	51

Colorado Model Rocketry Championships X – November 18th-19th, 2000

November 19, 2000competitionuser

By Mel Gray The tenth installment of C.R.A.S.H.’s Colorado Model Rocketry Championships was held on the weekend of November 18th and 19th, 2000. This regional contest featured some excellent performances from the thirteen competitors who put up launches in six events. The events were: “1/2A” Parachute Duration, “1/2A” Boost Glider, “1/2A” Flex-Wing Glider, “A” Streamer Duration, “B” Super Roc Duration and “B” Egglofting Duration. The weather for the two day event was quite varied but a good weather window of a few hours duration each day allowed some outstanding results. Some highlights from the events: “1/2A” Parachute Duration – Ah, yes. What could be more basic than a parachute recovered model rocket? Well, when Competition pushes the fliers to build small, lightweight vehicles tied to large lightweight parachutes, things aren’t quite so predictable. Joey Puryear and Randy Chambers put up flights in “A” Division, with Joey’s two qualified flights (22 and 18 seconds) outscoring Randy’s qualified first flight (28 seconds) paired with a DQ. “B” Division saw Paul Gray’s single 189 second flight handily finish ahead of Steven Cratty’s DQ due to an ejected motor. “C” Division saw Bruce Markielewski outscore the group at 184 seconds, followed by Nathan Coit at 111 seconds, both single flights. Nathan’s flight went up in a VERY strong breeze and disappeared over the dam at great distance. He stayed with it, and brought it in after a great recovery chase. Bob Ellis and Carlin Lowry both were bit by the DQ bug and zeroed. A lot of seasoned competitors experienced a wide variety of problems for such a “simple” event. Recovery system separations seemed to rule the day and spoiled a lot of well boosted flights. “1/2A” Boost Glider – In Colorado, this has become the Edmund’s Deltie event and there again were a lot of this good flying design present. Paul Gray broke the trend in “A/B” Division flying a “Half Pint” design by Steve Waide from the NOVAAR Free Press. This twenty year old design put up flights of 47 and 105 seconds to total 152 and First place. Christiana Williams flew her customary Deltie very well to times of 36 and 19 seconds (55 total) for Second place. Joey Puryear and Randy Chambers followed with 23 and 7 second totals. “C/T” Division saw The Paranoid Androids (Todd and Kathleen Williams) log consistent flights of 68 and 55 second to total 123 for the win (did I mention they were flying a Deltie?). Second was Dave Hanson, totaling 64 seconds and Third was Carlin Lowry at 63 seconds total. Close, and did I mention that they were flying Delties? You get the idea. Bob Ellis finished in Fourth place at 28 seconds (flying his own Deltie clone). “1/2A” Flex-Wing Duration – These tricky, floating wonders provided their usual range of tricks from beautiful, soaring flights to tight, twisting death spirals. In “A/B” Division, Paul Gray had it going with an 82 second flight over the dam, followed by an 80 second flight in calmer conditions for a 162 second total. Randy Chambers suffered a No Ejection on his first flight but followed it up with a qualified flight for the Second spot. In “C/T” Division, Bruce Markielewski was flying an interesting model with an underslung ventral fin that seemed to well stabilize the glide. His first flight of 51 seconds was followed by a 91 second flight OOS (Out of Sight), again over the dam. His 142 second total handily put him in First place. Bob Ellis was flying a model near and dear to Bronco’s fans. It’s covering was from some sort of silvery pennant material emblazoned with the Denver football team’s symbol. It flew well too, posting a 94 second flight followed by a not-as -well-trimmed 28 second time for a 122 second total and Second place. The Paranoid Androids and Mel Gray turned in single flights of 35 and 23 seconds to claim Third and Fourth spots. A Streamer Duration – This is another one of those simple appearing events that proves more difficult than anticipated. It really is amazingly difficult to do really well flying these specialized rockets. In “A” Division, Joey Puryear combined a first flight of 37 seconds with a fine 61 second flight to total 98 seconds for First place. Christiana Williams and Randy Chambers suffered from the DQ curse and could not post qualifying times. These are good fliers, winners of trophies at NARAM. Still think this is easy? Can you stuff an “A” size motor and a streamer into a rocket and get it to stay aloft for three minutes? Paul Gray can. His 181 second flight set a new “B” Division National Record and paired with a second flight of 163 seconds totaled 344 seconds for First place. Steven Cratty put up two steady flights of 34 and 38 seconds for a 72 second total and Second place. The “C/T” Division was won by Bob Ellis, who put up a sparkling 165 second first flight followed by a DQ on his second attempt. Second place was claimed by Nathan Coit with flights of 77 and 62 seconds for a 139 second total. Carlin Lowry put up consistent flights of 62 and 55 seconds, totaling 117 seconds for Third place. National Champion, Bruce Markielewski, had a 55 second first flight and then DQ’ed his second. Bruce won “B” Streamer at this year’s NARAM with a flight of NINE minutes (wow!). Guess this little ole “A” Streamer event was too easy. He finished fourth. My comments are obviously a bit tongue-in-cheek, but if you haven’t tried an event like this in awhile, you could be surprised at the performance potential of these rockets. Sophisticated simplicity. “B” Super-Roc Duration – Seven of the thirteen competitors presented their long and skinny creations attempting to squeeze a maximum amount of flight duration from a sometimes less than perfect boost. In “A/B” Division, Paul Gray gathered only flight points from a barely qualified attempt. Randy Chambers could not duplicate his NARAM success and suffered a separation on each attempt for a zero score. In “C/T” Division, Bruce Markielewski again proved to be “The Man” when it comes to terrific Super-Roc performances. His 42200 point total (200 cm rocket length x 211 second flight duration) set a new “C” Division National Record. Bruce now holds six National Records in various Super-Roc classes, an amazing series of accomplishments. His model showed his usual advanced techniques with a custom carbon fiber tube, forward parachute location and Apogee B2 power. This very light model floated beautifully on its large mylar chute. Following in Second through Fourth were The Paranoid Androids at 8883 points, Dave Hanson at 6600 points and Carlin Lowry at 2600 points. This event was truly “Bruce followed by everyone else” “B” Eggloft Duration – Egglofter flying is a favorite competition event in Colorado and again nine fliers risked the integrity of some hen fruit by stuffing them into odd looking rockets and blasting them skyward. B motor powered Eggloft is a bit chancy as the limited power doesn’t allow a lot of altitude to work with. Packing your parachute “just so” to allow a quick and full deployment is essential to turn in good times. In “A/B” Division, Paul Gray was having difficulty getting his large Canadian plastic parachutes to deploy. Both flights boosted well and then proceeded rapidly to earth trailing a partially deployed chute. The second flight hit the gravel park lot so hard that it broke the egg capsule, but amazingly, the egg was still intact. This flight provided the winning time of 12 seconds as Randy Chambers fought the same difficulty and recorded a time of 10 seconds for Second place. What’s that saying about “I’d rather be lucky than good”? Paul will give egg packing lessons at the next Contest. In “C/T” Division, Carlin Lowry and Rick Hyman tied at 28 seconds after fighting their own difficulties with recovery system deployment. Bruce Markielewski posted a time of 20 seconds to take Second place. Dave Hanson turned in a flight of 19 seconds and Nathan Coit posted 17 seconds for Third and Fourth spots. Contest Points and Standings – In “A” Division, Randy Chambers placed First by way of his consistent placings in four of the six events that he entered. He totaled 840 NAR points. Joey Puryear had wins in two of the three events that he entered, finishing with a total of 654 points for Second Place. Christiana Williams’ placing in “1/2A” Boost Glider provided her 306 points, good for Third place. Paul Gray led the way in “B” Division, winning five of the six events he entered. His contest leading total was 2022 NAR points. Steven Cratty finished in Second place with 144 points gained from his placing in A Streamer. The combined “C” and Team Division saw Bruce Markielewski finish out front with 1545 points, winning three events and placing consistently in the others. The Paranoid Androids’ win in “1/2A” Boost Glider and consistent (no DQ’s) flying in the other events netted 1041 points and Second place. Carlin Lowry’s steady flying gathered him 945 points and Third place. Dave Hanson finished in Fourth place with 678 contest points by way of some more consistent effort. C.R.A.S.H. fliers totaled 8373 NAR points with independent fliers totaling 1593 points. Members from COSROCS were a no-show at this contest, and they were missed. So, the tenth rendition of the Colorado Model Rocketry Championships is in the books. Good weather, good flying, good fun! Let’s do it again next year!
	“1/2A” Parachute Duration (WF 7)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Total		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Joey Puryear	22	18		40		10	210
2	Randall Chambers	28	SEP		28		6	126
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	189	NF		189		10	210
x	Steven Cratty	EJ	NF		0		0	0
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	183	SEP		183		10	210
2	Nathan Coit	UNS	111		111		6	126
x	Carlin Lowry	SEP	SEP		0		0	0
x	Bob Ellis	SEP	SEP		0		0	0
	“B” Super-roc Duration (WF 14)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Total		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A/B Division
x	Paul Gray	SEP	LT		FP		1	42
x	Randy Chambers	SEP	SEP		0		0	0
	C/T Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	42200	NF		42200		10	420
2	Paranoid Androids	8883	NF		8883		6	252
3	Dave Hanson	6600	SEP		6600		4	168
4	Carlin Lowry	2600	SEP		2600		2	84
x	Nathan Coit	LT	NF		FP		1	42
	“1/2A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Total		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	47	105		152		10	510
2	Christiana Williams	19	36		55		6	306
3	Joey Puryear	7	16		23		4	204
4	Randall Chambers	7	SEP		7		2	102
	C/T Division
1	Paranoid Androids	68	55		123		10	510
2	Dave Hanson	28	36		64		6	306
3	Carlin Lowry	27	36		63		4	204
4	Bob Ellis	19	9		28		2	102
5	Bruce Markielewski	12	11		23		1	51
6	Richard Hyman	12	6		18		1	51
7	Nathan Coit	14	NF		14		1	51
	“1/2A” Flexi-wing Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Total		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	82	80		162		10	510
2	Randall Chambers	NEJ	6		6		6	306
	C/T Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	51	91		142		10	510
2	Bob Ellis	94	28		122		6	306
3	Paranoid Androids	35	NF		35		4	204
4	Mel Gray	23	NF		23		2	102
5	Carlin Lowry	14	NDP		14		1	51
	“A” Streamer Duration (WF 8)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Total		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Joey Puryear	37	61		98		10	240
x	Christiana Williams	SEP	NF		0		0	0
x	Randall Chambers	UNS	SEP		0		0	0
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	163	181		344		10	240
2	Steven Cratty	34	38		72		6	144
	C/T Division
1	Robert Ellis	165	UNS		165		10	240
2	Nathan Coit	77	62		139		6	144
3	Carlin Lowry	62	55		117		4	96
4	Bruce Markielewski	55	SEP		55		2	48
5	Paranoid Androids	42	NF		42		1	24
6	Mel Gray	40	NF		40		1	24
x	Dave Hanson	UNS	SEP		0		0	0
	“B” Eggloft Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2		Best		Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	10	12		12		10	510
2	Randall Chambers	10	NDP		10		6	306
	C Division
1t	Carlin Lowry	NDP	28		28		10	510
1t	Rick Hyman	9	28		28		10	510
2	Bruce Markielewski	20	NDP		20		6	306
3	Dave Hanson	17	19		19		4	204
4	Nathan Coit	17	NF		17		2	102
5	Paranoid Androids	8	NF		8		1	51
x	Mel Gray	EGG	NF		0		0	0
	Total Overall Points
Pl.	Contestant	1/2A PD	B SR	1/2A BG	1/2A FW	A SD	B ELD	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Randall Chambers	126	0	102	306	0	306	840
2	Joey Puryear	210	—-	204	—-	240	—-	654
3	Christiana Williams	—-	—-	306	—-	0	—-	306
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	210	42	510	510	240	510	2022
2	Steven Cratty	0	—-	—-	—-	144	—-	144
	C/T Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	210	420	51	510	48	306	1545
2	Paranoid Androids	—-	252	510	204	24	51	1041
3	Carlin Lowry	0	84	204	51	96	510	945
4	Dave Hanson	—-	168	306	—-	0	204	678
5	Robert Ellis	0	—-	102	306	240	—-	648
6	Richard Hyman	—-	—-	51	—-	—-	510	561
7	Nathan Coit	126	42	51	—-	144	102	465
8	Mel Gray	—-	—-	—-	102	24	0	126

NARAM 42 Report

July 8, 2000naramuser

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!

NARAM 42 Colorado Awards

July 8, 2000naramuser

Colorado NARAM 2000 Awards
NARAM 2000 Events
Division	Place	Competitor	Section
1/4A Parachute Duration Multi-round
A Division	4	Joey Puryear	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	1	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Mel Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
B Streamer Duration
B Division	2	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Edward O’Neill	C.R.A.S.H.
4 x A Cluster Altitude
B Division	2	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	4	Robert Ellis	C.R.A.S.H.
Team Division	3	Paranoid Androids	C.R.A.S.H.
1/2A Helicopter Duration
A Division	2	Elise Coit	Independent
A Division	3	Russell Coit	Independent
B Division	2	James Snow	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	3	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Edward O’Neill	C.R.A.S.H.
D Super-Roc Altitude
A Division	2	Randy Chambers	C.R.A.S.H.
A Division	3	Elise Coit	Independent
B Division	1	James Snow	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	4	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Edward O’Neill	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	3	Nathan Coit	Independent
A Boost Glider Duration
A Division	3	Davey Willson	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	1	James Snow	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Robert Ellis	C.R.A.S.H.
C Egg Lofting Duration
B Division	1	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Nathan Coit	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	3	Richard Hyman	C.R.A.S.H.
D Rocket Glider Duration
A Division	4	Randy Chambers	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	2	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
Giant Scale
B Division	3	James Snow	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Edward O’Neill	C.R.A.S.H.
Research and Development
C Division	2	Richard Hyman	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	3	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
Team Division	3	Two Old COSROCS Guys	COSROCS
1999 – 2000 Contest Year Final NAR Standings
Division	Place	Competitor	Section
A Division	4	Elise Coit	Independent
B Division	2	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
Team Division	4	Two Old COSROCS Guys	C.R.A.S.H.
NAR Section	3	NAR Section 482	C.R.A.S.H.
NARAM 2000 Meet Standings
Division	Place	Competitor	Section
B Division	2	Paul Gray	C.R.A.S.H.
B Division	3	James Snow	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	1	Bruce Markielewski	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	2	Edward O’Neill	C.R.A.S.H.
C Division	4	Richard Hyman	C.R.A.S.H.
NARAM 2000 Special Awards
Award	Winner		Section
LAC Newsletter Award	NAR Section 515 – The COS-Rocketeer		COSROCS
Section of the Year	NAR Section 482		C.R.A.S.H.
Scale-roc Rookie of the Year Award	James Snow		C.R.A.S.H.
NARAM Committee MVP	Kathleen Williams		C.R.A.S.H.
Howard Galloway Award	Tim VanMilligan – Apogee Components, Inc.

Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus VIII – March 19th, 2000

March 19, 2000competitionuser

By Bruce Markielewski The eighth annual Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus was scheduled as a NAR regional event, to be held on March 18th and 19th, 2000. However, the weather on the 18th was terrible, as the high winds prevented any flying the first day. Our only option was to try to fly the entire contest on the second day. By contrast, Sunday was a fantastic day. We flew until the park closed and the sun was nearly down, but we were able to get everyone’s contest flights in during the day. Seventeen competitors and two teams entered the five event contest – enough for four divisions. Although there were six entrants in “A” Division, most only flew one or two events successfully. Still, Joey Puryear was able to take first in the group by winning the “A” Boost Glider event, scoring more points that the rest of the division. Christiana Williams placed second, flying only “B” Eggloft Duration, but winning the event. Steve Cratty tried four of the five, placing second in “B” Eggloft Duration, and placed third overall. Elise Coit placed fourth, flying two events, and would have placed higher had another competitor in the division entered “1/4A” Helicopter Duration. Instead, she had to compete against the “B” Divisioners in this event, taking third. In “B” Division, Paul Gray dominated the group, winning all five of the events. Josh Hays was second in all five events, and second overall. John Powell had a bad day, as he attempted all five events, but DQ’d every flight.

Kevin Kuczek easily won the “C” Division, winning first place in “A” Boost Glider and “B” Streamer Duration, and second places in the other three. Nathan Coit had a fine day as well, with a first place in “1/4A” Helicopter Duration, and a second place in “A” Boost Glider, earning him second overall. Bruce Markielewski was third overall, winning “C” Super-roc Altitude, and second in “B” Streamer Duration. New C.R.A.S.H. member, Rick Hyman was fourth place overall, winning “B” Eggloft Duration. The Team Division was a hotly contested battle all day between the “Two Old COSROCS Guys” (Dave Nauer), and the “Paranoid Androids” (Todd and Kathleen Williams), with the COSROCS team winning four of the five events and first place in the division. Thanks to Contest Director Mel Gray, who managed to squeeze a two day contest into a one day success, plus those who helped with tracking and timing throughout the day!
	“1/4A” Helicopter Duration (WF 20)
Pl.	A/B Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paul Gray	21	21	42	10	600
2	Josh Hays	15	NF	15	6	360
3	Elise Coit	7	NF	7	4	240
x	John Powell	NDP	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Nathan Coit	47	89	136	10	600
2	Kevin Kuczek	58	67	125	6	360
3	Edward O’Neill	44	52	96	4	240
4	Robert Ellis	54	34	88	2	120
5	Bruce Markielewski	20	20	40	1	60
6	Greg Elder	ROT	11	11	1	60
x	Richard Hyman	SEP	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	T Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paranoid Androids	90	NF	90	10	600
2	2 Old COSROCS Guys	21	ROT	21	6	360
	“A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 18)
Pl.	A Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Joey Puryear	12	NF	12	10	540
x	Steven Cratty	NG	NF	0	0	0

Pl.	B Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paul Gray	NG	30	30	10	540
2	Josh Hays	27	NG	27	6	324
x	John Powell	UNS	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Kevin Kuczek	130	164	294	10	540
2	Nathan Coit	86	73	159	6	324
3	Robert Ellis	134	RB	134	4	216
4	Greg Elder	12	65	77	2	108
5	Richard Hyman	SHR	52	52	1	54
6	Bruce Markielewski	SHR	LST	0	1	54
x	Edward O’Neill	NG	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	T Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	59	83	142	10	540
2	Paranoid Androids	46	93	139	6	324
	“B” Streamer Duration (WF 9)
Pl.	A Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Randall Chambers	34	86	120	10	270
2	Russell Coit	43	39	82	6	162
3	Elise Coit	28	36	64	4	108
4	Steven Cratty	25	27	52	2	54
x	Joey Puryear	DQ	UNS	0	0	0
Pl.	B Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paul Gray	58	156	214	10	270
2	Josh Hays	125	NF	125	6	162
x	John Powell	SEP	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Kevin Kuczek	274	189	463	10	270
2	Bruce Markielewski	193	93	286	6	162
3	Mel Gray	75	NF	75	4	108
4	Robert Ellis	UNS	70	70	2	54
5	Greg Elder	UNS	64	64	1	27
x	Nathan Coit	LST	NF	0	1	27
x	Richard Hyman	LST	NF	0	1	27
x	Edward O’Neill	NR	SEP	0	1	27
Pl.	T Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	64	82	146	10	270
2	Paranoid Androids	87	LST	87	6	162
	“B” Eggloft Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	A Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Christiana Williams	12	NF	12	10	510
2	Steven Cratty	7	NF	7	6	306
x	Randall Chambers	UNS	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	B Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paul Gray	23	NF	23	10	510
2	Josh Hays	22	NF	22	6	306
x	John Powell	SEP	SEP	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Richard Hyman	61	103	103	10	510
2	Kevin Kuczek	82	NF	82	6	306
3	Bruce Markielewski	46	70	70	4	204
4	Edward O’Neill	45	NF	45	2	102
5	Nathan Coit	13	19	19	1	51
6	Greg Elder	EGG	10	10	1	51
Pl.	T Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	22	42	42	10	510
2	Paranoid Androids	9	NF	9	6	306
	“C” Super-roc Altitude (WF 16)
Pl.	A Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Steven Cratty	NC	NF	0	1	48
x	Randall Chambers	UNS	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	B Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Paul Gray	45600	NF	45600	10	480
2	Josh Hays	NC	NF	0	1	48
x	John Powell	UNS	NF	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	Bruce Markielewski	87000	NF	87000	10	480
2	Kevin Kuczek	71250	NF	71250	6	288
3	Nathan Coit	57856	NF	57856	4	192
x	Robert Ellis	DQ	TL	FP	1	48
x	Greg Elder	PRG	NC	FP	1	48
x	Richard Hyman	PRG	NF	0	0	0
x	Edward O’Neill	CR	CR	0	0	0
Pl.	T Division	Flight 1	Flight 2	Best	Pl. Pts.	NAR Points
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	67250	NF	67250	10	480
2	Paranoid Androids	45500	NF	45500	6	288
	Overall Places	1/4A HD	A BG	B SD	B ELD	C SRA	NAR Points
Pl.	A Division
1	Joey Puryear	—-	540	0	—-	—-	540
2	Christiana Williams	—-	—-	—-	510	—-	510
3	Steven Cratty	—-	0	54	306	48	408
4	Elise Coit	240	—-	108	—-	—-	348
5	Randall Chambers	—-	—-	270	0	0	270
6	Russell Coit	—-	—-	162	—-	—-	162
Pl.	B Division
1	Paul Gray	600	540	270	510	480	2400
2	Josh Hays	360	324	162	306	48	1200
x	John Powell	0	0	0	0	0	0
Pl.	C Division
1	Kevin Kuczek	360	540	270	306	288	1764
2	Nathan Coit	600	324	27	51	192	1194
3	Bruce Markielewski	60	54	162	204	480	960
4	Richard Hyman	0	54	27	510	0	591
5	Robert Ellis	120	216	54	—-	48	438
6	Edward O’Neill	240	0	27	102	0	369
7	Greg Elder	60	108	27	51	48	294
8	Mel Gray	—-	—-	108	—-	—-	108
Pl.	T Division
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	360	540	270	510	480	2160
2	Paranoid Androids	600	324	162	306	288	1680
Pl.	Sections	NAR Points
1	C.R.A.S.H.	10038
2	COSROCS	5358

Colorado Model Rocketry Championships IX – November 20th-21st, 1999

November 21, 1999competitionuser

By Mel Gray The Colorado Model Rocketry Championships IX was held the weekend of November 20th – 21st, 1999 at C.R.A.S.H.’s Bear Creek Lake Park launch site. This year it was a regional affair with the contestants competing in six events. Those events were: 1/4A Parachute Duration Multiround, 1/2A Helicopter Duration, 1/2A Boost Glider Duration, B Streamer Duration, C Eggloft Duration, and Predicted Duration. Twenty two contestants registered and made flights in at least one event. The mix of contestants showed several “newcomers” to the competition scene joining the contest regulars to provide a broad range of experience. The balance of talent in this group was pointed out to me by Bruce Markielewski who, upon reviewing the meet results, noted that every contestant placed in the top four in at least one event. The weather for this event was typical of late fall weather in Colorado, that is, very changeable. Conditions varied from almost ideal blue skies with light breeze to overcast with a cold, biting wind. The contestants coped with the conditions well although the weather did make a difference in the outcome of a few events. 1/4A Parachute Multiround was dominated by the 10.5mm diameter rocket powered by the Apogee 1/4A2-4. Paul Gray posted two consistent flights to go along with a MAX to win B division over Tom Aspenwall, who posted a single qualified flight. C Division was a shootout between Greg Elder and Bruce Markielewski, each with two MAXES. The third flight made the difference with Greg posting a short flight when his chute did not fully open while Bruce suffered a DQ when his model went unstable at launch. Nathan Coit and Dan Fougner finished in Third and Fourth. Team Division saw The Paranoid Androids (Todd Williams, Kathleen Williams and Dave Gianakos) edge out 2 Old COSROCS Guys (Dave Nauer and Ben Hays) by five seconds in the totals for the three flights. 1/2A Helicopter Duration showed that consistency is a key for this event. A/B Division was won by Paul Gray with two consistent flights, one with his new Apogee Micro Whirl-A-Tron. Elise Coit followed in second place with two nice flights with her Apogee Heli-roc. John Powell finished in third place with a single qualified flight. C Division saw Bruce Markielewski top the field with his six-bladed Psyclone design, followed by Tim Van Milligan flying his Micro Whirl-A-Tron. Ed O’Neill and Mel Gray followed in Third and Fourth places with single flights. Team Division was claimed by 2 Old COSROCS Guys with two steady flights while the Paranoid Androids team struggled with their new Micro Whirl-A-Tron, DQ’ing on each attempt. The motor-of-choice was the Apogee 1/2A2-4 with the trend in models being toward the smaller and lighter side. The 1/2A Boost Glider event saw the emergence of the dreaded Red Baron, who pulled many a well boosted glider back to earth. A Division saw Christiana Williams and Randy Chambers both barely escape the Baron’s grasp to post short but qualifying flights for First and Second Place. In B Division, the Baron again shortened Paul Gray’s first flight but his Deltie escaped the curse altogether for a good second flight to post the win. Tom Aspenwall and John Powell flew new gliders very well to Second and Third place. The Baron was working overtime in C Division but Richard Hyman avoided the problem on his two good flights that secured the win. Greg Elder was “Baroned” on his second flight as was Tim Van Milligan on his first but their other flights pulled them into Second and Third places. Newcomer Jack Long posted two qualified flights for Fourth place. The Paranoid Androids put up two good flights to claim First place over 2 Old COSROCS Guys, who also flew two qualifying flights. Motors used were split between Apogee 1/2A2-2 and Estes 1/2A3-2T with the reliable Edmonds Deltie putting in several fine flights, winning in A, B and Team Divisions. B Streamer Duration witnessed the best relative performances of the contest. In A Division, Steven Cratty posted two fine flights to take First place. Randy Chambers put up a good first flight and a qualifying second flight to move into Second place. Elise Coit put up a long flight but unfortunately was DQ’ed when her rocket spit its motor. B Division saw Paul Gray run away with the win by putting up two long flights, the second qualifying for a new B Division National Record at 233 seconds. His 370 second total was the highest of the contest. John Powell finished in Second place, suffering a separated streamer on his first flight before putting up a fine second flight. In C Division, Robert Ellis really had it going, putting up two wonderful flights to easily outdistance the other competitors. Mark James and Bruce Markielewski flew two steady flights each to finish in Second and Third places. Mel Gray finished in Fourth with a single flight. The Team Division saw 2 Old COSROCS Guys posting two good flights while the Paranoid Androids were bitten by the DQ Bug. Motor selection saw both Apogee B2-7 and Estes B6-6 in use, with the highest scores going to the 10.5mm and 13mm rockets with Apogee power. Visibility with these very high performance models was a problem as the weather deteriorated during the contest. C Eggloft Duration provided its usual thrills and adventures. In A Division, Brian Williams had his model weathercock severely at launch and the ejection charge saved the model at a pretty low altitude, but it then floated nicely to the ground for the winning flight. Randy Chambers battled hard for a qualified flight, but an unstable first flight and a shredded chute on the second produced omelets both times. In B Division, Paul Gray flew his shrouded Egglofter to a safe flight for the win while John Powell posted a good flight for Second place. Tom Aspenwall suffered a separation with the resulting less than beautiful egg. C Division saw Tim Van Milligan outfly the field to claim First place. Carlin Lowry flew a nice flight to earn Second with Ed O’Neill and Greg Elder rounding out the top four positions. Team Division saw the Paranoid Androids finish ahead of 2 Old COSROCS Guys. Motor usage was split between Estes C6 and Apogee C4 or C10 power. Both shrouded and egg-on-a-stick designs made nice flights. Predicted Duration was an entertaining event. In A/B Division, Steven Cratty missed his prediction by only one second to finish in First Place. Paul Gray, Christiana Williams and Brian Williams followed in Second, Third and Fourth places. C Division saw Dan Fougner fly his brand new, untested model to miss his prediction by again a single second to post the win. Carlin Lowry finished in Second with Tim Van Milligan and Mark James following in Third and Fourth. In Team Division, 2 Old COSROCS Guys outguessed the Paranoid Androids to take the win. Totaling up the points for the meet showed the following results. In A Division, Christiana Williams’ win in 1/2A Boost Glider Duration along with her Third Place in Predicted Duration totaled 606 NAR points for the Championship. Brian Williams added up to 528 points with his win in C Eggloft Duration and Fourth Place in Predicted Duration. Steven Cratty’s total from his two wins in B Streamer Duration and Predicted Duration gave him 510 points for the meet. Randy Chamber’s two Second place finishes in 1/2A Boost Glider and B Streamer Duration totaled 468 points. B Division saw Paul Gray far out in front due to his five First place finishes along with a single Second place finish. His meet Championship total was an impressive 2304 points, the highest point total of the contest. John Powell’s consistent placings in each event that he entered earned him 882 NAR points, placing him Second. Tom Aspenwall used his Second place finishes in 1/4A Parachute Duration and 1/2A Boost Glider duration to total 504 points for Third place. In C division, Tim Van Milligan rode his win in C Eggloft Duration, coupled with his consistent finishes in the other events to a Championship total of 1182 points. Bruce Markielewski finished Second, winning 1/2A Helicopter Duration and placing well in the other events. His meet total was 948 points. Greg Elder utilized his win in 1/4A Parachute Duration and, together with his finishes in the other events, earned himself an 840 point total for Third place in the contest. Richard Hyman finished Fourth in the meet at 567 points by way of his win in 1/2A Boost Glider and his placings in 1/4A Parachute Duration and Predicted Duration. In the Team Division Championship, both 2 Old COSROCS Guys and the Paranoid Androids won three of the events each. In the end, 2 Old COSROCS Guys finished First with 1872 points, due to their consistent finishes in the other events. The Paranoid Androids totaled 1464 points, encountering troubles in two events that reduced their point total. The Section Championship saw C.R.A.S.H. amassing 10239 points for the meet to finish ahead of COSROCS, who totaled 4578 points. CMRC IX was a wonderful success. The twenty two contestants made it one of the best attended contests held here in Colorado in several years. It was my great pleasure and honor to serve as the Contest Director for this Championships that witnessed a very high level of competition and camaraderie. Several fliers who will greatly impact the competition scene in the near future here in Colorado made first appearances. As is usual, several fellow C.R.A.S.H. members contributed to the meets’ success. I would like to thank Kathleen Williams, Dwight Kimsey and Jeff Karpinski for helping out with the range duties. Couldn’t have done it without you guys! This competition year here in the Rocky Mountains is shaping up to be one of the most enjoyable and competitive in a while. It seems that the approach of the first Colorado NARAM in over thirty years has the rocketeers here honing their skills in anticipation of that great event.
	“1/4A” Parachute Duration Multiround (WF 11)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2	Flt. 3		Total	Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	22	22	MAX		104	10	330
2	Tom Aspenwall	15	NF	NF		15	6	198
	C Division
1	Greg Elder	MAX	12	MAX		132	10	330
2	Bruce Markielewski	MAX	MAX	UNS		120	6	198
3	Nathan Coit	20	48	NF		68	4	132
4	Dan Fougner	56	NDP	NF		56	2	66
5	Carlin Lowry	22	DQ	33		55	1	33
6	Tim Van Milligan	22	27	NF		49	1	33
7	Richard Hyman	14	15	NF		29	1	33
8	Jack Long	6	NF	NF		6	1	33
	T Division
1	Paranoid Andriods	MAX	25	NF		85	10	330
2	2 Old COSROCS Guys	54	SEP	26		80	6	198

	“1/2A” Helicopter Duration (WF 19)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2			Total	Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A/B Division
1	Paul Gray	25	23			48	10	570
2	Elise Coit	18	19			37	6	342
3	John Powell	5	NF			5	4	228
x	Tom Aspenwall	EJ	NF			DQ	0	0
	C Division
1	Bruce Markielewski	31	62			93	10	570
2	Tim Van Milligan	31	31			62	6	342
3	Ed O’Neill	41	NF			41	4	228
4	Mel Gray	40	NF			40	2	114
5	Carlin Lowry	UNS	36			36	1	57
6	Greg Elder	12	NF			12	1	57
x	Nathan Coit	SEP	SEP			DQ	0	0
	T Division
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	22	24			46	10	570
x	Paranoid Andriods	SHR	ROT			DQ	0	0

	“1/2A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2			Total	Pnts.	NAR
	A Division
1	Christiana Williams	8	NF			8	10	510
2	Randall Chambers	6	NF			6	6	306
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	23	53			76	10	510
2	Tom Aspenwall	11	12			23	6	306
3	John Powell	11	10			21	4	204
	C Division
1	Richard Hyman	39	23			62	10	510
2	Greg Elder	39	RB			39	6	306
3	Tim Van Milligan	7	31			38	4	204
4	Jack Long	11	14			25	2	102
5	Ed O’Neill	5	NF			5	1	51
x	Bruce Markielewski	SHR	UNS			DQ	0	0
x	Nathan Coit	RB	NF			DQ	0	0
x	Carlin Lowry	UNS	NVB			DQ	0	0
	T Division
1	Paranoid Andriods	35	58			93	10	510
2	2 Old COSROCS Guys	14	32			46	6	306
	“B” Streamer Duration (WF 9)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2			Total	Pnts.	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Steven Cratty	32	33			65	10	270
2	Randall Chambers	30	9			39	6	162
x	Elise Coit	EJ	NF			DQ	0	0
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	137	233			370	10	270
2	John Powell	STR	61			61	6	162
	C Division
1	Robert Ellis	145	168			313	10	270
2	Mark James	80	81			161	6	162
3	Bruce Markielewski	51	62			113	4	108
4	Mel Gray	78	NF			78	2	54
5	Tim Van Milligan	71	NF			71	1	27
6	Greg Elder	EJ	46			46	1	27
x	Ed O’Neill	SEP	NF			DQ	0	0
x	Carlin Lowry	NDP	SEP			DQ	0	0
	T Division
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	58	83			141	10	270
2	Paranoid Andriods	SEP	UNS			0	0	0
	“C” Eggloft Duration (WF 16)
Pl.	Contestant	Flt. 1	Flt. 2			Total	Pnts.	NAR
	A Division
1	Brian Williams	7	NF			7	10	480
x	Randall Chambers	UNS	STR			DQ	0	0
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	46	NF			46	10	480
2	John Powell	18	NF			18	6	288
x	Tom Aspenwall	SEP	NF			DQ	0	0
	C Division
1	Tim Van Milligan	116	NF			116	10	480
2	Carlin Lowry	98	SEP			98	6	288
3	Ed O’Neill	71	NF			71	4	192
4	Greg Elder	34	NDP			34	2	96
5	Bruce Markielewski	24	NF			24	1	48
	T Division
1	Paranoid Andriods	66	NF			66	10	480
2	2 Old COSROCS Guys	38	NF			38	6	288
	Predicted Duration (WF 8)
Pl.	Contestant	Pct.	Pnts.			NAR
	A/B Division
1	Steven Cratty	3.3	10			240
2	Paul Gray	5.6	6			144
3	Christiana Williams	15.0	4			96
4	Brian Williams	50.0	2			48
	C Division
1	Dan Fougner	3.3	10			240
2	Carlin Lowry	5.9	6			144
3	Tim Van Milligan	13.3	4			96
4	Mark James	25.7	2			48
5	Bruce Markielewski	32.3	1			24
6	Mel Gray	34.0	1			24
7	Jack Long	36.7	1			24
8	Richard Hyman	64.3	1			24
9	Greg Elder	65.5	1			24
10	Robert Ellis	70.6	1			24
11	Ed O’Neill	70.8	1			24
	T Division
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	10	10			240
2	Paranoid Andriods	36.7	6			144
	Total Overall Points
Pl.	Contestant	1/4A PD	1/2AHD	1/2A BG	B SD	C ELD	PRD	NAR Pts.
	A Division
1	Christiana Williams	—-	—-	510	—-	—-	96	606
2	Brian Williams	—-	—-	—-	—-	480	48	528
3	Steven Cratty	—-	—-	—-	270	—-	240	510
4	Randall Chambers	—-	—-	306	162	0	—-	468
5	Elise Coit	—-	342	—-	0	—-	—-	342
	B Division
1	Paul Gray	330	570	510	270	480	144	2304
2	John Powell	—-	228	204	162	288	—-	882
3	Tom Aspenwall	198	0	306	—-	0	—-	504
	C Division
1	Tim Van Milligan	33	342	204	27	480	96	1182
2	Bruce Markielewski	198	570	0	108	48	24	948
3	Greg Elder	330	57	306	27	96	24	840
4	Richard Hyman	33	—-	510	—-	—-	24	567
5	Carlin Lowry	33	57	0	0	288	144	522
6	Ed O’Neill	—-	228	51	0	192	24	495
7	Dan Fougner	66	—-	—-	—-	—-	240	306
8	Robert Ellis	—-	—-	—-	270	—-	24	294
9	Mark James	—-	—-	—-	162	—-	48	210
10	Mel Gray	—-	114	—-	54	—-	24	192
11	Jack Long	33	—-	102	—-	—-	24	159
12	Nathan Coit	132	0	0	—-	—-	—-	132
	T Division
1	2 Old COSROCS Guys	198	570	306	270	288	240	1872
2	Paranoid Andriods	330	0	510	0	480	144	1464
Pl.	NAR Sections	Points
1	C.R.A.S.H.	10239
2	COSROCS	4578
3	Independent	510

NARAM 41

July 8, 1999naramuser

NARAM
41…
A First Timer’s
Perspective

By Kathleen
Williams

Call
us “CRAZY”, but we did travel from Colorado to
Pennsylvania with our four children for NARAM 41. We took
it relatively slow on our way to Pennsylvania taking in a
few sites along the way. Our first stop was the
Cosmosphere in Kansas. This was a definite hit with all
of our children. We also stopped at the St. Louis Arch,
Kirtland, Ohio, Lake Erie and finally to Pennsylvania for
NARAM 41.

THE MINUSES

We had some
problems with our room reservations at the host hotel
with lasted throughout our stay. The field was small and
surrounded by trees with wild roses, black berries
rambling across the forest floor. My first thought was,
we could hold a NARAM at C.R.A.S.H.’s regular launch site
at Bear Creek Lake Park! The only thing different would
be having enough parking. I wondered why Bruce
Markielewski and other past NARAM competitors felt that
our field was too small for such an event. I quickly
found out on the first day of competition. It wasn’t much
fun to watch your competition rocket models end up in a
“rocket eating” tree. Although, I much prefer our launch
site hazards (i.e. the reservoir, the long hike around
the dam or the golf course). At least in
most cases we able to successfully retrieve our models.

The small field made NARAM 41 more of
a competition for strategy rather than one of those for
competitors who like to “push the envelope” for models
designed to catch thermals or drift quite a distance.
Many of the timers would also stop their watches once
they could no longer see a model even if for a second
while it turned “edge on” to their view. I feel that it
would have been more competitive if the events had been
better suited to such a small field with a somewhat
hazardous border. Sometimes the time given for
competitors to launch their models on a given day seemed
a little short. For example on B Egg Loft Duration day
the range was only open for four hours. One of these
hours had to be spent doing your assigned range
duty. If you didn’t already have a model built, you
were at a definite disadvantage.

THE
PLUSES

We met many people
and were able to put faces with familiar names. The NARAM
41 committee members were very hospitable. The meetings
were spread out so that you could attend most if not all
of them. The sport range was well suited to the small
models we brought to launch on it. Our youngest son,
Ferrin, launched his Estes “Moon Dog” twice. Todd
launched his QCR “Mary Poppins Bumbershoot” successfully
only to have several appeals from the crowd to launch it
again, which he did.

Our children probably had one of the
best experiences because there were so many playgrounds
to choose from and so many other children close in age
for them to play with. Our eldest, Christiana even
managed to bring home a fourth place trophy for “B”
Rocket Glide Duration.

Overall, NARAM 41
was a success. We had an enjoyable trip with our
children, brought home a trophy and they some some parts
of our country that they had only read about. Our NARAM
experience is probably best summed up by Christiana, “It
was okay other than the trees. I liked competing,
but I agree that there were problems withsome of those who timed events. Overall, the
competition was fairer because I competed with others in
my age division; but I still like competing against
adults. It’s more fun to beat them!” Watch out A Division
competitors; she’ll be ready for our NARAM in Colorado
next summer.

NARAM
41…
Notes from the Flight
Log

By Mel Gray

Monday, 8-9-99
C-Payload and A-Helicopter
Multi-round:

My C-Payload
qualifies on Estes C6-7 at 400-something meters on the
first flight and then goes 566 meters on Apogee C10-7
power on the second flight. This motor is “major gas”. It
lands off the field but does not hang up in a tree (a
minor miracle). It was returned for qualified
flight and 5th place.

A-Helicopter
Multi-round was my usual mystery event. My tested and
usually reliable models suddenly would not deploy.
Flying on Apogee A2-3 power, they boosted high. Three
flights were: SPLAT! – 115 seconds – SPLAT! The
result was two broken models and 10th place.
Sigh………

Tuesday, 8-10-99

1/2A SR Alt and B Rocket
Glider:

My 1/2A SR
model went 92 meters on first flight with Apogee 1/2A2-4.
The model was standard 10.5mm Apogee tubing by 1 meter
long, launched from tower. I should have used piston
launcher. Chad Ring used one to win at 162 meters.
Impressive. My second flight not as good at 80-something
meters. I finished somewhere in top 10.

My proven
slide-wing B Rocket Glider goes up as the first flight of
the day, boosts real high on B2-0, finds buoyant air and
disappears into the woods. Timers clicked off at
70-some-odd seconds. I looked for the model for 1-1/2
hours, no luck. No return, no placing – I got flight
points.

Wednesday, 8-11-99

1/2A Flex-wing and A-Streamer
Multi-round:

I finished
up the flexies in NARAM tradition the night before the
event – the 4th and 5th flexies that I have built. These
are 110 degree angle style, standard diamond shape. First
flight was a real lucky one – boosted well on Estes
1/2A3-4T but spun about half way down, then leveled out
long enough for the RSO to call it qualified, made two
nice gliding circles and then spun in.
Actually worked out OK since I needed a return flight and
the field was REAL small for flying these floaters.
I changed to second flexie which was trimmed somewhat
better for second flight. I got good boost and ejection
into a marginal piece of air and the model floated in
light drift to the very edge of the trees. I was in 1st
until around 2:00PM when the other fliers pushed me
down to 5th place.

I totally
blew it in A-Streamer Multi-round. My 13mm streamer
models using Apogee A2-5 power work great in Colorado,
not so well here. After watching Paul thermal his
number one model into the trees and putting my first
flight there also, I cut down the streamer on my second
model. This, plus crummy air picking on my part, gave me
three average flights which placed me somewhere around
10th. I lost the second model anyway.

Thursday, 8-12-99

B Eggloft Duration:

This event
was a reminder to always test out my designs BEFORE the
contest. I was flying my more or less standard Egglofter
design with Apogee B7-4 power, with a 36″ mylar chute. If
I had test flown this combination I would have seen the
problem and made the necessary changes. As it was, the
Egglofter / motor combination went well over the top of
apogee and lost considerable altitude before ejection. I
only put in one flight on this, of about 45 seconds
duration, good for around 13th place. I should have
used Estes B6-2 in this model.

Friday, 8-13-99

Sport Scale and Open Spot Landing:

I did not
fly sport Scale at this contest. I guess I’m not
much of a Scale builder.Open Spot Landing – Lets just say
that my flight strategy resulted in a flight that
probably qualified as landing the farthest from the spot
– DUH!, wrong move, Sparky.

Impressions
and opinions:

This was my first
trip back East to fly rockets and it was something of a
shocker. In some ways, I suppose I let the size of
the flying field psych me out. I tell you what,
kiddies, it was SMALL. Of course, it was the same
for everyone. If I were to do it again, I would
wait until later in the day to fly. Where good lift
is prevalent here in Colorado early, the best air back
East seems to occur somewhat later in the day. The
good fliers there exhibit great patience, flying only
when the conditions are really good.

I didn’t observe
anything radical or unusual in the models. The
majority of the Egglofters were of the shroud type of
construction and were very light. They flew real well on
low power B motivation. Glenn Feveryear won C
Payload at 721 meters (wow!) with a very nice fiberglass
model and Apogee C10 power. Ducky Klouser won both
glider events (B Rocket and 1/2 A Flexie) with superb
patience and air picking. Chad Ring went 162 meters in
1/2 A SR. Amazing. Bob Kaplow parked his
Egglofter in a thermal for over 30 minutes only to
have it go bye-bye for No Return. There were other
superior performances, but these are the ones that stand
out for me.

In closing, I need
to do my “Proud Daddy” bit. Paul had a really GOOD
contest, winning two 1sts, two 3rds, four 4ths and two
5ths in his events. He finished in Fourth Place in
his division in this contest – out flew the old man, as
usual.

Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus VII – April 17, 1999

April 17, 1999competitionuser

By Bruce Markielewski Our annual spring event, the Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus VII was held on April 17th, with 13 competitors participating in the contest. Once again, we had a great day of flying, with little win or clouds to contend with! In “C” division, “A” Flexi-wing Duration appeared to be won by Bruce Markielewski, until Ed O’Neill arrived, floated his first glider away after an 11 minute flight. Bruce held on to second place, while Mel captured third. In the “A/B” division, newcomer Kalen Meine surprised Paul Gray with an outstanding 5 minute flight for first place. “B” Rocket Glider Duration was a bit more challenging, as only two contestants were able to qualify both flights. Design and structural integrity appeared to be the key in this event, as Mel Gray edged Kathleen Williams for first place, with Paul’s single flight enough for third. Parachute Spot Landing was as usual, the most popular event. While it’s a simple event to build, it still requires some flying skill to do well. Bruce landed closest to the spot with a 6 meter flight, while five competitors battled for second place within 5 meters of each other. Ed O’Neill won the battle, followed by Chris Pine and Jeff Blinn. Two “A” divisioners competed for first in their division, but neither were able to land within the 50 meter limit for placing in the event.

Probably the most anticipated event was “D” Super-roc Altitude, with six participants competing. Scoring is based on the rocket’s length in centimeters times the altitude in meters, so the tallest or highest flight doesn’t necessarily win! All of the competitors had decent flights, but Paul had the best combination of the day, winning the event and setting a NAR “B” division record with 146880 points. Bruce was second, also setting a record in NAR “C” division with 90000 points, closely followed by Todd Williams and MelGray. Bruce also flew and set a NAR “C” Super-roc Altitude record, using the same model, but a “C” engine instead of a “D”. Overall, Paul took first place, closely followed by his dad, Mel. Bruce was a close third, followed by Ed, who only flew in two of the four events. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped with the timing and tracking! Special thanks to Kathleen, who helped with running the contest and keeping everything running smoothly throughout the day!
	“A” Flexi-wing Duration (WF 18)
Pl.	Contestant	Div.	Flt 1	Flt 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	Total	NAR
1	Ed O’Neill	C	11:08	2:02	13:10	10	360	360
2	Bruce Markielewski	C	1:28	1:07	2:35	6	216	216
3	Mel Gray	C	0:40	1:11	1:51	4	144	144
4	Carlin Lowry	C	0:17	0:18	0:35	2	72	72
1	Kalen Meine	A	2:13	5:07	7:20	10	360	—-
2	Paul Gray	B	0:47	2:12	2:59	6	216	360
	“B” Rocket Glider Duration (WF 21)
Pl.	Contestant	Div.	Flt 1	Flt 2	Total	Pl. Pts.	Total	NAR
1	Mel Gray	C	1:11	1:36	2:47	10	420	420
2	Kathleen Williams	C	1:18	0:45	2:03	6	252	252
3	Paul Gray	B	1:25	NF	1:25	4	168	168
4	Bruce Markielewski	C	DQ	0:52	0:52	2	84	84
5	Todd Williams	C	0:37	NF	0:37	1	42	42
	“D” Super-roc Altitude (WF 17)
Pl.	Contestant	Div.	Lngth.	Alt.	Points	Pl. Pts.	Total	NAR
1	Paul Gray – 1	B	153	960	146880	10	340	340
	Paul Gray – 2	B	202	310	62620	—-	—-	—-
2	Bruce Markielewski – 1	C	300	300	90000	6	204	204
	Bruce Markielewski – 2	C	300	NT	—-	—-	—-	—-
3	Todd Williams	C	300	284	85200	4	136	136
4	Mel Gray	C	203	360	73080	2	68	68
5	Jeff Blinn	C	270	197	53190	1	34	34
6	Carlin Lowry – 1	C	172	165	28380	1	34	34
	Carlin Lowry – 2	C	172	163	28036	—-	—-	—-
	“C” Super-roc Altitude (Record Attempt)
	Bruce Markielewski	C	250	112	28000
	Parachute Spot Landing (WF 4)
Pl.	Contestant	Div.	Meters	Pl. Pts.	Total	NAR
1	Bruce Markielewski	C	6	10	80	80
2	Ed O’Neill	C	12	6	48	48
3	Chris Pine	C	15	4	32	—-
4	Jeff Blinn	C	16	2	16	32
5	Mel Gray	C	18	1	8	16
6	Kathleen Williams	C	19	1	8	8
7	Paul Gray	B	24	1	8	8
8	Todd Williams	C	36	1	8	8
8	Carlin Lowry	C	42	1	8	8
10	Tom Bell	C	50+	FP	8	8
x	Tucker Saye	A	50+	FP	8	—-
x	Blake Harvey	A	50+	FP	8	—-
	Overall Standings	Div.	A FW	B RG	D SRA	PSL	Total
1	Paul Gray	B	216	168	340	8	732
2	Mel Gray	C	144	420	68	8	640
3	Bruce Markielewski	C	216	84	204	80	584
4	Ed O’Neill	C	360	—-	—-	48	408
5	Kalen Meine	A	360	—-	—-	—-	360
6	Kathleen Williams	C	—-	252	—-	8	260
7	Todd Williams	C	—-	42	136	8	186
8	Carlin Lowry	C	72	—-	34	8	114
9	Jeff Blinn	C	—-	—-	34	16	50
10	Chris Pine	C	—-	—-	—-	32	32
11	Tom Bell	C	—-	—-	—-	8	8
12	Tucker Saye	A	—-	—-	—-	8	8
13	Blake Harvey	A	—-	—-	—-	8	8