General Rules for the Casual Competitor (GRCC)

While Jennifer Ash-Poole's Guide to Competition for the Casual Competitor (GCCC) gives a good "taste" of the rules for individual events, it doesn't cover some of the general rules that control competition flying. These general rules are covered in the first 18 sections of the Pink Book. This summary is intended to explain "just enough" of the rules for a new flyer to get started flying his or her first few meets. It is not comprehensive and, as always, you should refer to the Pink Book for the full and official rules. I've included cites to specific rules, so you can look up the pertinent text in the Pink Book.

• Safety Code - All models and flight operations must comply with the NAR Model Rocket Safety Code (2.2).

• Contest Approved Motors - All motors used in competition must be Contest Approved (4.4). (See the NAR Certified Motor List.)

• Range Safety Officer - The Range Safety Officer (RSO) is in control of all flight operations on the launch field (5.1).

• Safety and Motor Check -
  • Every model to be flown must pass through a safety check by the RSO (or his deputy) (5.3).
  • The safety check will include recording the motor designation on your flight card (9.5).

• NAR Membership - You must be a NAR member to participate in competition. You must fill out and sign an entry blank (with a parental consent signature, if applicable) (8.1).

• Age Divisions - Competition is divided into four divisions - A (age 7-13), B (age 14-18), C (age 19+), and Team (a group of individuals) (8.2).

• Ejected Motors - A model is not allowed to eject it's motor(s) without a recovery device (9.2).

• NAR Number - You are required to have your name or NAR number on your model (9.4).

• Minimum Entries - There must be at least two entries in any event. If necessary, divisions will be combined to achieve this (9.6).

• Model Construction - You are required to build your own model. Premanufactured models are not eligible for competition (9.9).

• Number of Flights - You are allowed to make two flights in an event (unless otherwise specified by the rules of that event) (10.1).

• Disqualifications -
  • A flight may be disqualified (DQ'ed) by the RSO if it violates the competition rules or is judged unsafe (11.1).
  • A DQ results in a score of zero for that flight (11.3).

• Competition Points and Championships - You earn contest points for your contest performance. These points, along with the points awarded at the NAR Annual Meet (NARAM), determine the National Championships (13).

• Altitude Event Tracking -
  • Altitude scoring is the best flight.
  • Models are optically tracked by two (or more) trackers with two-axis theodolites (14).
  • Models are usually tracked to ejection, so tracking powder is recommended (14.3).
  • The tracking data reduces to an altitude value and an error check value (14.5-14.6).
  • If the model is not tracked ("track lost") or the error check value is too high ("track not closed") and the flight is otherwise qualified, the flight is unofficial and the flyer may fly again (14.9).

• Duration Event Timing -
  • Duration scoring is the sum of two flights (unless otherwise specified by the rules of that event) (10.1).
  • Models are timed by one or more timers with stopwatches (15.1, 15.5).
  • Models are timed from first motion until they land or go out of sight (15.6).
  • Duration models may not separate into multiple pieces (unless otherwise specified by the rules of that event) (15.2).
  • At least one qualified flight must be returned (in flight condition) to the officials (15.10).
  • Multi-Round events consist of three flights made with two models. The models are timed up to the maximum time for the event. No (official) returns are required. Ties are broken by additional flyoff rounds (15.12).

• Craftsmanship Event Judging -
  • Entries are judged by a team of one or more judges (16.1).
  • Entries are judged in flight condition, but without motor or recovery system (16.5).
  • Models which are caught before landing or which cannot be returned to the judges are judged as if having sustained maximum damage in flight (16.7-16.8).

• U.S. Records -
  • A list of records is maintained for all divisions for most events (17.1-17.3).
  • The model must be returned to claim a U.S. record (17.4).
  • Your record will be automatically filed by the Contest Director (17.7).

Sources

• The National Association of Rocketry

• The NAR Model Rocket Safety Code

• The Pink Book (in HTML format)
• The Pink Book (in PDF format)

• Guide to Competition for the Casual Competitor (GCCC)

• NAR Certified Motors

• Current U.S. Points Standings

• U.S. Rocketry Records