Competitions

As many of the Events listed below will be flown at IRW 2011as entries for them are presented.

Scale Contest.

Theme: This year the Scale Contest theme is “Open”. That is scale models of any real rocket or spacecraft ever flown, or conceived but never built and flown – e.g. concepts or cancelled projects. Scale models of science fiction (books of films) rockets and spaceships may also be entered. It would be helpful if entries could be supported by some source diagrammatic or illustrative material, and document reference material related to or used in the making of such models.

Entries can be Model, High Power or Aquajet rockets, and may be Kits, Modified Kits, or Scratch Built.

To qualify all entries must:

• Fit the theme.
• Make a safe flight at the FMRS, as per the UKRA Safety Code, and within the NOTAM dates, times and provisions. (Aquajet entries may be flown at the FMRS, or at the Lapwing Lodge Base Camp.)

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Appearance – detail and quality of construction; detail and quality of paint and marking schemes; scale authenticity in relation to the original rocket, spacecraft or vehicle, or its design in the case of concept, cancelled and science fiction modelling projects.
• Quality of flight, particularly if specific launch, staging or landing procedures are successfully replicated to whatever extent that might be safely possible.
• Ingenuity.

Note: Numerical performance - altitude, speed and recovery time (endurance) will not be criteria, i.e. this is not a performance data competition, but rather a performance quality event. The numerical aspects of any entry’s performance should be calculated to produce a safe flight (as always), and particularly if trying to achieving an original flight or mission performance or manoeuvre replication effect.

Boost/Rocket Glider Duration Contest.

1.     These models, which are a development of the simple balsa wood glider (although in some cases this ancestry is difficult to recognise!), are launched vertically on single or two stage propulsion, A to G Total Installed Impulse, and are then glide recovered.

2.     The “Boost Glider” is the version in which the rocket motor is ejected at the end of its burn, while in a “Rocket Glider” the motor casing stays with the vehicle during its glide recovery. There is also the “Parasitic” glider class, which go aloft carried by a separate rocket launch vehicle from which the glider detaches to glide return on its own (while the launch vehicle must have its own recovery system – streamer, parachute, tumble, etc.) and this class may also be entered in this contest.

1. The flights are timed from first movement off the launch pad to the moment of landing, or when the model is lost to sight (but still seen to be gliding at that point).
2. Each entrant can launch up to 3 flights – of the same model or different ones, and their best individual flight time will count in the scoring. The winner shall be the entrant with the longest individual model flight time over all of the flights entered.

Helicopter Recovery Duration Contest.

1. Helicopter rockets (or “helirocs”), as their name suggests, go up on rocket power and are recovered by autorotating aerosurface or aerofoil blades folded/stored inside or around the outside of the rocket during ascent, and then deployed by the motor expulsion charge. These are technically challenging and interesting models to build and fly.
2. Helirocs can be flown on single or two stage propulsion, A to G Total Installed Impulse.
3. Flight (duration) timing and up to 3 flights as in the Boost/Rocket Glider Contest.

Landers.

1. The idea here is to design and build a vehicle or payload carrier to be launched by rocket and then land in a particular orientation – e.g. upright or on its side – and remain in that orientation after landing. The landing orientation must be specified before launch. It is permissible to the Lander to move and/or change its orientation on or after its first contact with the ground, so long as such movement is designed to deliver the Lander into its specified final orientation.
2. The Lander may have fixed or deployable landing legs or other touchdown devices, such as large panels which flick out on landing. Other systems and devices are possible – apply your imagination. Think of and study all the different methods that the various Lunar, Mars, Venus and Titan space probe landers have employed (particularly varied in the case of Mars landers – parachute and rocket braking combinations, and also air bag landing devices used), and designs for future planetary surface landers. The only method not allowed is the Lawn Dart/Ground Penetrator technique! (Yes, surface penetrator probes are planned for use on future Lunar and planetary probe missions, but these actual space flights are exempt from the UKRA Safety Code in this respect!)
3. It is permissible to use parachutes and/or streamers as part of the descent system. Also the Lander can be designed to separate from its launching rocket (which should have its own safe recovery method), or simply be launched on its own power as a self-propelled unit. A to G motors (Total Installed Impulse) can be used in the Launch Vehicle for Separable Landers or in Self-Propelled Landers.
4. Points will be awarded on the basis of: -
   • Ingenuity of design and construction.
   • Interest level generated by the flight, its descent and the landing.
   • Degree of success in meeting the specified landing orientation.
   • Extra points will be awarded if a delicate payload, e.g. and unboiled hens egg, is carried and recovered intact.

Happy Landings!

Payload Contest (Duration event).

This is basically a straight forward “Egg Loft” type of event, similar to launch and recovery of an unboiled hens egg in the Landers event, but without the landing orientation and movement constraints. Other delicate payloads (excluding any live creature) may be entered – there is scope for imagination here. Points will be awarded on the basis of: -

• Ingenuity and novelty of the egg/payload containment capsule/bay/system.
• Ingenuity and novelty of the payload selection.
• Flight duration – timed on the payload (from first movement off the launch pad) if it is designed to separate from the launch rocket and be returned on its own recovery system (as usual, the launch rocket must have its own recovery system).

Payload Contest entrant rockets to be flown on single or two stage propulsion, on A to G Total Installed Impulse (except for Haggis rockets – see below).

Haggis Rocket Duration Event.

After past discussion and interest expressed on the UKRA Forums in Haggis lofting by rocket, such an event will be flown as a separate strand within the Payload Contest at IRW 2011. That is of course if any Haggis who turns up is brave enough.

As the standard Haggis that can be bought in supermarkets weighs 454 grammes, the minimum rocket power required to successfully and safely fly this payload, taking into account also the all up weight of the rocket itself, is H class. Mini-Haggis of much lower weight can also be found on supermarket shelves, and these could be safely flown on Model class motors. Therefore, to give entrants a choice, the Haggis event will be open to both Model and High Power rockets.

Parachute recovery is mandatory in this event. If the Haggis Payload is separable it must be recovered by parachute. The rocket launch vehicle may recovered separately by Streamer, if it is safe to do so, otherwise a Parachute should be used.

N.B. Haggis rockets have been flown up here in Scotland before, and if anyone would like advice on this type of rocket please get in touch with me (see Important Information), and I will be happy to help.

Confectionary Rocket Contest.

This event, “the Sweetie Rocket” contest is a flight duration event.

1.     To qualify entrant rockets must include a confectionary related item, or items, as a major structural component/components – e.g. packaging, contents, advertising material; flat pieces of chocolate have for example been used to make fins in past Sweetie Rockets (and if they are too big, why then you can just nibble a bit off!).

2.     Power to be a maximum of 160Ns – A to G motors. Clusters and staging are allowed, but overall must stay within the 160Ns limit (Total Installed Impulse).

3.     As with all the other Duration events timing is from first motion off the launch pad to landing (of the last stage in multi-staged models), or loss of sight of timed rocket or stage.

4.     This event will be flown off in recovery system groups, i.e. streamer recovered rockets will be timed against each other, separately from parachute recovered rockets, and so on.

Aquajet Events.

Team Distance Contest.

1.     Teams of six, each member flying a 2 Litre aquajet. (The capacity has been changed due to the difficulty in obtaining 1.5 Litre PET plastic bottles nowadays).

2.     Two rounds of flights for each team, with each individual best range between the two rounds counting in the scoring. Ranges for each flight to be clearly indicated with an identifying marker – each team to provide their own range markers (hence helping to identify the aquajets of the different teams when lying out on the range).

3.     Common launch pressure (between 60 and 100psi, or 4 to 6.9 bar) to be agreed by the teams at the start of the Contest.

4.     Quick repair of aquajets, or replacement with a substitute aquajet is allowed between the two rounds.

5.     All aquajets in this contest must have soft/crushable nose cones to prevent damage or injury in case of accidental impact with objects or persons.

6.     The winning team shall be the one with the greatest total range achieved over the two rounds, i.e. adding up the six best individual ranges achieved by the members of each team. To facilitate range measuring a distance marked range will be set up at the FMRS for this event. The actual final range measurements will be carried out by an independent person, and witnessed by a representative of from each team.

7.     The winning team shall be awarded the “Schwiglhofer Trophy”, which was created in 1985 in honour of Oscar Schwiglhofer, FBIS, MISM, a lifelong campaigner for astronautics, founder of ASTRA (Association in Scotland To Research into Astronautics), and former student of the great pioneer of astronautical mathematics and ideas for space exploration, Prof Hermann Oberth.

Aquajet Open Distance Contest.

1.     Individual entries in the categories: less than 1.0 Litre, 1.0 Litre, 1.5 Litre, 2.0 Litre and greater than 2.0 Litre.

2.     Contest to be flown off in groups by capacity, as above, with common launch pressure to be agreed at the start.

3.     Two flights per entrant (quick repairs or different aquajets between rounds allowed).

4.     Best individual range wins for each capacity category. Event will be flown over the measured range used in the Team event.

5.     All aquajets in this event must have soft/crushable nose cones, as in Rule 5 for the Team event.

Note: All aquajet models flown in the Team and Open distance events must be designed to fly ballistically, from launch at approx. 45-degree angle from the horizontal. Inclusion of lifting surfaces designed to enable the aquajet to glide will disqualify the entry (but see Aquajet Glider Contest below).

Aquajet Parachute Duration Contest.

1. This event will be scored on the total flight time from launch to landing.
2. Flown in capacity groups, as in the Aquajet Open.
3. Up to three flights per entrant; longest flight time entered against the other contestants.

Aquajet Glider, & Helicopter Duration Contest.

1. The rules for these events are the same, as regards timing and number of flights per entrant, as those for the model rocket Boost/Rocket Glider Duration Contest.
2. Flown in capacity groups.
3. Up to three flights per entrant; longest time entered against the other contestants.

Ethos.

Competition rocket flying events are flown during the annual IRW for several reasons: -

• For fun.
• To encourage technical development and improvement in various model rocketry technologies and techniques, such as recovery systems (streamers, parachutes, glide and helicopter duration), materials and construction methods, design and aerodynamics. This development and improvement applies as much to the capabilities of the rocket flyers taking part as to their model rockets. An example of such improvement is the increase in Boost/Rocket Glider flight duration times from around 16 seconds to flights of 90 to 120 seconds duration not untypical in more recent years.
• To provide a focus for the design, build and test flying activities of model and high power rocketeers in their preparations for the annual IRW.

The rules of the IRW Competition rocket flying are kept as simple as possible, reducing the potential for dispute. The IRW rocket contests are an alternative to, but not in competition with, the various official national and international space modelling contests, which have limiting entry qualifications, complex rules (over 170 pages of them the last time that I looked) and elaborate organisational arrangements (of necessity). Any rocket flyer may take part in the IRW contests as long as their rocket and its flight mode complies with the UKRA Safety Code. (UKRA is the Specialist Body within the British Model Flying Association for model and high power rocket flying, and is the recognised UK national enabling, advisory and standards organisation for these activities.)