Time to start thinking about the single-event 1 Meter Minimum Mile Contest to take place at MHM. Only 11 weekends between now and then. Here are the rules. This is a "class" altitude contest.
1 Meter Minimum Mile
This is a single event contest and is open to club members and non-club members. It will only be held at the 2011 Mile High Mayhem launch. It is an altitude contest, but it is a “class” contest, not an “unlimited” one— the rocket airframe has constrained dimensions to even the playing field and widen participation. It should be possible for someone with limited experience using basic building materials to win. Additionally, it should be possible to successfully fly this contest without electronic tracking or altimeter deployment. The expected winning altitude will be approximately 1 mile high, with velocities less than mach 1.
Objective is to record the highest altitude on a single flight (or the average of two flights). The rocket must be a “one meter class” rocket using a G impulse motor.
• Open to anyone, $10.00 entry fee per flight, two flights max per rocket.
• 1st Place = 60% of entry fee purse, 2nd Place= 30% of entry fee purse, 3rd Place= 10% of entry fee purse.
• Launch window at Mile High Mayhem only.
• Contest must be declared on flight card and entry fee paid prior to flight.
• Rocket of 1 meter minimum length (≥39.37").
• Minimum diameter of 4 cm (≥1.57") for 85 cm (≥33.46") of rocket’s length.
• Minimum fin span of 14 cm (≥5.51").
• Must have fixed launch guidance (lug, button, etc), no tower launches or special apparatus allowed.
• Maximum G impulse (160 Ns) single stage commercial motor.
• Altitude must be recorded by an approved barometric electronic altimeter.
• Deployment may be via electronics or motor ejection.
• Electronic tracking and dual deployment recovery are optional and allowed.
• Rocket must be in flyable condition after qualifying flight (maximum 1” airframe zipper)
Note—
Several 38mm minimum diameter kits meet the criteria and would be competitive, including PML Cirrus, LOC Weasel, Madcow Screech and Screech XL, and possibly the Performance Mongoose 38. A template will be available at the launch to test rocket length, diameter, and span prior to launch. Measurement will allow a 0.1 cm (0.04”) grace dimension. We recommend you mark the rocket’s center of pressure.
I think ill try this contest. It will be my first ever attempt at a altitude
contest, but what the heck. May try out my VB extreme 38 or build a whole new one.
I will need lots of "eagle eyes" out there cuz I dont see very well.
I know the last 38mm rocket that I flew on a 'G' is lost somewhere in the great abyss 😀
• Altitude must be recorded by an approved barometric electronic altimeter.
Adrian, would that include the Altimeter One from Apogee?
I'll have to talk to Warren about the approved altimeter list, but I do suspect the Altimeter One would be on the list. Stand by.
Chad
8) I was going to use that same Altimeter One. I am going to approch this contest a different way. Paper and balsa. The new rocket is called
"Lawndart 3" 8)
Our approved altimeter list is the Tripoli altimeter list. I'm not sure if they are still maintaining one, but at one point they had one and I know Adrian submitted the Parrot and probably the Raven. Last I looked the list had 20-some-odd altimeters on it. The NAR list was quite a bit shorter.
In general, the only ones I know that are specifically not allowed are homebrew altimeters and Robert DeHate's picoalts. Homebrew alts is pretty much a no brainer - until they are broadly used, tested against others and become accepted by the community, who knows what code lurks in the hearts of men? I personally felt that way initially about Adrian's altimeters since they seemed to me to read quite a bit high on a number of flights (Parrot), but over time it seems to me that Adrian's approach is more accurate and that a wide range of other barometric altimeters are reading low.
Robert DeHate's altimeters have a known temperature compensation problem between the sensor employed and the way his code is written. Now this may have changed and I just haven't heard.
The best way to determine is see what TRA says. They have new altitude record rules, you must use their altimeters and GPS is required for flights over 30K MSL. Quite a bit of supporting data is required. I applaud this - after all we're talking world records here and there needs to be a standard by which all others are judged. As a club though, I think our local rules should be, if anything, more expansive while at the same time recognizing changes in technology. I would suggest we also require GPS for flights over 30K but not just allow, but encourage a diversity of electronics. Aside from the fact that folks who fly to 30K+ aren't a large segment of our membership. Club records are here to encourage folks to take a stab at it and maybe provide an opportunity to strut for the flyer.
For regular flying and local contests and records I think I'd prefer our rules to embrace the sentiment that any generally available commercial barometric or baro/accel altimeter is acceptable. There is such a variety of products out there now and more coming all the time. Just look in our own club, we have 3 and possibly more altimeter manufacturers (Missileworks, Parrot and Telemetrum).
The only altimeters that are TRA approved for altitude records and contests are the 20 specific serial number Raven2s that are in Tom Rouse's possession. So our contests need to be separate from that process.
It's up to the contest director to determine what is allowed for this contest, balancing access vs. accuracy. One big step up in accuracy (and cost, unfortunately) is to require altimeters to record the whole flight, to make sure that transients caused by the ejection charge are ignored. If that's not a requirement, then in my opinion, this should be open to barometric measurements from any commercially-available altimeter.
BTW, in my experience --and I've been paying attention on this-- readings from other altimeters are just as likely to read high as low when compared to Featherweight products in the same flight. This has been true ever since the 3-output Parrot V2.
I'll just say that this is supposed to be a fun contest; there's a rather significant difference in 5280 feet and 30 thousand feet - we're talking a G motor here - and the Jolly Logic/Altimeter One should be considered a viable alternative. NCR contests are open to all players, NAR, TRA and un-affiliated unless flying High Power. Just my not so humble opinion.
Ten bucks to play is about half the cost of a motor necessary to compete.
Ok how about we just tie colored trolling line to the rockets and count the altitude that way, hehe 😆
Congratulations Adrian!!!! I didn't realize it was your altimeter that was chosen. That validates my feeling that your products are more accurate than the competition. Before this new altitude record situation, TRA did maintain a list of 20 some-odd brands/models of altimeter that they recognized. I would suggest that list as a start. It has got to be available somewhere.
Thanks, Warren.
Ever since I started asking TRA about it in 2007, they haven't acknowledged the existence of an approved altimeters list. After I sent Tom Rouse a bunch of data and he specifically said the Parrot was good to go, I started saying on my website that the Parrot was Tripoli-approved. Then later I got an email from someone else on the contest committee saying that they haven't approved any altimeters and I needed to take that claim off of my website. So I don't think we can expect any guidance on altimeter selection from Tripoli.
At one time I had a list from someone at Tripoli that had Adept, Missileworks, PerfectFlight, G-wiz, RDAS and a few others on it.
Executive Decision... for the purposes of the 1 Meter Minimum Mile, the Altimeter One is a valid altimeter.
Chad- Contest Director
Oh... and the winner will probably be the one with the best chosen motor to match the drag and weight of your airframe. So start SIM'ing your design and order ahead of time from your favorite AP vendor.
By my estimation, there are a half dozen motors that might be ideal. Just remember- single stage, max G impulse.
Like I said, I think our club contests should be open to any commercial altimeter currently in production or manufactured within the last 12 years say. If there are issues with a particular altimeter, perhaps we might want o see that altimeter fly alongside a known altimeter such as a Raven. Otherwise, the more the merrier. However, above 25K or 30K MSL, I think we should follow TRA and require GPS. Given the situation, I would also suggest that we accept Adrian's Raven as the sine qua non of standard altimeters as far as accuracy is concerned.
Warren
Latest Post: Hello World Our newest member: ted41b90301689 Recent Posts Unread Posts
