Help on certification

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tmazanec1

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How much help can you have in building your certification rocket? And if the answer is "none", how do you prove ​you did not cheat?
 
How much help can you have in building your certification rocket?

None


And if the answer is "none", how do you prove ​you did not cheat?


Is this a trick question ? :confused:

Build your rocket, fly and recover in front of witnesses (your local rocket buddies who are members of whichever national org you want to cert with), get your cert. Easy Peasy. Why cheat ? There's no cash prize or big trophy awarded.

Anyway it's easy enough to document your build with your favorite digital recording method if you feel the need.
 
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The honor system?

You need to build it yourself, prep, and load it yourself. Nothing wrong with guidance along the way, but you're the one who has to actually do it.

Besides, it's so easy and altogether fun and rewarding, I don't see why anyone would want to cheat... :confused2:

(ps) That feeling when you see the chute open followed by walking up on your rocket post-landing and see that it's intact... priceless
 
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The honor system, but it's also pretty easy to spot someone (in any discipline) who clearly is misrepresenting themselves as being capable of a certain skill.

BTW, I'll stop what I'm doing at a launch to watch when a cert flight is announced. These are very special flights to the people making them, and it's fun to cheer them on.
 
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Yeah I don't overthink this easy PEZ the person who sold me my motor day of the launch even help to guide me. You can certainly include your family if you're wanting to build some family fun into it but really it's easy and fun you'll love it
 
One can go into somebody else's shop and use their tools and expertise to guide the making of parts. I take it the candidate has to wield the tools, mix the epoxy and make the bonds. Nothing wrong with having someone looking on coaching you.

I've been known to go into a better equipped shop to use the tools to make the parts and then bring them home to finish off the rocket. Also some shops are better equipped to do fiberglassing of large tubes so there
is nothing wrong with using a friends tools and fixtures to get the job done. I bring my tubes, cloth and epoxy along with trays and rollers. There's nothing in the rules that stipulate where one "builds" the rocket.

I've had another stack cut a set of fins for me of which I find no different than buying a kit or collection of parts. Builder must put together, rig it, load it and fly it.

Buying a built rocket from someone else to certify is a mortal sin though. Kurt
 
If you need help building, maybe you are not ready for high power...unless the one going for Level 1 has a disability. Not sure on the rules there. Maybe there are exceptions in certain cases.
 
you can get 'help" in building as in advise/suggestions on how to construct the rocket as much as you want.
as far as physical construction of the rocket- gotta do that yourself.

with all the surfing and questions you've been asking, are ya taking the leap and getting into high power rocketry?
 
I've signed off on a few L1 certs, and I always ask them things like "where is the cg/cp", "what epoxy did you use", "thrust to weight ratio", etc. Sure someone could answer this on a rocket that someone else built, but the point is not just testing their construction skills, but also if they have the base knowledge to fly a HP rocket safely.
 
tomsteve:
Not for awhile, if ever. I just am curious, now that I found a forum of rocketeers.
 
Enjoy the journey from LPR/MPR upwards. The techniques will somewhat transfer to HPR and get you thinking the right way. Make the leap when you feel like it :)

Oh, and ask plenty of questions along the way. Remember you don't know what you don't know. Neither do I, but I ask lots of questions.
 
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