Level 2 Certification

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Harrison Vance

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I have a couple questions regarding certification.

1. What exactly is the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 besides the motor size increase and exam that I’ll have to take?
2. Do I have to incorporate an electronics bay/altimeter/camera?
3. Do I have to incorporate dual parachutes into the rocket?

Just curious as in what I need to do to accomplish this certification and have a better understanding. Any kits recommended would be great! Thank you!
 
Level 2 is a license to purchase and fly motors with eight times as much impulse as L1.
Once you’re Level 2 you can be an RSO or Prefect if you’re a Tripoli member. Also, you must be Level 2 to be allowed to fly Research motors you have built at a Tripoli launch.
A written test is required prior to flying the L2 certification flight, but the study guide is very complete.

No, you don’t have to use electronics or dual deployment in order to be L2, but the largest L2 motors (L motors) require electronic deployment. Level 2 is a great place to learn about electronics; the rockets are usually bigger with more room.

Almost any 3 or 4 inch is a good kit for Level 2. A lot of 5.5 inch cardboard kits are perfect for L2.

If you decide later that you want to fly bigger motors, everything you need to know for L3 can be learned at L2.

I really like to see people spend some time at L2 while trying to learn different things. It’s more affordable than L3 and can be enjoyed on smaller fields. Some of the smartest rocketeers I know stay at L2.
 
Steve gave a much better answer to this question - the jump to L2 is probably the most significant jump in HPR. The L1 cert is just a basic cert that allows you to fly H & I motors and L3, while being somewhat more difficult to obtain, really just opens up more motor classes (although, for Tripoli, it does also open up access to the C3RC for Class 3 flights as well) .

As Steve noted above, L2 adds a lot more than just higher level motors. It pretty much unlocks all the advanced things you would want to do in rocketry and allows you to function in most of the roles at the range as an official.

As you can see by looking at TRA and NAR membership numbers, the vast majority of folks in HPR stay at Level 2.
 
Level 2 is a license to purchase and fly motors with eight times as much impulse as L1.
Once you’re Level 2 you can be an RSO or Prefect if you’re a Tripoli member. Also, you must be Level 2 to be allowed to fly Research motors you have built at a Tripoli launch.
A written test is required prior to flying the L2 certification flight, but the study guide is very complete.

No, you don’t have to use electronics or dual deployment in order to be L2, but the largest L2 motors (L motors) require electronic deployment. Level 2 is a great place to learn about electronics; the rockets are usually bigger with more room.

Almost any 3 or 4 inch is a good kit for Level 2. A lot of 5.5 inch cardboard kits are perfect for L2.

If you decide later that you want to fly bigger motors, everything you need to know for L3 can be learned at L2.

I really like to see people spend some time at L2 while trying to learn different things. It’s more affordable than L3 and can be enjoyed on smaller fields. Some of the smartest rocketeers I know stay at L2.
Everything Steve said is true. NAR also has a written test you must take along with a successful flight to achieve Level 2. NAR is nice if you don’t intend to fly experimental motors. If you do want to fly them, you need to be a Tripoli L2 or above.

I would recommend a 4 inch diameter rocket because your hand will fit inside the tube. You can start out with single deployment to achieve your certification then add an altimeter bay and a main chute bay as you progress. Go with a 54 mm motor mount and use an adapter down to 38mm. This gives you a large variety of motors to choose. Then you should take a look at the reloads available to you from your vendors and obtain a few cases after you certify. You can, though, use a single use motor to certify. It gives you one less thing to worry about during your certification process. As for the tests, you can find them to study at each association’s website. Good luck with your journey!🚀
 
What are your plans for the cert rocket post-certification? Are you going to keep flying it at L2 power? How often?

These are questions I'm asking myself looking at L3. I don't want it to be a one-and-done.

I built my own design for both L1 and L2. The L2 rocket uses 38mm motors (I used a single use for cert). If I want to fly it and not go into orbit, I can load it with an H130 (this reload is also mailable without hazmat). I'm using it to develop my skills at dual deploy, which is required for L3. There are several Warp9 reloads in 38mm which require altimeter deployment.
 
What are your plans for the cert rocket post-certification? Are you going to keep flying it at L2 power? How often?

These are questions I'm asking myself looking at L3. I don't want it to be a one-and-done.

I built my own design for both L1 and L2. The L2 rocket uses 38mm motors (I used a single use for cert). If I want to fly it and not go into orbit, I can load it with an H130 (this reload is also mailable without hazmat). I'm using it to develop my skills at dual deploy, which is required for L3. There are several Warp9 reloads in 38mm which require altimeter deployment.
Dual deployment is not required for L3, although it might be necessary for the field where you launch to avoid drifting out of the waiver cylinder. Electronics are required as is redundancy for the primary event. You’re allowed to do single deployment though.
 
Lvl 2 allows for flying the majority of what people do. As for kits I did mine with the kit linked below.
https://wildmanrocketry.com/collections/rocketry-warehouse-4/products/4-fiberglass-rogueI added a payload bay in front and set it up for dual deploy. Is it needed, no, but it prepairs you for it and it allows for future proofing on things you may want to do. Wildman rocketry, madcow rocketry and animal motor works are also good places to find kits. Fiberglass can handle higher thrust motors easier so less worry of failures IMO. Either way good luck on lvl 2.
 
What are your plans for the cert rocket post-certification? Are you going to keep flying it at L2 power? How often?

These are questions I'm asking myself looking at L3. I don't want it to be a one-and-done.

I built my own design for both L1 and L2. The L2 rocket uses 38mm motors (I used a single use for cert). If I want to fly it and not go into orbit, I can load it with an H130 (this reload is also mailable without hazmat). I'm using it to develop my skills at dual deploy, which is required for L3. There are several Warp9 reloads in 38mm which require altimeter deployment.
Personally I have to recommend you build a L2 rocket with 54mm MMT and maybe another with 75mm MMT and fly large J, K and L motors before you attempt a L3. Part of what you learn from experience with the larger L2 motors is an appreciation for the power of the motors. K and L are really significantly more powerful than the L1 and baby J motors you can get in 38mm. Along with the experience and appreciation of the power, you learn to "fly the field". What days you can fly high and what days you need to use smaller motors and stay low.
Being an east coaster with smaller fields, I flew HobbyLine reloads, usually under 1500 ft. for my first four years back in the hobby before my L1. I flew the L1, usually under 4000 ft. for two years before my L2. I flew my L2, usually under 8000 ft. for 6 years before my L3. The only reasons I did my L3 when I did was because a kit I liked became available at a 33% discount and LDRS was coming to MDRA, only a couple hours away. I still fly mostly L2 because there are still things I want to learn and try with those size motors.

As you can see, with moving up in cert Level, an increase in how high you fly usually goes along with it. The higher you fly, the more you need to learn to fly the field. Those K and L motors in L2 will give you the experience that will be very important when you move up to the higher power of L3.
 
I just downloaded the new Level 2 study guide, but it only has the first half of the study guide on the technical info. Are we just to use the old safety study guide still in order to get ready to test?
 
I just downloaded the new Level 2 study guide, but it only has the first half of the study guide on the technical info. Are we just to use the old safety study guide still in order to get ready to test?
No, the safety portion was the part that received the most updates. Let me go look at it. I’ll get back to you.
 
I just downloaded the new Level 2 study guide, but it only has the first half of the study guide on the technical info. Are we just to use the old safety study guide still in order to get ready to test?
I'm not sure what happened to you. I just looked at the Study Guide. I opened it up by clicking on the link and I downloaded it to my PC. It has 24 pages with 55 questions in the technical portion and 53 in the safety portion. It changes from Technical to Safety on page 15. It appears to be all there.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpres...22.pdf&Signature=T1vMrC4TSLRxgGVeDM4DmEOjazM=
 
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