To Boldly go ... Bronze

by Geoff Canham, LUNAR #493

Around the start of 1997 my stepson, Matt Kennedy, and I had been flying model rockets for about three months, and had about fifty flights behind us. Then we saw an article about NARTREK (NAR Training Rocketeers for Experience and Knowledge) in The Model Rocketeer, and we decided to go for it. It sounded easy: the bronze level was described as carrying out a parachute recovery flight, a streamer recovery flight, a flight using a D-rated motor, and a multi-stage flight. With the exception of the D-powered flight, we had already carried out all of those, so there was no problem, was there? Well ... the article did tell the truth and nothing but the truth about the requirements, but it didn't tell the whole truth.

The actual requirements were:

1. A flight with parachute recovery, with at least 60 seconds duration, and using a motor no more powerful than an A;
2. A flight with streamer recovery, with at least 30 seconds duration, and again the motor not to be greater than an A;
3. A multistage flight (no restrictions as to motor size, duration, etc.);
4. A flight using a D-rated motor.

Also, all flights were to be carried out after we had received the bronze package. There is no guarantee that NARTREK won't change their requirements from time to time, but these were the requirements we had to meet.

We had never previously timed any of our flights, and when we did it became obvious that we couldn't meet the required durations with the fleet we had at that time. But this was an excuse to get some new rockets, so that was no problem. It was obvious that we needed to get small, high flying rockets, so Matt got an Estes Viking, and I went for the Zinger. We planned to use these for both the parachute and the streamer flights. For the D-powered flights, Matt got a Broadsword, and I got a Maniac. Matt's multistage rocket was a Hercules, and mine was a Mongoose.

Matt's Broadsword stood on pad 2 at the January 1997 LUNAR launch, ready to begin our bronze flights. The countdown reached zero, the LCO pressed the button ... a fireball emerged from the top of the body tube as the nosecone lifted off, to land about three feet in front of the rest of the rocket which stood smoking on the pad with an engine mount in rather pathetic condition. The LCO remarked "That must have been an Estes D!!". To be fair to Estes, we haven't had any more problems (so far) with their motors, and they sent replacement motors by return mail when we sent them the remains of that one.

Back in the repair shop, the Broadsword went through a serious overhaul, and flew successfully at the next (February 1997) LUNAR launch. That same meet saw Matt's Hercules fly. The following week we made our first streamer attempts, but Matt's duration was only 12 seconds with his Viking, and my Zinger only achieved 15 seconds (both using A8-3s) and both were damaged on landing.

In March, Matt's Viking achieved a flight of 83 seconds with a parachute and 34 seconds with a streamer. He had finished his bronze level flights. My Zinger was lost on its second flight, so I got a Reliant instead. The March LUNAR meet was also where I first flew my Maniac (D) and Mongoose (multi-stage) for the first time, both successfully.

The Reliant's first flight (in April) achieved a duration of 31 seconds with a streamer. The parachute attempt was staged at the April LUNAR launch, and the first attempt only managed 36 seconds when the parachute tangled. The parachute also failed to open properly on the second (34 seconds) and third (26 seconds) attempts, but happily the rocket was still undamaged. The final attempt of the day had the parachute opening perfectly, and the stopwatched stopped at 84 seconds. Success at last.

Matt's Broadsword has gone on to achieve 12 flights so far (10 D-powered flights, and 2 E-rated), and my Reliant has reliably achieved 8 flights. Matt's Viking was later lost, but, along with my Zinger, have been replaced by replica cardboard models, and have clocked up about 6 flights each. The upper stage of Hercules was also lost, but has been replaced by a cardboard replica, and has recorded 9 flights so far (we aim for at least 10 flights for each rocket). The upper stage of Mongoose along with Maniac, were both lost at the December 1997 LUNAR launch, and are having replicas made designed for night flight.

Details of our NARTEK Silver flights are another story, and we are currently working on the Gold level.

(Ed: Information on the NARTEK program is available on-line off the NAR web site at