TRA Contest and Records Committee Announcement

July 28, 2008

In the past few weeks, there has been considerable discussion in the rocketry forums about a number of issues related to TRA Contest and Records, particularly altitude attempts in excess of 30K feet and the problem of accurate apogee measurements with many current rocketry flight computers. This issue has been closely examined by TRA C&R Committee Chairman Tom Rouse. It is clear from his input to me that his committee will need to further evaluate several possible paths to address the issue, as well as tackle several rule changes that may be needed.

One challenge facing Tom is that, up until the present, he has been a committee of one person. At the same time, Tom’s personal, business, and rocketry commitments were increasing greatly, and he expressed to me his concerns about continuing on as chairman of C&R, especially as important revision work was at hand (as those who know him will not be surprised to learn, his main concern was that he did not want to let TRA down at an important time). Accordingly, Tom has asked to step down as chairman at this time, but would also like to be engaged with the committee as it proceeds from here.

Realizing that we will need a number of knowledgeable individuals engaged, I have named TRA Director Erik Gates as the interim chairman of the committee, and asked him to select several TRA members to join the committee to begin the work at hand. The tasks will center on evaluating the issues and problems of high altitude record attempts, determining the best options available for TRA C&R, and making recommendations to the Board. Erik will be in a position to announce his committee members very soon. I will not get in the way of that announcement, except to note that Tom Rouse will be a member of the committee, and his input will be essential.

I would like to personally thank Tom for his years of dedication and hard work. He has been the chairman of TRA Contest and Records since 2001, and he has run this committee with great success. His example will provide a high standard for our next chairperson.

Ken Good
TRA President