A virtual NARAM - sort of...

The National Association of Rocketry (NAR) is adapting as best it can to the pandemic. This year, the national contest - NARAM 62 - will not be held in Geneseo, New York as planned. Instead, NAR is offering those interested in contest flying a chance to participate in a "virtual" NARAM. Here are the details from the NAR website:

With the postponement of NARAM-62, we won’t be able to get together in person this summer. We can, however, “virtually” get together via a postal contest. We are hosting this unofficial event to provide a fun opportunity to practice our competition skills on the events that will be held at NARAM next year.

We are also planning to hold an online Manufacturers’ Forum. With the NAR already planning to host a Town Hall meeting, together we will be covering, in some fashion, a number of NARAM activities.

The postal contest will be an easy going, completely unofficial activity featuring all six NRC events plus 1/2A Flexwing Duration, Sport Scale and C SuperRoc Altitude (downgraded from NARAM’s D SRA to accommodate smaller fields). We plan to give participants about 6 weeks to fly events, starting in July.

We’ve tweaked the rules for the purpose of this Virtual NARAM:

You can time your own models and process your own altimeter readings.
The return rule on duration events is waived (like NRC)
Time the whole flight (unlike NRC, so no max’s, this eliminates the multiple ties for 1st we could get with the NRC process).
No need to register the launch as an NRC launch. Although, if you fly at a formal NRC event, the flights can count for both. You can fly as often as they like.

Complete details here: https://www.nar.org/site/virtual-naram/

These days, many clubs can’t hold organized launches, but individuals, households, or small groups can go out and do this, if you have a field you can use.

Don Carson and Chris Flanigan will be the contest directors for this postal contest. Contact them at fulldec2001@yahoo.com and ccflanigan@alum.mit.edu regarding questions or suggestions about this contest.

We hope this helps our community enjoy some of the fun of a NARAM, and perhaps we will reach some who have never participated in our Annual Meet.

The events flown at this virtual NARAM will include this year's National Rocket Competition (NRC) events plus 3 that are NARAM specific:

• 1/2A Boost Glider Duration (NRC)
• 1/2A Helicopter Duration (NRC)
• 1/2A Parachute Duration (NRC)
• 1/2A Streamer Duration (NRC)
• 1/2A Altitude (altimeter) (NRC)
• B Payload Altitude (altimeter) (NRC)
• 1/2A Flexwing Duration 
• C SuperRoc Altitude (altimeter) 
• Sport Scale

Basically, you make your flights and email in the results - the complete details are at the link above. In addition to the glory, 1st place winners of each event will get $50, with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th taking smaller cash prizes. Obviously the glory is the main thing - this ain't the TARC finals.

I'm probably going to put my name in for a couple of the altitude events - Pegasus field isn't big enough for the duration contests.

Now all I have to do is to somehow persuade the city to mow Pegasus - the weeds are up to my shoulders...