Here is the link to the NAR Competition Website.
Here's an overview of the rules for our contest, prepared by John Buckley (Thanks, John!)
D SUPERROC DURATION
The object of this event is to achieve the longest duration of a very long rocket which meets a minimum length requirement. A D motor must be used. For D super roc the rocket must have a minimum length of 150 cm(~60 in.). The maximum length is 300 cm (~120 in). Yes folks that's a 10 foot long rocket! Rockets over 300 cm are permitted but no additional points are awarded (see below). A parachute or streamer may be used as the recovery device. Two flights per contestant are allowed and you are permitted the use of two models. To place, one of the flights must be returned. Construction of the rocket must be safe, i.e., no hardwood dowels! Scoring is by a combination of static and flight points. Static points are awarded as the length in cm up to a maximum of 300 cm. Flight points are awarded as the duration in seconds. Total points for the flight is the product of static and flight points. Total score for the event is the sum of points for two flights. Best point score wins. The model must stay together, no separation of any parts of the rocket is allowed. Also crimping of the body or other structural failure prior to ejection is cause for disqualification. Unstable or looping flight will also get DQ'd.
SUPERROC DURATION
This contest centers around a launch on a 1/2 A motor. Scoring is based upon the sum of the flight duration and the overall length of the rocket. For example, if the flight lasts 22 seconds and the rocket is 48 centimeters long, you would get 70 points. However, a flight of 12 seconds with a rocket 88 cm long would get 100 points. Maximum length for scoring is 100 centimeters.
PREDICTED DURATION
Before the flight, the contestant estimates the duration of the flight. The person who's estimate is closest to their actual flight duration wins. Flight duration must be at least 30 seconds to place. Any allowed motor or rocket combination can be used.
OPEN SPOT LANDING
The way spot landing works is the contestant attempts to land his rocket closest to
an arbitrarily designated spot. No practice flights are allowed, that is, your
first flight of the day MUST be your spot landing attempt. Any rocket or engine is allowed
but recovery needs to either be by streamer or parachute (assuming the event is open
spot). No gliders or tumble recovery allowed. Distance from the spot is measured
from the tip of the nose cone to the spot. The closest one wins. However, you
must be within 50 meters to place, otherwise, flight points only.
EGG LOFT DURATION
The object of this event is to achieve the longest duration of a rocket with an
egg as a payload. Two flights per contestant are allowed and you are permitted the use of
two models. To place, one of the flights must be returned. Scoring is by the sum of the 2
flights duration. The model must stay together, no separation of any parts of the rocket
is allowed. The egg must be recovered intact with no signs of cracking or breaks.
PARACHUTE DURATION
The object of this event is to achieve the longest duration of a rocket with a
parachute as the recovery device. Two flights per contestant are allowed and you are
permitted the use of two models. To place, one of the flights must be returned. Scoring is
by the sum of the 2 flights duration. The model must stay together, no separation of any
parts of the rocket is allowed.
STREAMER DURATION
The object of this event is to achieve the longest duration of a rocket with a
streamer as the recovery device. Multi-round events such as this consist of three flights
per contestant. You are permitted the use of two models. To place, one of the
flights must be returned. Scoring is by the sum of the 2 flights duration. The model must
stay together, no separation of any parts of the rocket is allowed.
ROCKET GLIDER
The object of this event is to achieve the longest duration of a rocket glider. The entire rocket must stay together as a glider, i.e. you may not have any
separating parts.
BOOST GLIDE
The object in this event is to achieve the longest duration of a rocket one
portion of which is recovered using glide recovery. The gliding portion may not be
recovered using any other means than glide but other portions of the model which are
separated at burnout may be recovered by parachute or streamer, i.e., the engine pod. Two
flights per contestant are allowed and you are permitted the use of two models. To place,
one of the flights must be returned. Scoring is by the sum of the 2 flights duration.
DRAG RACE
The object in this event is to beat the competitor's rocket off the pad, have the
lowest altitude, and have the longest time in the air. You can get a point for each
of the above mentioned actions. This contest is done by elimination rounds.
GENERAL CONTEST RULES
1. When preparing for an official flight the motor must be verified by a contest
official before installation in the model. The motor must be verified that it is of the
correct impulse class and that it is a NAR contest certified motor. It is OK to fly
without checking in your engine but your model will be subject to impound. That is, you
must return the model for inspection by a contest official for verification of the engine
or the flight is disqualified. At this time the model also is checked for safety.
2. Returns- as indicated above return of one flight of the two allowed is required for PD
and the BG events. This means you must successfully recover the model and present it for
inspection. Verification that no in flight structural failure occurred and that the engine
has remained in place in the model. No ejection of motors from a model is allowed in NAR
competition.
3. As flights take place, each one is ruled by the RSO (or his designate) as to whether
the flight is qualified or not.
4. Timing- each flight which requires measurement of duration must be timed by two people.
The average of the two times is recorded. In the event of a malfunctioning stopwatch or
operator error, the one time is used as the official time. For an official NAR
competition flight the timers do not need to be NAR members
5. Scoring- Points are awarded for each event according to the following formula:
Points= Competition Points X weighting factor X contest factor
Competition points are awarded as 10 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 2 for4th and 1 for
making a qualified flight (flight points). Weighting factors are fixed factors which vary
with degree of difficulty, for our events they are, A PD is 7, 1/2A BG is 17, and OSL is
4. Contest factor may vary from 1 for a section meet to 8 for a national competition.
Overall winners of the contest are decided according to points.
Contact John Buckley for more info.