Level 1 Success

by Jeffrey D. Gortatowsky

There is nothing to it really. It's quite simple. Build the rocket. Bring it and $26.50 to a launch. Give $20 to Ken Finwall he'll give you an H124-10. Give Ken another $1.50 and he'll give you an ignitor that has a chance of igniting it on the first try. Install the chute with proper protection, and install the motor minus the copperhead. Fill out your paper work and give it to Rick or Greg or Ron or "whoever", it depends on if you are doing a NAR or Tripoli cert. Please do not ask which one is better. I like the both. I joined both. I support both. I cert'd NAR (flipped a coin).

Go up with your remaining $5 daily launch fee, rocket, ignitor, and masking tape to the RSO table and fill out a flight card and make sure you mark it's a Level 1 flight and write it across the top as well. When at the pad, put a slight kink in the ignitor about an inch from the head and insert it all the way up into the H124. Secure it with some masking tape and poke a little tear in the tape by the nozzle with a pen or fingernail. Put the rocket on the pad, hook it up, and wait for the LCO to punch the button. Make sure you hear him or her say it's a L1 flight and that someone from TRA or NAR should be watching.

Watch with pride your successful flight. Bring the playa scraped rocket, Genuine Playa Dirt(tm) (usually found on a fin), and your paperwork back to be signed. Kick back, pop a cool Pete's Wicked Ale, enjoy.