The Range Safety Officer (RSO)

Note: The RSO for the 1/4" and up high-power pads must be NAR and/or Tripoli Level 2 Certified!

The Range Safety Officer has overall responsibility for the safety of the range and can shutdown flying if he deems it necessary. Most often though he depends on the Launch Control Officer (LCO) to make good decisions about the safety of actions occurring on the range. This is so the RSO can carry out his other major duty, the inspection of rockets prior to flight to determine if they are safe to fly. If they are safe to fly then the RSO will signoff on the rocket so that the Pad Manager (PM) can assign a launch pad to the rocket. If, in the opinion of the RSO, the rocket is not safe to fly, he will tell the owner that and also explain why that decision was made. As always, if he chooses he may ask for advice from other more experienced members.

For most rockets the inspection process is fairly simple. The RSO checks to see that the fins and launch lug are securely fastened to the body tube. He checks that the engine is properly installed and it is secure from either moving forward when thrusting or being ejected during recovery. He goes on to check for a functional recovery system. This can be no more than checking that the nose cone is not on too tight and asking the owner if the recovery system is present and did he remember the wadding to protect it from the ejection charge. The flight cards of any large rockets which are not rejected, yet are somewhat questionable in the eyes of the RSO, need to be marked as "heads up" flights so everyone else will be made aware of the potential for a problem.

Also, the RSO checks to be sure the correct flight card has been filled out for the flight: a red card for "heads up" or Level 1/2/3 certification; a white card for a night flight; or a yellow card for all other flights. The flyer must at least clearly print their name, launch rod requirement, motor, and rocket name. Once the rocket is deemed flightworthy and the correct card has been filled out with the necessary information, the RSO signs the card and directs the flier to the PM.

Additional RSO Procedures for High Power Rockets

These high-power procedures are based on those used by Tripoli and other clubs that fly a lot of high-power rockets. The high-power rules apply to any rocket carrying a total impulse of 160 Newton-seconds or more. This applies to most G motors and above.

All rockets with an installed impulse of “M” or above must be checked by a TAP or L3CC member before flying. The person checking the rocket can be asked to check the rocket at the flyers camp and get a sign-off there. The flyer still needs to go to the table with or without the rocket to get a pad assignment.

"Mobile" RSO: During larger launches (determined by BOD during the launch but definitely including ROCstocks), we will RSO large and complex projects at your prep point prior to taking them to the pad. You then take your flight card (but not the rocket) directly to the Pad Manager at the rangehead for pad assignment/coordination. This will keep the large / complex projects out of the normal jam at the range-head. If you need to take advantage of this activity, then contact anyone on the BOD or the RSO at the range head. Bear with us as it may take a little time to get with you, depending on how busy things are.

Structure Check

The RSO will first check the structural integrity of the rocket, including:

• Attachment of the fins
• Attachment of the engine mount
• Recovery system attachments to nose cone and rocket
• Packing of the parachute
• Fit of the nose cone
• Launch Lugs are attached correctly and are of the correct size for the weight and impulse of the rocket.*

*NOTE: If using a rail, all rail buttons must be made of a plastic material, i.e. Delrin or Nylon. No aluminum rail buttons are allowed. (You may have Acme conformal rail guides but these need to be wrapped with Teflon plumbing tape or something similar.)

Stability Check

The next step is to check the stability of the rocket. If the rocket is a kit, we will accept that the rocket is stable if built to the kit's specifications. If the rocket is not a kit, the flier will have to present some sort of documentation to show the location of the center of pressure (CP) so it can be compared to the location of the center of gravity (CG). The CG should be at least 1 body tube width ahead of the CP to assure good stability. Rockets that do not conform to this rule will need compelling evidence, such as overlarge fins, to convince the RSO that they are stable. If the rocket contains a total impulse adding up to an "M" class motor or greater, the flier must provide documentation of stability.

Engine Check

The next step is to insure that the engine is safe and appropriate for the high-power model being flown. The RSO will check the type of engine and verify that it is on the list of TRA/NAR certified engines. Only engines certified by TRA or NAR are allowed at ROC launches. The RSO should ask for assistance if she is unsure of the identity of a motor. Also, the motor should be checked to ensure that the ignitor is not installed (unless the ignitor must be built into the motor, in which case the ignitor must be shunted). If the RSO determines that the flier has an inapprorpiately installed or unsafe ignitor, the flier should be directed to immediately exit the line to correct the problem.

Electronics Check

For high powered rockets with electronic initiation of upper stages or of the recovery system, the RSO will check the electronics to see that they are in good order. Specifically, the RSO will check the condition of the:

• Ignitor and size of ejection charge
  • is the ignitor "safed" either by shunting or removal of power to the electronics?
  • is the ejection charge correctly sized for the rocket?
• Recovery system electronics and staging electronics
  • are the electronics disabled or powered off?
  • are any upper stage ignitors safed?
• Batteries
  • are the batteries fresh?
  • are the batteries well secured?