14AL-2004

14AL-2004 Point Standings

14AL-2004 Meet Champions

Dan Wolf's Launch Report

Walt Evans' Launch Photos

Scott Goebel's Launch Photos

View the NAR Pink Book to get info on all of the events listed below.

Competition Events

Schedule

TBD

General Information

The NAR Model Rocket Safety Code, High Power Safety Code and the rules of the current NAR Pink Book will apply. Sport flying will be allowed but contest flights have priority. An FAA waiver to 8000’ MSL will be in effect for the weekend. Sport flying check-in/RSO will be done separately from the contest check-in/RSO. You must be NAR or Tripoli certified to the appropriate level to fly high power. NAR HPR certification flights can be made.

Contest Event Notes:

Coming Soon

Range Duty

All contestants are expected to serve at least 3 hours of total range duty during the weekend. A range duty roster signup sheet will be at the check-in table. Your name must be written on the roster for at least three one hour shifts before you will be allowed to fly. Sport flight RSO or other range duty related to sport flying or HPR activity conducted concurrently with the contest will not count towards your range shift obligation. Range shifts will be in one hour increments. Assisting in setup and/or tear down will count towards a maximum of 1 hour of your range duty obligation.

Note that at WYWH 2003 we had a total of 13 contest flyers (1 A, 1 B, 6 C, and 2 teams with 5 total people). That provides for around 30-32 hours of range duty (accounting for some only serving two hours due to setup/teardown replacing one hour).  Note that the RSO/LCO and Check-in/timer 1 positions should be filled first and Timer 2 position last. Check-In and Timer positions will also be used to measure spot landing flights.

Awards Ceremony

Flight scores for Saturday’s flying will be processed Saturday night and flight scores from Sunday will be tallied as early as possible so that the final point totals and awards can be made as soon after the flying as possible. Our goal is to total the points and hand out the ribbons as close to 5:00 PM as possible. Once the range has been torn down, we may adjourn to a local eating establishment for the awards presentation. The time and place for the awards ceremony will be announced on the field Sunday afternoon.

14AL Background and History

By Dan Wolf

NAR Sanctioned competition returns to Bong Recreation area the weekend of June 5-6.  This year's contest is an historic event as it marks the 25th anniversary of the first time NAR competition was held at the Wisconsin recreation area.  Back in 1979, on Memorial Day weekend, MWRC was moved to Bong for Sunday's flying.  This was probably the first organized rocket launch ever held at Bong.  Things have changed significantly since then at both Bong and in the hobby we call sport rocketry.  Now, rocket launches at Bong occur as frequently as the weather changes in Wisconsin.

Around the same time that NAR competition began at Bong, a new NAR section was formed in Tomah, Wisconsin.  Scott Zingler, a young teenage rocketeer, was able to catch the interest of his dad, Jim and his grandfather, Al Nienast in model rocketry and in particular in NAR competition.  The Western Wisconsin Association of Rocketry (WWAR, pronounced war) appeared on the scene and helped establish the Midwest as a competition hotbed.  In the 70s, NAR competition was primarily dominated by the east cost sections.  WWAR helped change that trend and started a tradition of competitive NAR sections in the Midwest.  This torch would later be picked up by NIRA and more recently Launch Crüe.  Even though Scott got them involved, Jim and Al jumped right in and started making noise at contests throughout the Midwest. By outward appearance, Al was a quiet, gentlemanly grandfather type.  You would have never picked him out of a crowd as an ace NAR competitor.  But, that's just what he became.  Al was most famous for his love of swing wing gliders and he designed, built and flew them to perfection from 1/4A engine size through F engine size.  Al was C Division National Champion twice, in 1979 and 1983.  WWAR was the Section Champion in 1979 as well.

At the time I met "Uncle Al", I was barely 20 years old.  It often frustrated me that this man old enough to be my grandfather was such a formidable competitor.  But, I also came to respect and appreciate his approach to competition.  Now as I look back, I see things from a different perspective.  As I reflect on those Tomah contests, I recall Jim's wife (Al's daughter) running the range at the two regional meets that WWAR hosted annually.  I also recall not only Scott, but Chris King (who was B Division champion in 1982), another of Al's grandsons competing.  The thing that impresses me most about that now is that I was witnessing three generations of a family all participating together in NAR competition.  There was no generation gap in that family, at least where rockets are concerned.  I only hope that in the future, I can see three generations of my family participating at an NAR contest in Wisconsin.

It was a sad day a few years ago, when I saw NAR President Mark Bundick post a message on Modelnet that "Uncle Al" had passed away in his sleep.  By that point, Chris and Scott were both grown up and gone from the rocketry scene and both Al and Jim had mostly dropped out of NAR competition (although Jim served the NAR as Midwest contest board chair).  But Bunny's post brought back a lot of good memories of hard fought contests that both Al and I had been part of.  That's why, when Steve Koszuta suggested the name 14AL (one for Al) for the first WOOSH contest held at Bong seven years ago, it just seemed to make a lot of sense.  What better name than 14AL?  A tribute to the classiest NAR competitor from Wisconsin.  I'm sure Uncle Al will be smiling down on us when competitors gather on June 5th at 14AL-2004.