ZOG-43 August2009 Page 12

ZOG - FORTY THREE3102 Eden DriveAbingdon, MD 21009

Launch ScheduleSPORT LAUNCH

Old National Pike ParkAugust 15thCancelled

ZOG-43August2009 Page 1

The ZOG-43The Newsletter of NARHAMS, NAR Section #139.NAR National Champions 2001, 2004

Inside this issue:Page 2-

Micro Maxx CornerPage 3-AugustAstro NewsPage 5-NSL 2009 Coverage

AND MORE!

August 2009Vol 31 Issue 8

Coming in the September 2009 Issue

From The Prez

We should have some reports from NARAM 51. I am also hoping to have informationfrom the 40th anniversary of theApollo 11 Launch at Goddard.

A Wonderful looking Lawn Dart. Thanks Raul!!!! Phot by Raul Pena

Editors Canadian Arrow clearing the Pad. Photoby Raul Pena

The end of the Contest Year quicklyapproaches for those that fly competitionrocketry. Of course the culmination of theyear is the NAR Annual Meet which isnear Pittsburgh Pa. The meet goes fromFriday Aug 7 through Friday Aug14. So ifyou’re looking for something to do, comeup and join us at the meet. The openingweekend is all about sport flying withlots of cool models being flown!

The months column is about regulationand how the hobby of model rocketryhas come a long way but still faces thethreat of regulation everyday. The recentcourt ruling in favor of the hobby groupsbeing able to have AmmoniumPerchorlate (fuel for composite hobbyand high power motors) removed fromthe low explosives user permitrequirements. However some igniters,black powder and various items are stillincluded and regulated by the BATF.Along those same lines, the College ParkAir Show is coming up on Sat August29th at College Park Airport where wehave our monthly business meetings.Prior to 9-11, we participated in theannual event and even flew a demo rightfrom the middle of the runways to startthe show off! We were hoping to restartthis tradition with the Air Show startingup again this year. We have been told bythe airport that due to some sort ofregulation we will not be permitted to flya demo. We can, and will have a staticdisplay of models and members to talk tothe crowd. It is sad that we can not puton this demo due to some sort ofgovernment regulation. Nobody seems toknow for sure but we have our thoughtson which government entity is calling theshots. It seems like the battle is nevergoing to end. As a hobby groupnationally we have fought our waythrough various government regulationsin the 50 years the hobby has been inexistence. We have established good

relations with the NFPA, the CSPA, and ofcourse just this past February, the FAArelaxed the waiver requirements fornotams and such for model rockets up to3.3 lbs. So now that the BATF issues arebasically all done it appears that thenewest government entity that isconcerned with the hobby guys that flymodel rockets, are starting to get involvedwith us.

Sigh……

ZOG-43August2009 Page 11

ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8

August2009ZOG-43 is the official newsletter ofNARHAMS the National Association ofRocketry Headquarters Astro ModelingSection # 139

NARHAMS is the oldest model rocket clubin the United States!

ZOG- 43 is dedicated to model rocketeersof all ages, abilities, and interest. We arecommitted to providing the most current,up-to-date information on model and realworld rocketry, and to provide educationalmaterial as well as entertaining information.ZOG -43 is published monthly and isavailable to anyone on a subscription basis.Current rates are $10 for meeting pickup oremail or $15 for postal mail U.S. Funds for12 issues a year, payable to NARHAMS Material in ZOG -43 is not copyrighted.Free and unlimited reproduction is grantedwith the proper credit to the author and/orZOG-43.

For more information.....

If you have any questions about ZOG-43or NARHAMS, or if you have anycomment(s), correspondence, freemerchandise or if you’d like to submit anarticle, send them to :

ZOG-43, 3102 Eden Drive

Abingdon, Md. 21009

E-Mail ZOG-43 at:zog43editor@yahoo.com

ZOG-43 is edited by Bradley Grant, and isan eight-time winner of the NAR/LAC“Rockwell” Trophy, recognized as the bestNAR section newsletter.

Years won: 1969, 1973, 1975, 1990, 1991, 1992,2003, & 2004

Zog-43 staff typist is none other thanJennifer Ash-Poole a.k.a. Secretary to theStars !

Photographs: by Whomever has a camera,except where noted.

ZOG-43 is produced on a typewriter.Masters are printed on a Ditto Machine.

This Edition: 35 copies

NARHAMS ON THE WEB

http://www.narhams.org

Send and receive E-mail with otherNARHAMS members through NARHAMS

Web page grouplist via yahoo-groups.

ZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYAL COURTAL COURTAL COURTAL COURTAL COURT( NARHAMS OFFICERS )

ZOG (President)

Jim Filler

301-524-4447

Vice Zog (Vice-President)

Chris Ha

COLLECTOR OF THE ROYALTAXES (Treasurer)

Ed Pearson 301-577-7775

KEEPER OF THE HOLY WORDS

( Secretary )

Chris Kidwell 571-434-7507

COURT JESTER (SectionAdvisor)

Mark Wise

Directions to College ParkAirport:

Follow I-495 to Kenilworth Ave. South.Make a right onto Paint Branch Parkway,then make a right on Cpl. Frank S. ScottDr. At the airport entrance go straight to theOperations Building, the annex building isadjacent to the “Ops” building.

ZOG-43August2009 Page 2

NARHAMS serves Baltimore, the state ofMd., Washington DC and the surroundingMetropolitan areas. The club is a sectionof the National Association of ModelRocketry (NAR) and we are the oldestcontinuously active model rocket club inthe United States, first established as a highschool club in 1963, changing our name toNARHAMS when chartered as a NARsection in 1965. NARHAMS is the onlyseven time winner of the NAR “Section ofthe Year” award.

Years won: 1997,1998,1999, 2001, 2004, 2006,and 2007

NARHAMS members regularly fly theirmodel rockets at NASA’s Goddard SpaceFlight Center on Soil Conservation Rd. inGreenbelt Md. The launches are open tothe public and are held the first Sunday ofevery month (weather permitting), startingat 1 PM.

Sport Launches are usually held the thirdSaturday of every month at Old NationalRegional park near Mt. Airy, Md. Check theweb page for updates.

NARHAMS welcomes all prospective newmembers to our monthly meetings. They areheld on the first Saturday of the month from5:30 to 9:30 PM at the College Park AirportAnnex Building. Dues are 10 cents a week,with an initial 50 cents up front (good for 5weeks) as a sign of good faith.

Monthly meetings available on-line viachat-room , simply go to the NARHAMShomepage and click on the link.

Micro ModelMagnifyingCorner: By

“Micromeister” : John McCoy -

Nar-15731

Micro Piston &FloatingHead PistonLaunchers:

This Column will not make thesingle column format I’ve been tryingto maintain. We’ll have to see if I cansqueeze it into two Columns as thissubject may need a bit more space andat least one Drawing attachments.

Piston Launcher: Can be assimple as a ¼” Hardwood dowel, alength of T2+ (.281") body tubing, anda ¼ to ½” piece of T2 (.246") tubing.About 10 years ago Micro-Maxersused these crude but effective zerovolumn Pistons to help our .21NsMMX-1 motors lift tiny PD & SDmodels to altitudes exceeding 300feet.These slightly longer delayed motorswere great for just this application.Generally we started with a 12"long x¼” hard wood dowel, sanding itsmooth as possible and reduced theOD to easily but snuggly fit the stopring T2 glued into the bottom ¼” to ½”of the 6 to 9" long T2+ Slide tubemaking up the piston body. On theforward end Masking or some form ofMetal tape, Aluminum, Stainless orTitanium tape was tightly and babiesbutt smoothly wrapped around theforward end of the wooden dowel tofrom the piston head. This head wasgenerally about an inch long and madesnug enough to slide easily butmaintain close contact with the insidewall of the T2+ slide tube piston body.Some of us decided to go a step furtherfinding brass tubing that fit almostperfectly inside the T2+ tubing. This“Metal Head” was married to thewooden dowel with whatever spacerswere required to center the parts and abit of epoxy used to permanently setthe head. On each side of the T2+about ¼” to ½” below the top edge,two tiny holes were carefully drilled orneedle drilled just large enough topass our .0100" (30ga.) Bare nichromeigniter wires. These lead legs were

extended out on each side of the slide tubefar enough for the micro-clips to haveattachment access. The Bottom end of the Dowel was thensome way attached to a base Launcher, farto many options to list. But a couple wouldinclude attachment, inside a tower launcher,slipped into a Tube launcher, or fixed to awooden block. Our model is then prepared by installingthe micro Motor with about ¼” extendingbeyond the aft end of the model securelymounted in the model by friction fit or witha motor stop. On the outside a single wrapof 1/8"- ¼” masking tape was carefullywrapped to create a snug friction fitbetween the motor and Sliding T2+ Pistontube while carefully aligning the installedigniter through the tiny holes or slits in theslide tube sides. Once mounted, the clipsare attached and the model is ready forlaunch. These were pretty effective but a pain inthe backside to make work well on the fieldunder competition pressure. Lots of mis-fires, shorted igniters and otherannoyances.Floating Head Piston: There has to be abetter Way! Several folks started lookingfor ways to make the contact pointsinternal. This necessitated use of tubingrather then a dowel as the structuralsupport member and finding methods andmaterial that would stand up to the riggersof mod-Roc ignition aftermath. Brass orstainless tubing seem the answer, asAluminum just didn’t hold up well underthe heat of repeated ignition. Anotherproblem was OD diameter size. Nothing“Standard” seemed to fit well in the .220"ID needed. Sanding down the OD of atube wall is tedious, Not very doable inStainless Steel though some day I’mgoing to try again. Brass tubing is thematerial of choice and the closes fit to our.246"OD/.220" ID stop tube is 7/32"(.2188") OD tubing. Looks like a greatfit right? Well not quite as themanufacturing tolerance generally makesthe tubing actually a little to big. Wehave to sand it down. Over time I’velearned not only to do this but to taperthe tube over the first 11" to .1968" as wellat the forward most end. The ID also justpasses standard jacket 22/2 copperspeaker wire. Giving plenty of spacingbetween the outer wall and wire for

soldering and insulation of a tiny little 2-socket connector. Once soldered to the22/2 wire the assembly is carefullyepoxied into the center of the brasstubing using masking tape to form anepoxy base that will be sanded smooth.These connectors are usually used on PCboards but I’ve adapted them to make onegreat little centering connector for ourmicro piston. Mill-Max .100" Socketscome in a variety of configuration optionsand are listed on the accompanyingFloating head drawing. They are used forthe Soldered base tube connector, plug inFloating heads and for making up theonly really throw away part the socket/nichrome igniters. Heads are formed using a 2-pin Mill-Max socket, ¼” length of T2 tubing and avery small amount of epoxy to center thesocket in the tube. These plug directlyinto the base tube after a 8 to 10" T2+slide tube with glued in ¼ to ½” T2 Stopring is installed on the Brass base tube. Making up the igniters is only a slightpain. I set up the soldering iron in theliving room to make up about 50 of theselittle igniters during a couple TV shows.Is this tedious….Sure it can be; but theeffort is more than worth it. I’ve been using a Micro Piston like thisfor about 3 years now. It’s got to be oneof the most positive performing pieces oflaunch equipment I have ever used. Todate I’ve only had one model fail to fly onthe very first attempt and that one was atest model while I was varying the lengthof the nichrome igniters. I’m happy toshare this design with you and hope youall have as much fun and ease ofoperation as I have. Next month we’ll beback to talk more about other Micro Auto-Gyros and Helicopter designs. Some tiny,some not so much☺

Editor’s Note: For pictures of theFLoating Head Piston go to Page 3. Fora Drawing, please go to Page 9.

ZOG-43 August2009 Page 10 ZOG-43August2009 Page 3

August SkiesAugust 5 - 40th Anniversary Mariner 7Mars FlybyAugust 6 – Full MoonAugust 13 – Last QuarterAugust 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower MaxAugust 15 - National Relaxation Day (Weall will need it after NARAM)August 20 – New MoonAugust 25 - 20th Anniversary Voyager 2Neptune FlybyAugust 27– First Quarter

By the end of August, Venus will have setin the eastern horizon,while Mars continues its tripup across the sky. In the beginning of themonth, August 2, Venus willbe right by thegalaxy M35, while Mars will be next to it onAugust 28.

Jupiter is rising in the east in the earlyevening, so it can be seenall month, all night. On August 6,the full Moon, Juipter and the Moon areright next to each other,between the constellationCapricorn and Aquarius. On August 14,Jupiter will be in opposition.This means that as seenfrom Earth, Jupiter is on the opposite sideof the sky from the Sun.

On August 24, Mercury is at its greatestelongation, meaning it's ashigh in the western sky asit can get before it goes back and sets.This will be hard to seesince sunset is so late, butyou may be able to see it around 8pm.Saturn can be seen to the rightof Mercury.

If you are up late building at NARAM, onthe morning of August 12 andAugust 13, youcan see the Perseids Metoer Shower. Thisis the peak time, so you maysee 30-50 meteorsper hour. Look to the northeast, and uphalf way in the sky. Look

August Astro Newsfor Cassiopeda(an M or a W, depending on the sky), andPerseus is close by. The Moonwill cause someproblems but see if you can ":wish upon astar" (really a meteor.)

ZOG-43August2009 Page 9ZOG-43August2009 Page 4

Pratt Hobbies is proud to an-nounce that we are now a QUESTdealer! Contact us for all yourQuest and MicroMaxx products.

New T-Shirt! Check it out atwww.pratthobbies.com

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the online order form for aSpecial Ludicrous Discount!

NASA LUNAR MISSION SUC-CESSFULLY ENTERS MOONORBIT

GREENBELT, Md. -- After a four and ahalf day journey from the Earth,the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, orLRO, has successfully enteredorbit around the moon. Engineers atNASA's Goddard Space FlightCenter in Greenbelt, Md., confirmedthe spacecraft's lunar orbitinsertion at 6:27 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

During transit to the moon, engineersperformed a mid-coursecorrection to get the spacecraft in theproper position to reach itslunar destination. Since the moon isalways moving, the spacecraftshot for a target point ahead of themoon. When close to the moon,LRO used its rocket motor to slowdown until the gravity of the mooncaught the spacecraft in lunar orbit.

"Lunar orbit insertion is a crucialmilestone for the mission," saidCathy Peddie, LRO deputy projectmanager at Goddard. "The LROmissioncannot begin until the moon capturesus. Once we enter the moon'sorbit, we can begin to buildup thedataset needed to understand ingreater detail the lunar topography,features and resources. We areso proud to be a part of this excitingmission and NASA's plannedreturn to the moon."

A series of four engine burns over thenext four days will put thesatellite into its commissioning phaseorbit. During thecommissioning phase each of itsseven instruments is checked out andbrought online. The commissioningphase will end approximately 60days after launch, when LRO will useits engines to transition to its

primary mission orbit.

For its primary mission, LRO will orbitabove the moon at about 31miles, or 50 kilometers, for one year. Thespacecraft's instrumentswill help scientists compile high resolution,three-dimensional mapsof the lunar surface and also survey it atmany spectral wavelengths.

The satellite will explore the moon'sdeepest craters, examiningpermanently sunlit and shadowed regions,and provide understanding ofthe effects of lunar radiation on humans.LRO will return more dataabout the moon than any previousmission.

For more information about the LROmission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lro

An Art Applewhite Saucer beginning it’s launch. Photo by Raul Pena

ZOG-43 August2009 Page 8 ZOG-43August2009 Page 5

National Sport Launch 2009 – ANARHAMSter’s JourneyMark Wise

Kenosha, Wisconsin is a long drive for athree-day weekend. However, consideringthat I was hitting the road for the NationalSport Launch and, not incidentally, a longweekend with my son Michael, the drivewas well worth it.

Todd Schweim, my oldest rocketry buddy,was planning to go to NSL to shoot photosfor Sport Rocketry, and he readily agreed toshare a room at the convention hotel and togive Michael a ride from the other side ofWisconsin (a six-hour drive each way).Thanks, Todd!

As always, I had hoped to get more rocketsbuilt before the event, but it didn’t happen.I finished my Semroc SLS Laser-X a week orso before NSL, but I just plain ran out oftime to build anything else. I never seem todo much flying at national events, anyway.

Todd, Michael, and I met up at the hotel onFriday afternoon, May 22nd. Trip Barberjoined us for dinner, and it was a rare treat tosee Michael discussing everything fromelectromagnetic railguns to origami rocketswith him. (Todd and I are used to this; Ithink it came as a bit of a surprise for Trip.)Unlike NARAM or NARCON, there are noplanned evening events during NSL. Ifyou’re really lucky, you have a rocketrybuddy who works at a winery part-time andlikes to share a few bottles (not at the field,of course!), and you can sit on the hotelporch, sipping the good stuff anddiscussing the meaning of life with oldfriends. Michael chose to go back to theroom and finish the Deltie he was building,but I had a great time with Todd as well asBruce and Kathy McLeod, friends from theold CMAR section.

We motored out to the Bong StateRecreation Area the next morning. The hostsection, WOOSH, had done a great job ofsetting up the range. They accommodatedeverything from MicroMaxx through Level 3HPR. It’s a big park, and you could be justabout certain of getting your model back ifyou were careful about motor impulse andlauncher angle. We had a few issues with a

swamp and a forest to the south, but youcan’t have everything!

Saturday was the best day, weather-wise.There were quite a few high power flights,ranging up to M, while the weather wasgood. I recall getting thumped in the chestby a sonic boom, the first I’d everexperienced. At the other extreme, Michaelflew his X-Roc, his own design. The bodyis origami (made from printer paper) with a6-mm stuffer tube to hold the MicroMaxxmotor. It’s no more than three inches long,and you have to be sure to recover it beforesomeone steps on it! I flew my SLS Laser-Xon an F25-6 White Lightning. Theparachute took a long time to open afterejection, but it finally deployed for a softlanding. Unfortunately, it spit the motormount. I should be grateful (and I am) thatenough of the charge blew forward todeploy the recovery system. By the time Iflew the Laser-X, it was clouding up, andthe day ended with a downpour at about 3PM.

On Saturday night, Michael and I hung outwith the MASA contingent for dinner. Ihope to see Michael get involved withMASA, and it was a good chance for him tomeet some really great people. Besides,MASA folks tend to hang out withNARHAMS folks at East Coast events, andfair’s fair, right? Todd staggered into theroom at who knows what hour, having beenthe designated driver for a couple of MASAparty animals. I’m told that a good time washad by all.

While I didn’t do any building during NSL,Michael bought a Sparrow tailless B/G fromStarlight Model Rockets, and he built it atthe field. We spread a tarp behind my car,and that was all the workshop he needed.He flew it on Sunday morning, and he wastotally captivated by its performance. Ithink we have another glider enthusiast in ADivision! He also flew his X-Roc one lasttime before the wind picked up. Meanwhile,I flew my Red River Merlin on an F23-4FJ asmy underpowered entry in the G Gouda Loftevent. Hey, we were in Wisconsin,“America’s Dairyland,” and a cheese-loftseemed perfectly logical. My time wasn’tcompetitive, but I had fun.

Con’t on Page 8

Todd looked my Merlin over after that flightand spoke those fateful words, “You know,you could go for Level 1 with that rocket.”I’m usually more resistant to peer pressure,but I finally broke down and bought areload casing and an H128 certification kitfrom Wildman Hobbies. You can imaginehow a rocket weighing about half a kilogramzipped off the pad under that kind of thrust!I barely saw the Merlin as it streakedskyward, but I did pick up the smoke trailand the chute (a 24-inch Chute by Boe,made to order in Navy blue and gold). Thewind had picked up by then, and the modeldrifted. And drifted. And drifted. It clearedthe pond, but a long search with Todd’shelp pretty well proved that it didn’t clearthe trees. We did, however, find a 10x Rock-a-Chute in the cow pasture, which Michaelreturned to its owner. On the bright side, Inow know that I can build and fly to Level 1standards. I just have to prove that I canrecover the doggone thing….

The crowd had thinned out pretty well onMonday, as lots of folks chose to start forhome. The weather was windy most of theday, and WOOSH shut the range downabout noon as rain threatened. I got in oneflight on my Initiator with an F23-4FJ, and ittook me over an hour to find it.

Michael and I both checked out thevendors, who staged a pretty good turnout.As I’d mentioned above, Michael bought aSparrow from Starlight, as well as anEdmonds Geminee from Balsa MachiningService. I had some great conversationswith Art Upton from BoosterVision, JayCalvert from Impulse Buys, Dave fromWildman Hobbies, and Bill Saindon of BalsaMachining Service. For better or worse, Ikeep a low limit on my MasterCard, or I’dhave had a trunk full of kits, motors, andlaunch gear!

Two manufacturers presented particularlyinteresting stuff. Rick Randol fromIndianapolis introduced the first kits fromNewway Spacemodels. Rick and his sonLuke questioned one of our basicassumptions and asked themselves, “Whyare body tubes round?” They’ve rolled outfour kits with square cross sections, andthey look interesting. I drove home with a4-Square, which combines a square bodytube with square tube fins. I’ll let you know

how it turns out.

Equally exciting was the new Interrogator Gfrom Sirius Rocketry. Dave and Evie Millerrolled out a high-power version of theirpopular Interrogator kit, suitable for F, G, orH power. With a special introductory priceand an awesome demo flight, they sold outtheir initial production run by Sundayafternoon. Give me a few months to build it,and you’ll see a product review.

As I’ve said before, Wisconsin was a heckof a drive for a three-day weekend, but itwas definitely time and money well spent.See you at NSL 2010, if my boss doesn’tsend me out of town!

Michael Wise with his origami MicroMaxx rocket.Photo by Mark Wise

Origami-roc on the pad. Photo by Mark Wise

Yes, they all fly. Newway's first kits Photo by MarkWise

At the other end of the spectrum... Photo byMark Wise

National Sport Launch 2009 – A NARHAMSter’s Journey Con’tMark Wise

ZOG-43August2009 Page 7ZOG-43August2009 Page 6

Calendar of Events for September and October 2009

Stocking rocket kits from Quest, Custom, Fliskits,Semroc, and Estes.

NARHAMS Members get at least a 20% discountat the Laurel store.

Ask for Scott!354 Domer AvenueLaurel, Maryland

(301)725-0383www.hobbyworks.com

Photos from the Dundalk Rocket Demo on June 26, 2009

Sport launches are held at Old National Park from 10am-4pm, waiver up to 3.3 lbsand “G” motors not exceeding 62.5 grams of propellant.All flights “E” power and above are restricted while soccer games are present onthe field adjacent to the launch area.Call ahead to confirm launch and waiver availability.Business meetings are held at the College Park AirportAnnex Building. Meetingsbegin at 5pm with building sessions or presentations and last until 10:00pm or so.Questions? Call Club President Jim Filler at 301-524-4447 or visit NARHAMSonline at http://www.narhams.org

Sep 5-6 9 am – 5 pm RAMTEC-13 Regional Meet (tentative)Ft. Indiantown Gap, PASep 6 1 – 2 pm Goddard Public LaunchGreenbelt, MDSep 12 5:30 – 9:30 pm Monthly meeting, Kit Bash Building SessionCollege Park, MDSep 19 10 am – 4 pm Sport Launch, Ping Pong Ball Spot Landing, Night Launch(Sep 26 rain date)Mt. Airy, MDOct 3 5:30 – 9:30 pm Monthly meeting, R/C Building Session (Robert Edmonds)College Park, MDOct 4 1 – 2 pm Goddard Public LaunchGreenbelt, MDOct 17 10 am – 4 pm HQSM-43 Section Meet (Oct 24 rain date)Events: B ELD, E BG (Brad Grant CD)Mt. Airy, MDOct 24-25 9 am – 5 pm Capitol Cup 2009 FAI Meet (Tony Reynolds CD)The Plains, Va

All Photos provided by Raul Pena. Also a special than you to Raul and Mark for helping out and making it a great DemoLaunch.

With the President (and several otherNARHAMSTERS) competing at NARAM 51I was curious as to how we are doing. Asof this writing, the home team is putting up agood fight at NARAM 51. John McCoy’s 1/8 HD took a 3rd place and Matt Filler isdoing well in the “B” Division. If you wantto find out about what is happening atNARAM51, go to http://www.naramlive.com.Speaking of NAR National Events, MarkWise went to the National Sport Launch inWisconsin back on Memorial Day. He hasan excellent article about the launch. I amvery curious as to where the NAR will holdthe NSL next year.On some other NAR National Event news, itlooks like NARCON will again be held inConnecticut. This event will again be hostedby CATO. NARAM 52 looks like it will beout in Colorado next year.On the Regional and local contest fronts,there is RAMTEC up in Pennsylvania onLabor Day weekend and The Club will behaving it’s annual open meet in October. Ifyou have any interest in contest flyin, theopen meet is a good place to start.With Summer coming to an end and Schoolstarting backup there should be anopportunity for club members to getinvolved in some Outreach projects. Forthose members who have done this it is agood time and you get a chance to “PayForward”.Don’t forget in September we have clubelections so make sure you are there for themeeting.

Finally I want to thank everyone who hascontributed to the Zog. I have been givengreat material. One of the goals I have setfor myself for next year is to try to have theZog 43 win the Rockwell Trophy. For that tohappen, we will continue to need greatmaterial. I will also be working harder toproduce a cleaner newsletter.

Brad

ZOG-43August2009 Page 7ZOG-43August2009 Page 6

Calendar of Events for September and October 2009

Stocking rocket kits from Quest, Custom, Fliskits,Semroc, and Estes.

NARHAMS Members get at least a 20% discountat the Laurel store.

Ask for Scott!354 Domer AvenueLaurel, Maryland

(301)725-0383www.hobbyworks.com

Photos from the Dundalk Rocket Demo on June 26, 2009

Sport launches are held at Old National Park from 10am-4pm, waiver up to 3.3 lbsand “G” motors not exceeding 62.5 grams of propellant.All flights “E” power and above are restricted while soccer games are present onthe field adjacent to the launch area.Call ahead to confirm launch and waiver availability.Business meetings are held at the College Park AirportAnnex Building. Meetingsbegin at 5pm with building sessions or presentations and last until 10:00pm or so.Questions? Call Club President Jim Filler at 301-524-4447 or visit NARHAMSonline at http://www.narhams.org

Sep 5-6 9 am – 5 pm RAMTEC-13 Regional Meet (tentative)Ft. Indiantown Gap, PASep 6 1 – 2 pm Goddard Public LaunchGreenbelt, MDSep 12 5:30 – 9:30 pm Monthly meeting, Kit Bash Building SessionCollege Park, MDSep 19 10 am – 4 pm Sport Launch, Ping Pong Ball Spot Landing, Night Launch(Sep 26 rain date)Mt. Airy, MDOct 3 5:30 – 9:30 pm Monthly meeting, R/C Building Session (Robert Edmonds)College Park, MDOct 4 1 – 2 pm Goddard Public LaunchGreenbelt, MDOct 17 10 am – 4 pm HQSM-43 Section Meet (Oct 24 rain date)Events: B ELD, E BG (Brad Grant CD)Mt. Airy, MDOct 24-25 9 am – 5 pm Capitol Cup 2009 FAI Meet (Tony Reynolds CD)The Plains, Va

All Photos provided by Raul Pena. Also a special than you to Raul and Mark for helping out and making it a great DemoLaunch.

With the President (and several otherNARHAMSTERS) competing at NARAM 51I was curious as to how we are doing. Asof this writing, the home team is putting up agood fight at NARAM 51. John McCoy’s 1/8 HD took a 3rd place and Matt Filler isdoing well in the “B” Division. If you wantto find out about what is happening atNARAM51, go to http://www.naramlive.com.Speaking of NAR National Events, MarkWise went to the National Sport Launch inWisconsin back on Memorial Day. He hasan excellent article about the launch. I amvery curious as to where the NAR will holdthe NSL next year.On some other NAR National Event news, itlooks like NARCON will again be held inConnecticut. This event will again be hostedby CATO. NARAM 52 looks like it will beout in Colorado next year.On the Regional and local contest fronts,there is RAMTEC up in Pennsylvania onLabor Day weekend and The Club will behaving it’s annual open meet in October. Ifyou have any interest in contest flyin, theopen meet is a good place to start.With Summer coming to an end and Schoolstarting backup there should be anopportunity for club members to getinvolved in some Outreach projects. Forthose members who have done this it is agood time and you get a chance to “PayForward”.Don’t forget in September we have clubelections so make sure you are there for themeeting.

Finally I want to thank everyone who hascontributed to the Zog. I have been givengreat material. One of the goals I have setfor myself for next year is to try to have theZog 43 win the Rockwell Trophy. For that tohappen, we will continue to need greatmaterial. I will also be working harder toproduce a cleaner newsletter.

Brad

ZOG-43 August2009 Page 8 ZOG-43August2009 Page 5

National Sport Launch 2009 – ANARHAMSter’s JourneyMark Wise

Kenosha, Wisconsin is a long drive for athree-day weekend. However, consideringthat I was hitting the road for the NationalSport Launch and, not incidentally, a longweekend with my son Michael, the drivewas well worth it.

Todd Schweim, my oldest rocketry buddy,was planning to go to NSL to shoot photosfor Sport Rocketry, and he readily agreed toshare a room at the convention hotel and togive Michael a ride from the other side ofWisconsin (a six-hour drive each way).Thanks, Todd!

As always, I had hoped to get more rocketsbuilt before the event, but it didn’t happen.I finished my Semroc SLS Laser-X a week orso before NSL, but I just plain ran out oftime to build anything else. I never seem todo much flying at national events, anyway.

Todd, Michael, and I met up at the hotel onFriday afternoon, May 22nd. Trip Barberjoined us for dinner, and it was a rare treat tosee Michael discussing everything fromelectromagnetic railguns to origami rocketswith him. (Todd and I are used to this; Ithink it came as a bit of a surprise for Trip.)Unlike NARAM or NARCON, there are noplanned evening events during NSL. Ifyou’re really lucky, you have a rocketrybuddy who works at a winery part-time andlikes to share a few bottles (not at the field,of course!), and you can sit on the hotelporch, sipping the good stuff anddiscussing the meaning of life with oldfriends. Michael chose to go back to theroom and finish the Deltie he was building,but I had a great time with Todd as well asBruce and Kathy McLeod, friends from theold CMAR section.

We motored out to the Bong StateRecreation Area the next morning. The hostsection, WOOSH, had done a great job ofsetting up the range. They accommodatedeverything from MicroMaxx through Level 3HPR. It’s a big park, and you could be justabout certain of getting your model back ifyou were careful about motor impulse andlauncher angle. We had a few issues with a

swamp and a forest to the south, but youcan’t have everything!

Saturday was the best day, weather-wise.There were quite a few high power flights,ranging up to M, while the weather wasgood. I recall getting thumped in the chestby a sonic boom, the first I’d everexperienced. At the other extreme, Michaelflew his X-Roc, his own design. The bodyis origami (made from printer paper) with a6-mm stuffer tube to hold the MicroMaxxmotor. It’s no more than three inches long,and you have to be sure to recover it beforesomeone steps on it! I flew my SLS Laser-Xon an F25-6 White Lightning. Theparachute took a long time to open afterejection, but it finally deployed for a softlanding. Unfortunately, it spit the motormount. I should be grateful (and I am) thatenough of the charge blew forward todeploy the recovery system. By the time Iflew the Laser-X, it was clouding up, andthe day ended with a downpour at about 3PM.

On Saturday night, Michael and I hung outwith the MASA contingent for dinner. Ihope to see Michael get involved withMASA, and it was a good chance for him tomeet some really great people. Besides,MASA folks tend to hang out withNARHAMS folks at East Coast events, andfair’s fair, right? Todd staggered into theroom at who knows what hour, having beenthe designated driver for a couple of MASAparty animals. I’m told that a good time washad by all.

While I didn’t do any building during NSL,Michael bought a Sparrow tailless B/G fromStarlight Model Rockets, and he built it atthe field. We spread a tarp behind my car,and that was all the workshop he needed.He flew it on Sunday morning, and he wastotally captivated by its performance. Ithink we have another glider enthusiast in ADivision! He also flew his X-Roc one lasttime before the wind picked up. Meanwhile,I flew my Red River Merlin on an F23-4FJ asmy underpowered entry in the G Gouda Loftevent. Hey, we were in Wisconsin,“America’s Dairyland,” and a cheese-loftseemed perfectly logical. My time wasn’tcompetitive, but I had fun.

Con’t on Page 8

Todd looked my Merlin over after that flightand spoke those fateful words, “You know,you could go for Level 1 with that rocket.”I’m usually more resistant to peer pressure,but I finally broke down and bought areload casing and an H128 certification kitfrom Wildman Hobbies. You can imaginehow a rocket weighing about half a kilogramzipped off the pad under that kind of thrust!I barely saw the Merlin as it streakedskyward, but I did pick up the smoke trailand the chute (a 24-inch Chute by Boe,made to order in Navy blue and gold). Thewind had picked up by then, and the modeldrifted. And drifted. And drifted. It clearedthe pond, but a long search with Todd’shelp pretty well proved that it didn’t clearthe trees. We did, however, find a 10x Rock-a-Chute in the cow pasture, which Michaelreturned to its owner. On the bright side, Inow know that I can build and fly to Level 1standards. I just have to prove that I canrecover the doggone thing….

The crowd had thinned out pretty well onMonday, as lots of folks chose to start forhome. The weather was windy most of theday, and WOOSH shut the range downabout noon as rain threatened. I got in oneflight on my Initiator with an F23-4FJ, and ittook me over an hour to find it.

Michael and I both checked out thevendors, who staged a pretty good turnout.As I’d mentioned above, Michael bought aSparrow from Starlight, as well as anEdmonds Geminee from Balsa MachiningService. I had some great conversationswith Art Upton from BoosterVision, JayCalvert from Impulse Buys, Dave fromWildman Hobbies, and Bill Saindon of BalsaMachining Service. For better or worse, Ikeep a low limit on my MasterCard, or I’dhave had a trunk full of kits, motors, andlaunch gear!

Two manufacturers presented particularlyinteresting stuff. Rick Randol fromIndianapolis introduced the first kits fromNewway Spacemodels. Rick and his sonLuke questioned one of our basicassumptions and asked themselves, “Whyare body tubes round?” They’ve rolled outfour kits with square cross sections, andthey look interesting. I drove home with a4-Square, which combines a square bodytube with square tube fins. I’ll let you know

how it turns out.

Equally exciting was the new Interrogator Gfrom Sirius Rocketry. Dave and Evie Millerrolled out a high-power version of theirpopular Interrogator kit, suitable for F, G, orH power. With a special introductory priceand an awesome demo flight, they sold outtheir initial production run by Sundayafternoon. Give me a few months to build it,and you’ll see a product review.

As I’ve said before, Wisconsin was a heckof a drive for a three-day weekend, but itwas definitely time and money well spent.See you at NSL 2010, if my boss doesn’tsend me out of town!

Michael Wise with his origami MicroMaxx rocket.Photo by Mark Wise

Origami-roc on the pad. Photo by Mark Wise

Yes, they all fly. Newway's first kits Photo by MarkWise

At the other end of the spectrum... Photo byMark Wise

National Sport Launch 2009 – A NARHAMSter’s Journey Con’tMark Wise

ZOG-43August2009 Page 9ZOG-43August2009 Page 4

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NASA LUNAR MISSION SUC-CESSFULLY ENTERS MOONORBIT

GREENBELT, Md. -- After a four and ahalf day journey from the Earth,the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, orLRO, has successfully enteredorbit around the moon. Engineers atNASA's Goddard Space FlightCenter in Greenbelt, Md., confirmedthe spacecraft's lunar orbitinsertion at 6:27 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

During transit to the moon, engineersperformed a mid-coursecorrection to get the spacecraft in theproper position to reach itslunar destination. Since the moon isalways moving, the spacecraftshot for a target point ahead of themoon. When close to the moon,LRO used its rocket motor to slowdown until the gravity of the mooncaught the spacecraft in lunar orbit.

"Lunar orbit insertion is a crucialmilestone for the mission," saidCathy Peddie, LRO deputy projectmanager at Goddard. "The LROmissioncannot begin until the moon capturesus. Once we enter the moon'sorbit, we can begin to buildup thedataset needed to understand ingreater detail the lunar topography,features and resources. We areso proud to be a part of this excitingmission and NASA's plannedreturn to the moon."

A series of four engine burns over thenext four days will put thesatellite into its commissioning phaseorbit. During thecommissioning phase each of itsseven instruments is checked out andbrought online. The commissioningphase will end approximately 60days after launch, when LRO will useits engines to transition to its

primary mission orbit.

For its primary mission, LRO will orbitabove the moon at about 31miles, or 50 kilometers, for one year. Thespacecraft's instrumentswill help scientists compile high resolution,three-dimensional mapsof the lunar surface and also survey it atmany spectral wavelengths.

The satellite will explore the moon'sdeepest craters, examiningpermanently sunlit and shadowed regions,and provide understanding ofthe effects of lunar radiation on humans.LRO will return more dataabout the moon than any previousmission.

For more information about the LROmission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lro

An Art Applewhite Saucer beginning it’s launch. Photo by Raul Pena

ZOG-43 August2009 Page 10 ZOG-43August2009 Page 3

August SkiesAugust 5 - 40th Anniversary Mariner 7Mars FlybyAugust 6 – Full MoonAugust 13 – Last QuarterAugust 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower MaxAugust 15 - National Relaxation Day (Weall will need it after NARAM)August 20 – New MoonAugust 25 - 20th Anniversary Voyager 2Neptune FlybyAugust 27– First Quarter

By the end of August, Venus will have setin the eastern horizon,while Mars continues its tripup across the sky. In the beginning of themonth, August 2, Venus willbe right by thegalaxy M35, while Mars will be next to it onAugust 28.

Jupiter is rising in the east in the earlyevening, so it can be seenall month, all night. On August 6,the full Moon, Juipter and the Moon areright next to each other,between the constellationCapricorn and Aquarius. On August 14,Jupiter will be in opposition.This means that as seenfrom Earth, Jupiter is on the opposite sideof the sky from the Sun.

On August 24, Mercury is at its greatestelongation, meaning it's ashigh in the western sky asit can get before it goes back and sets.This will be hard to seesince sunset is so late, butyou may be able to see it around 8pm.Saturn can be seen to the rightof Mercury.

If you are up late building at NARAM, onthe morning of August 12 andAugust 13, youcan see the Perseids Metoer Shower. Thisis the peak time, so you maysee 30-50 meteorsper hour. Look to the northeast, and uphalf way in the sky. Look

August Astro Newsfor Cassiopeda(an M or a W, depending on the sky), andPerseus is close by. The Moonwill cause someproblems but see if you can ":wish upon astar" (really a meteor.)

ZOG-43August2009 Page 11

ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43ZOG-43Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8Volume 31 Number8

August2009ZOG-43 is the official newsletter ofNARHAMS the National Association ofRocketry Headquarters Astro ModelingSection # 139

NARHAMS is the oldest model rocket clubin the United States!

ZOG- 43 is dedicated to model rocketeersof all ages, abilities, and interest. We arecommitted to providing the most current,up-to-date information on model and realworld rocketry, and to provide educationalmaterial as well as entertaining information.ZOG -43 is published monthly and isavailable to anyone on a subscription basis.Current rates are $10 for meeting pickup oremail or $15 for postal mail U.S. Funds for12 issues a year, payable to NARHAMS Material in ZOG -43 is not copyrighted.Free and unlimited reproduction is grantedwith the proper credit to the author and/orZOG-43.

For more information.....

If you have any questions about ZOG-43or NARHAMS, or if you have anycomment(s), correspondence, freemerchandise or if you’d like to submit anarticle, send them to :

ZOG-43, 3102 Eden Drive

Abingdon, Md. 21009

E-Mail ZOG-43 at:zog43editor@yahoo.com

ZOG-43 is edited by Bradley Grant, and isan eight-time winner of the NAR/LAC“Rockwell” Trophy, recognized as the bestNAR section newsletter.

Years won: 1969, 1973, 1975, 1990, 1991, 1992,2003, & 2004

Zog-43 staff typist is none other thanJennifer Ash-Poole a.k.a. Secretary to theStars !

Photographs: by Whomever has a camera,except where noted.

ZOG-43 is produced on a typewriter.Masters are printed on a Ditto Machine.

This Edition: 35 copies

NARHAMS ON THE WEB

http://www.narhams.org

Send and receive E-mail with otherNARHAMS members through NARHAMS

Web page grouplist via yahoo-groups.

ZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYZOG ROYAL COURTAL COURTAL COURTAL COURTAL COURT( NARHAMS OFFICERS )

ZOG (President)

Jim Filler

301-524-4447

Vice Zog (Vice-President)

Chris Ha

COLLECTOR OF THE ROYALTAXES (Treasurer)

Ed Pearson 301-577-7775

KEEPER OF THE HOLY WORDS

( Secretary )

Chris Kidwell 571-434-7507

COURT JESTER (SectionAdvisor)

Mark Wise

Directions to College ParkAirport:

Follow I-495 to Kenilworth Ave. South.Make a right onto Paint Branch Parkway,then make a right on Cpl. Frank S. ScottDr. At the airport entrance go straight to theOperations Building, the annex building isadjacent to the “Ops” building.

ZOG-43August2009 Page 2

NARHAMS serves Baltimore, the state ofMd., Washington DC and the surroundingMetropolitan areas. The club is a sectionof the National Association of ModelRocketry (NAR) and we are the oldestcontinuously active model rocket club inthe United States, first established as a highschool club in 1963, changing our name toNARHAMS when chartered as a NARsection in 1965. NARHAMS is the onlyseven time winner of the NAR “Section ofthe Year” award.

Years won: 1997,1998,1999, 2001, 2004, 2006,and 2007

NARHAMS members regularly fly theirmodel rockets at NASA’s Goddard SpaceFlight Center on Soil Conservation Rd. inGreenbelt Md. The launches are open tothe public and are held the first Sunday ofevery month (weather permitting), startingat 1 PM.

Sport Launches are usually held the thirdSaturday of every month at Old NationalRegional park near Mt. Airy, Md. Check theweb page for updates.

NARHAMS welcomes all prospective newmembers to our monthly meetings. They areheld on the first Saturday of the month from5:30 to 9:30 PM at the College Park AirportAnnex Building. Dues are 10 cents a week,with an initial 50 cents up front (good for 5weeks) as a sign of good faith.

Monthly meetings available on-line viachat-room , simply go to the NARHAMShomepage and click on the link.

Micro ModelMagnifyingCorner: By

“Micromeister” : John McCoy -

Nar-15731

Micro Piston &FloatingHead PistonLaunchers:

This Column will not make thesingle column format I’ve been tryingto maintain. We’ll have to see if I cansqueeze it into two Columns as thissubject may need a bit more space andat least one Drawing attachments.

Piston Launcher: Can be assimple as a ¼” Hardwood dowel, alength of T2+ (.281") body tubing, anda ¼ to ½” piece of T2 (.246") tubing.About 10 years ago Micro-Maxersused these crude but effective zerovolumn Pistons to help our .21NsMMX-1 motors lift tiny PD & SDmodels to altitudes exceeding 300feet.These slightly longer delayed motorswere great for just this application.Generally we started with a 12"long x¼” hard wood dowel, sanding itsmooth as possible and reduced theOD to easily but snuggly fit the stopring T2 glued into the bottom ¼” to ½”of the 6 to 9" long T2+ Slide tubemaking up the piston body. On theforward end Masking or some form ofMetal tape, Aluminum, Stainless orTitanium tape was tightly and babiesbutt smoothly wrapped around theforward end of the wooden dowel tofrom the piston head. This head wasgenerally about an inch long and madesnug enough to slide easily butmaintain close contact with the insidewall of the T2+ slide tube piston body.Some of us decided to go a step furtherfinding brass tubing that fit almostperfectly inside the T2+ tubing. This“Metal Head” was married to thewooden dowel with whatever spacerswere required to center the parts and abit of epoxy used to permanently setthe head. On each side of the T2+about ¼” to ½” below the top edge,two tiny holes were carefully drilled orneedle drilled just large enough topass our .0100" (30ga.) Bare nichromeigniter wires. These lead legs were

extended out on each side of the slide tubefar enough for the micro-clips to haveattachment access. The Bottom end of the Dowel was thensome way attached to a base Launcher, farto many options to list. But a couple wouldinclude attachment, inside a tower launcher,slipped into a Tube launcher, or fixed to awooden block. Our model is then prepared by installingthe micro Motor with about ¼” extendingbeyond the aft end of the model securelymounted in the model by friction fit or witha motor stop. On the outside a single wrapof 1/8"- ¼” masking tape was carefullywrapped to create a snug friction fitbetween the motor and Sliding T2+ Pistontube while carefully aligning the installedigniter through the tiny holes or slits in theslide tube sides. Once mounted, the clipsare attached and the model is ready forlaunch. These were pretty effective but a pain inthe backside to make work well on the fieldunder competition pressure. Lots of mis-fires, shorted igniters and otherannoyances.Floating Head Piston: There has to be abetter Way! Several folks started lookingfor ways to make the contact pointsinternal. This necessitated use of tubingrather then a dowel as the structuralsupport member and finding methods andmaterial that would stand up to the riggersof mod-Roc ignition aftermath. Brass orstainless tubing seem the answer, asAluminum just didn’t hold up well underthe heat of repeated ignition. Anotherproblem was OD diameter size. Nothing“Standard” seemed to fit well in the .220"ID needed. Sanding down the OD of atube wall is tedious, Not very doable inStainless Steel though some day I’mgoing to try again. Brass tubing is thematerial of choice and the closes fit to our.246"OD/.220" ID stop tube is 7/32"(.2188") OD tubing. Looks like a greatfit right? Well not quite as themanufacturing tolerance generally makesthe tubing actually a little to big. Wehave to sand it down. Over time I’velearned not only to do this but to taperthe tube over the first 11" to .1968" as wellat the forward most end. The ID also justpasses standard jacket 22/2 copperspeaker wire. Giving plenty of spacingbetween the outer wall and wire for

soldering and insulation of a tiny little 2-socket connector. Once soldered to the22/2 wire the assembly is carefullyepoxied into the center of the brasstubing using masking tape to form anepoxy base that will be sanded smooth.These connectors are usually used on PCboards but I’ve adapted them to make onegreat little centering connector for ourmicro piston. Mill-Max .100" Socketscome in a variety of configuration optionsand are listed on the accompanyingFloating head drawing. They are used forthe Soldered base tube connector, plug inFloating heads and for making up theonly really throw away part the socket/nichrome igniters. Heads are formed using a 2-pin Mill-Max socket, ¼” length of T2 tubing and avery small amount of epoxy to center thesocket in the tube. These plug directlyinto the base tube after a 8 to 10" T2+slide tube with glued in ¼ to ½” T2 Stopring is installed on the Brass base tube. Making up the igniters is only a slightpain. I set up the soldering iron in theliving room to make up about 50 of theselittle igniters during a couple TV shows.Is this tedious….Sure it can be; but theeffort is more than worth it. I’ve been using a Micro Piston like thisfor about 3 years now. It’s got to be oneof the most positive performing pieces oflaunch equipment I have ever used. Todate I’ve only had one model fail to fly onthe very first attempt and that one was atest model while I was varying the lengthof the nichrome igniters. I’m happy toshare this design with you and hope youall have as much fun and ease ofoperation as I have. Next month we’ll beback to talk more about other Micro Auto-Gyros and Helicopter designs. Some tiny,some not so much☺

Editor’s Note: For pictures of theFLoating Head Piston go to Page 3. Fora Drawing, please go to Page 9.

ZOG-43 August2009 Page 12

ZOG - FORTY THREE3102 Eden DriveAbingdon, MD 21009

Launch ScheduleSPORT LAUNCH

Old National Pike ParkAugust 15thCancelled

ZOG-43August2009 Page 1

The ZOG-43The Newsletter of NARHAMS, NAR Section #139.NAR National Champions 2001, 2004

Inside this issue:Page 2-

Micro Maxx CornerPage 3-AugustAstro NewsPage 5-NSL 2009 Coverage

AND MORE!

August 2009Vol 31 Issue 8

Coming in the September 2009 Issue

From The Prez

We should have some reports from NARAM 51. I am also hoping to have informationfrom the 40th anniversary of theApollo 11 Launch at Goddard.

A Wonderful looking Lawn Dart. Thanks Raul!!!! Phot by Raul Pena

Editors Canadian Arrow clearing the Pad. Photoby Raul Pena

The end of the Contest Year quicklyapproaches for those that fly competitionrocketry. Of course the culmination of theyear is the NAR Annual Meet which isnear Pittsburgh Pa. The meet goes fromFriday Aug 7 through Friday Aug14. So ifyou’re looking for something to do, comeup and join us at the meet. The openingweekend is all about sport flying withlots of cool models being flown!

The months column is about regulationand how the hobby of model rocketryhas come a long way but still faces thethreat of regulation everyday. The recentcourt ruling in favor of the hobby groupsbeing able to have AmmoniumPerchorlate (fuel for composite hobbyand high power motors) removed fromthe low explosives user permitrequirements. However some igniters,black powder and various items are stillincluded and regulated by the BATF.Along those same lines, the College ParkAir Show is coming up on Sat August29th at College Park Airport where wehave our monthly business meetings.Prior to 9-11, we participated in theannual event and even flew a demo rightfrom the middle of the runways to startthe show off! We were hoping to restartthis tradition with the Air Show startingup again this year. We have been told bythe airport that due to some sort ofregulation we will not be permitted to flya demo. We can, and will have a staticdisplay of models and members to talk tothe crowd. It is sad that we can not puton this demo due to some sort ofgovernment regulation. Nobody seems toknow for sure but we have our thoughtson which government entity is calling theshots. It seems like the battle is nevergoing to end. As a hobby groupnationally we have fought our waythrough various government regulationsin the 50 years the hobby has been inexistence. We have established good

relations with the NFPA, the CSPA, and ofcourse just this past February, the FAArelaxed the waiver requirements fornotams and such for model rockets up to3.3 lbs. So now that the BATF issues arebasically all done it appears that thenewest government entity that isconcerned with the hobby guys that flymodel rockets, are starting to get involvedwith us.

Sigh……