The Alabama team from Russellville has won first place in the TARC finals. They receive a cash prize of $20k and will be traveling to Paris in June as the guests of the Raytheon Company representing the United States to fly against the winners of the TARC-equivalent event in the UK and France at the Paris Air Show, which is the biggest aerospace show and exhibition in the world in 2015. 695 teams (representing over 5000 students) entered TARC 2015 from 48 states, 459 teams made at least one qualification flight attempt (66%, a record high percentage), and the 101 teams that came to the Finals represented 28 states plus the US Virgin Islands. Congratulations to the Russellville team on their decisive win with flights scores of 12 and 4 to total 16. Second place was 33 and third was 37. This is the first Alabama team to win the TARC championship. The next best was Bob Jones that came in third nationally in 2010, John Paul II was fourth in 2013 and Liberty Middle fifth in 2012.
Archive for Vince Huegele
We’re Number One!
Russellville HS in top TARC 100
For the first time since 2008 no TARC team from Madison County will participate in the Manassas finals. But HARA’s record for assisting teams that go continues with Russellville High School making the cut. During a launch day (shown above) of several schools’ qualification attempts, HARA witnessed two RHS flights for scores of an 8 and a 12. Their total score of 20 put them well in the top one hundred teams that scored below a 40. We congratulate them and wish them good luck on the flying field and safe travel on the road. There is only one other Alabama team besides Russellville representing the state at the finals this year. Lincoln HS from Lincoln, AL will join the flyoff in Virginia. The results should be on the TARC website by 6 pm Saturday, May 9.
For a detailed narrative of the various qualification and practice launches and a scores listing see
Bill’s blog.
HARA busy with TARC
HARA has been busy testing and qualifying flights with the local TARC teams. For current details, photos and drama go to Bill Cooke’s rocket blog at http://billsrockets.blogspot.com/.
Schools registered in TARC are:
Pope John Paul II High School
Falcon Rocketeers
Bob Jones High School
Liberty Middle School Team
Tanner High School
Butler AFJROTC
Huntsville Middle
Buckhorn Middle
Russellville HS
NARCON Dedicates Model Rocketry Exhibit at Museum of Flight
The new exhibit of model rocketry at the Museum of Flight in Seattle featuring the Estes and Stine collection was dedicated in the Space Gallery February 21, 2015, by the NAR Board of Trustees. The ‘Remove Before Flight’ ribbon was cut by NAR President Ted Cochran and Dan Hagedorn, Senior Curator and Director of Collections. Also present in the photo are Trip Barber, Bill Stine, Vern Estes and Pat Fitzpatrick. Read more
Sudden Rush with Vortigo
In this winter season not much flying gets done and not much posting either. So let’s go back to September and I’ll tell you about a dual deployment flight I made then. I want to document this so that people will know I do fly these rockets but I am not often caught doing it. During most of the major launches during the year I am working the range or with students and teachers and don’t have time to personally fly anything complicated. Toward the end of the flying season I have more time to Read more
A Look Back at 2014
In other words, here are some photos I didn’t get posted on time that I’m squeezing in here at the end of the year.
There are family shots, students working on payloads and scenes from the TARC building session. HARA had a great year and hopefully will have a happy new one. Read more
NAR dues now $25 for 25 year olds
NAR has just dropped the dues rate for rocketeers aged 21-25 to $25 a year. This is for full membership benefits (insurance, magazine, etc.) that previously were $62. The age range for this rate was 16-20, but it was expanded at the last NAR board meeting to be age 16-25. This is not a limited time discount, but a new rate structure to attract and accommodate the growing number of post TARC and college rocketeers.
The new enrollment form will look like this
SR (Age 26 and older) Join – 1 Year ($62) – Regular Magazine
SR (Age 21-25) Join – 1 Year ($25) – Regular Magazine
Tell your student friends the price is right to join NAR.
NARAM 56 attracts visitors from across the Galaxy
One of the best NARAM in recent years was well attended with many rockets (and no raccoons) launched from ‘A to O’ in motor size. The weekend sport launch included the student and intern flights mentioned in the post below while the rest of the week was competition and evening presentations. For the fifty-sixth year rocketeers convened to renew acquaintances, hear industry announcements, learn new skills and fly more rockets. Read more
Scenes of ST 2014
It was another wonderful June weekend of rockets in the green hills of Tennessee. Southern Thunder presents itself as a showcase of rocketry great and small and rocketeers young and old. Here are some moments of the longest days of 2014, because of the epic fun we had and that summer solstice thing. Read more
Ten Years of Southern Thunder
For ten years the Tennessee hills have echoed the roar of Southern Thunder rockets followed by oohs and ahhs of the flyers. Here are some scenes of the past fun, if you need incentive to plan to come.
What memories will we build in this eleventh round? Be there and share them.
