I took some notes at the meeting of the NAR BoD. Here they are:
a)NAR lost 300+ members this year alone, but contributions to the
NAR legal defense fund have netted NAR a $25,000 positive balance, so
all is well ...
b)Kids are NOT going into Aerospace and other hard core sciences, DUH, I could have told them that ... just look at video game sales! NAR wants to "pay forward" and recruit young minds, as the Apollo era engineers and scientists are retiring and dying at a rate too great to keep America competitive in science.
c)Mark Bundick re-elected as NAR Pres. No shocker there ...
d)Mark Bundick admitted, "Blissful Ignorance" of Hybrids and their launch systems ... does this man ONLY fly A,B,C, and an occasional D motor or what?
e)NAR "Okays" metal used in model rockets. Specifically, fin cans.
f)NAR wants to have 1,000,000 children fly a model rocket by the 50th Anniversary of the founding of NAR (1957,2007).
g)Mark Bundick mad about High Powered Rocket going through windshiled of SUV, yet he allows stunts such as the special link below to go on at the NAR sport range ... double standards as typical from NAR ... see below ...
h)Mark Bundick affraid there will be a body bag on a rocket range sooner or later ... bet ya 2 to 1, it will be a NAR range that gets the first body bag!
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Ok, in the past (just search my name) I have spoken about the cavalier attititude I see time and time and time and time again at NAR sponsored launches. I guess rocketeers figure that if its an A8-3, there is no chance of harm or damage to property (although an A motor powered rocket did destroy a $750,000 home in Lafayett CA, a few years back).
When I saw the following, I was repulsed and ashamed. Please view this link: (and it will probable be take down in the next day or two, so save it!) And notice how the rocket almost hits the guy running in the upper left hand portion of the video! More NARAM Hijinx! Yuck Yuck Yuck ...
http://www.nerys.com/naramlive/day2/NARAM47_foamcup.avi
The lack of common sense on that video was amazing. In the 40 years of rocket flying, I have NEVER seen a risk like the one above taken at a high power or amateur launch! I have said it before, and I am saying it again, High Powered Rocketry (TRA/RRS), demonstrates far more professionalism and safety than does low power; in the operation of the rage, and the vehicles. Could you imagine if the rocket pictured in the video, had been powered by a K or L motor? Why the NAR people would have been saying, 'Look at those 'redneck' wanna be rocketeers, at it again ... the 'Cape Canaveral Hillbillys'. Yet NAR people look down their noses at HPR constantly ... and pull off crap like that, CONSTANTLY! There was enough power behind that foam THING to put an eye out if it had gone into the prep area ... but what's an eye when you are just plain having fun with low power hijinx!?
And the beat goes on ...
a)NAR lost 300+ members this year alone, but contributions to the
b)Kids are NOT going into Aerospace and other hard core sciences, DUH, I could have told them that ... just look at video game sales! NAR wants to "pay forward" and recruit young minds, as the Apollo era engineers and scientists are retiring and dying at a rate too great to keep America competitive in science.
c)Mark Bundick re-elected as NAR Pres. No shocker there ...
d)Mark Bundick admitted, "Blissful Ignorance" of Hybrids and their launch systems ... does this man ONLY fly A,B,C, and an occasional D motor or what?
e)NAR "Okays" metal used in model rockets. Specifically, fin cans.
f)NAR wants to have 1,000,000 children fly a model rocket by the 50th Anniversary of the founding of NAR (1957,2007).
g)Mark Bundick mad about High Powered Rocket going through windshiled of SUV, yet he allows stunts such as the special link below to go on at the NAR sport range ... double standards as typical from NAR ... see below ...
h)Mark Bundick affraid there will be a body bag on a rocket range sooner or later ... bet ya 2 to 1, it will be a NAR range that gets the first body bag!
------------------------------------------------
Ok, in the past (just search my name) I have spoken about the cavalier attititude I see time and time and time and time again at NAR sponsored launches. I guess rocketeers figure that if its an A8-3, there is no chance of harm or damage to property (although an A motor powered rocket did destroy a $750,000 home in Lafayett CA, a few years back).
When I saw the following, I was repulsed and ashamed. Please view this link: (and it will probable be take down in the next day or two, so save it!) And notice how the rocket almost hits the guy running in the upper left hand portion of the video! More NARAM Hijinx! Yuck Yuck Yuck ...
http://www.nerys.com/naramlive/day2/NARAM47_foamcup.avi
The lack of common sense on that video was amazing. In the 40 years of rocket flying, I have NEVER seen a risk like the one above taken at a high power or amateur launch! I have said it before, and I am saying it again, High Powered Rocketry (TRA/RRS), demonstrates far more professionalism and safety than does low power; in the operation of the rage, and the vehicles. Could you imagine if the rocket pictured in the video, had been powered by a K or L motor? Why the NAR people would have been saying, 'Look at those 'redneck' wanna be rocketeers, at it again ... the 'Cape Canaveral Hillbillys'. Yet NAR people look down their noses at HPR constantly ... and pull off crap like that, CONSTANTLY! There was enough power behind that foam THING to put an eye out if it had gone into the prep area ... but what's an eye when you are just plain having fun with low power hijinx!?
And the beat goes on ...