BLUE MOUNTAIN ROCKETEERS DISCUSSION FORUM

BMR members and guests:

Effective immediately, we are instituting a new policy with regard to HPR flights at all future BMR launches.

When presenting a HPR flight to a RSO for inspection, you will need to also present your NAR or TRA card as proof of both current membership and certification level. The RSO will then write down on the flight card next to their initials "verified" so that the LCO knows this has been done. Next year the flight cards will be updated with a check box for the RSO to check to note that the status has been verified.

The reason for this new policy is complicated, but suffice to say there was an incident at Missile Mayhem that was just recently brought to my attention in which a person with an expired NAR membership made an HPR flight. Had this subject been "carded" I am sure the flight would never have been allowed. It was just taken for granted that this subject was current. As both Launch Director and Section Advisor, I take full responsibility for this . Needless to say, I am quite "red-faced" and embarassed over the entire situation, and hope that this new policy will correct the problem. This incident is proof that we all learn something new at every launch!

This new policy will be incorporated into all future flyer's safety meetings before each launch day, as well as into the training manual and curriculum of all future club RSO and LCO basic training and refresher courses conducted each year.

I want to take this opportunity to go on the record as saying that all of our RSO and LCO volunteers do an outstanding job in making BMR's launches run smoothly and safely, and I have every confidence in all of them that they will continue to do so in the future.

As always, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me off list.

Tim, could we file our current status and expiration date with the club? Except that this will be extra paperwork for, umm, somebody. I hate to suggest it, but with the incidents in Texas and such we COULD have a list of filed club certs at the LCO table, if necessary. Ick, more bureaucracy!

- Pat

I'm good at details, paperwork, and bureaucracy. I would be glad to help compile and maintain such a list, if I am qualified. I don't have a horse in this race, so I would be impartial. What say ye?

Actually, I think it would be much easier and no extra paperwork if the flier just presents their NAR or TRA card to the RSO inspecting the rocket. All it will take is notation of verification on the flight card. Lists are good, but they get lost, misplaced, or as was the case with Blue Mountain Blast, destroyed by rain! (you should see some of the paperwork in the LCO and Flyer's boxes....ick!)

By the way, I've checked with several other clubs, and this is the way they verify certification levels as well. We should have been doing it all along this way, too, however we've never had the necessity to do it until now. We've been EXTREMELY fortunate that this is the only known occurance in BMR's 15 year history. That's one too many.

okeedokee

Hi All:

A followup to my original post:

I inquired to all NAR Section Advisors on the NAR Section Advisor Forum
regarding this topic, and the response has been very good. I have received
quite a few responses via the forum and by e-mail.

In short, BMR appears to be behind the curve on this issue. There are many
NAR Sections that already "card" members for confirmation of certification level.
Most do this during registration, but since BMR has no formal event registration
procedure, charges membership dues, pad or event fees wherein most clubs do
this, it was decided to card members during the RSO process of HPR flights.
I have been advised by other clubs that we are well within our bounds to do this,
and in fact, I have been encouraged by several NAR Sections to start doing this!

When asked about maintaining a list rather than carding, I received a mixed
bag of responses. Some do, most don't. The rationale for not maintaining
a list is that lists can be lost, or they can be damaged or destroyed. Judging
from the amount of damage and destruction to a lot of our paperwork during
the monsoonal rains at Blue Mountain Blast, I can validate these assumptions!

Yes, it is an inconvenience for folks to haul out their NAR or TRA card every time
they present a HPR flight to an RSO, but after awhile, it will become a
habit, and just another accepted part of the RSO process.

It's a small price to pay to maintain our individual and group integrity, as well
as our NAR Section charter and insurance.

So remember to confirm that your NAR or TRA card is in your wallet or purse, or better
still, toss it in your range box with your blank flight cards. RSO's will be asking
to see your NAR/TRA card on all HPR flights beginning at Rolling Thunder.

Best Regards
Tim Quigg
Section Advisor

Here's a great idea submitted by Bill Munds of Puget Sound Propulsion.

Tim, and BMR Members,

I have recommended to a few fliers complaining to see their Cert cards to
just laminate the card with enough extra to slip a clip on it to hang
around your neck. A number of folks had already done this and it was real
easy for everyone. If you don't want to do it to the original, then copy
it, laminate the copy, and file the original in case the copy gets
misplaced.

Lists don't work. They change. People come and people go, certs change,
and the list even gets lost. Some have tried "the list", even laminated
it to protect it from the harsh treatment they get exposed to.

Laminate your card and hang it around your neck. Easy pleasy.

Bill@PSP

This is an outstanding idea Bill! If folks don't want to laminate their NAR card,
they can go to any sporting goods store that sells fishing and hunting licenses,
and pick up a lanyard and plastic pouch, used to wear these around their neck
during hunting and fishing season. It would work just as well for your NAR card,
and would be easily accessable to the RSO's.

A little more clarification appears to be in order folks:

1) The purpose of this new policy is to confirm that a person who wants to fly a HPR rocket is indeed certified to fly that rocket. We are not going to be "carding" everyone, just those flying rockets on motors classified as high power.

2) The NAR recognizes certifications from the Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) and the Canadian Association of Rocketry (CAR). As has always been the case at any BMR launch, BMR will continue to recognize TRA and CAR certifications.

3) Your NAR/TRA/CAR card needs to be presented to the RSO at the time that your rocket is being safety inspected for flight. If you make more than one flight, and the RSO remembers you from the last go around, it would be pretty redundant to show it again. Common sense prevails folks. If I'm an RSO
and I checked your card once already, I'm not going to make you haul it out again!

4) After much discussion, a concensus is forming by most HPR flyers to wear their NAR/TRA/CAR card around their neck at BMR launches where it's easily visable. The best way to do this is to go to a sporting goods store that sells hunting and fishing licenses and purchase a lanyard and license pouch for a couple of bucks. I have several of these at home from years of training classes, and will be giving them away at Rolling Thunder. I plan on wearing mine around my neck from now on. I guess you could also pin it to your shirt, to your hat, or belt...where ever it's most easily accessable by an RSO.

As always, any questions, feel free to contact me.

Hey everyone, I moved this topic over to Club News and Announcements....

In the better late than never catagory, I just wanted to interject my two cents about the topic. As I am sure you realize, there are a core group of BMR members that are not too hard to recognize that could easily demonstrate at the beginning of a launch day or weekend that they have the proper and current NAR certification. To me, wearing my NAR membership card around my neck all weekend for the one L1 flight I might make sounds just silly. Furthermore, after working for the government for 20+ years in a job where I was required to wear a badge around my neck all day, the thought of having to do the same thing to do something fun sounds, well, not-fun.

I believe it is extremely important that every L1 or L2 flight needs to be verified by the RSO, but given the extremely limited number of H and above flights, a simple "show me your card" should suffice. Now let's go out there and fly some rockets.

Dave King