So it begins...(L.E.U.P.)

[Johnnie]

I have been dead set against the ATF and this whole LEUP thing from the beginning. The idea of paying the Gov to come and do spot searches at anytime seemed somewhat disturbing...times have changed.

A little more educated, and tired of not flying anything bigger than a G64, I have decided to take the next step. Don't get me wrong, the G64 is my favorite mid-pwr motor of all time, but I miss the G64's big brother, the I161, his Red Headed Step child The H165 REDLINE, his grand dad the...you get the picture.

Not much to really report, except that I have sent off for the LEUP packet, which is merely a minor step in the whole process. Until the packet arrives, I will be reading up, and constructing my day box etc.

I have done the Hybrid route as well, but it is the solids I miss most, and with Aerotech going forward from the rescent auction, my appetite is starting to grow again...

5 people in our club have LEUP's, and I believe 2 of those just arrived in the mail Friday.

 

[shockwaveriderz]

I hear ya.... but the way I look at it is this....in 5 years time, a leup will be the equivalent of getting a drivers license......and I thank you for being a pioneer in getting one to help keep the hobby alive until that time....

 

[Johnnie]

Believe it or not, I am kind of excited about going for it, as the Oxrals I use for ejection are running low and they require a LEUP to purchase as well. Grrrr :-/

 

[mumroc]

Pardon me I'm new here, but I couldn't help adding a thought. I'm new to HPR and recently I flew my L1 Cert. One of our members has built a storage facility for the group and has submitted to the BATFE rigormarole that has accompanied the entire process. Well, anyway, with the facility out of the way, our group can store 1000 lbs of propellant in this facility. I call it a facility, actually it's a large box on a concrete slab about 150 yards or so behind his house. It was inspected by the ATF and blah blah blah. It's going to work out nice for us, because we can apply for our LEUP and list his facility as the storage address. Then at launch time, he brings the box and a meticulous record of the contents, and we check out our motors and they are recorded for auditing purposes, cause we all know the ATF will eventually inspect the thing. It may be worth checking out for your areas.

 

[Johnnie]

This is the same process here. The 1st individual to apply for LEUP, has storage for about 1000 pounds of reloads, both EX and commercial. The GPS location is noted by the BATFE, and so far we, who are applying for the permits, are listing his storage on our app's.
I may get one of these Job boxes for myself, as they are only about $199 from Lowes, minus the BATFE mods that must be done to them. I have plenty of room behind my house to store plenty of propellant.

 

[mumroc]

That's cool that you have the same setup. The way I figure it, this whole thing is better than not having HPR at all. The process isn't quite as bad as one may think. I had a concealed handgun permit once, and the paperwork and hoops to jump through are quite similar. Something is always better than nothing at any rate. I feel that this isn't the end of the battle anyway.

 

[Gunkie]

I've had an LEUP license and storage for about seven or eight years now. I had ATF inspections once per year until 9/11/2001. Shortly after 9/11 I had one inspection and that was it. I haven't had anyone contact me or come out to inspect since. It's been more than 2 1/2 years.

The ATF folks that have done my inspections have always been professional and courteous.

I guess my recommendation is to follow the rules, make the correct measurements (12 gage metal is important, they measured the gage of my box), keep the storage the correct distance away from any residence, and be polite. These folks are just doing their job. They do not make policy, but they follow it. Remember that and you'll be fine.

Good luck.

 

[Johnnie]

I got a tip from a friend of mine to order my "kit" from the BATFE web site, as it will have everything needed to get the process going. Well it arrived today in the mail, along with my TRA renewal card...Kewl! (Seperate envelopes of course)

The packet is well organized with a check list of everything needed, plus some other odds and end ATF propaganda and a newsletter of sorts. From a quick glance over, there looks to be FAQ's and howto's tucked in with the critical application form parts. I did print off the application from the internet to use as my scratch work, as I don't want to pull a "Homer" (D'oh!!) and fill it out wrong. I'll make all my mistakes and changes on the 1st one.

I will spend the day tomorrow peeling each layer away of this packet, and getting a better feel so I can get this ball rolling.

 

[Johnnie]

Gunkie,

I am told that our ATF agent out of B'Ham, AL is very nice, and really knows his rules and regs. I should hope to meet him sometime over the next three months.

 

[swimmer]

Johnnierkt,

If you do make any mistakes on your application the correction will be made when the BATFE inspector arrives to do your interview. The BATFE agent will review your application with you. I had one error and I had to make the change and initial.

The problems I had with the process was accepting having my fingerprints taken, photograph and background check. Otherwise, it was painless and I learned a lot from the BATFE inspector at interview.

Go for it. Use the experience to enhance your rocketry hobby instead of seeing it as a negative.

 

[Johnnie]

Swimmer,

Great post, thank you!

I have had many licences and certifications over the years (i.e. ASE for automotive, ISO for current job, CDL for road driving) I believe this one to be one of the more important ones. No it won't put food on the table, but it will allow me to continue my small scale aerospce endeavors.

Shockwaveriderz says that in 5 years this may become the equivilant of getting a drivers licence...maybe not, but as of today, to continue any further with high power or ex, I will need a LEUP...so be it as it may, that is where I am at now

 

[Johnnie]

As I go thru this application, I am also studying this web page which was passed to me thru our club president:

https://www.atf.gov/explarson/fedexplolaw/index.htm

Lots of good "wordy" reading here I can tell ya that...I hope it can help someone else out there as well.

 

[mumroc]

The way we're handling it down here in Louisiana will hopefully be as painless as possible. We've got the app on the computer to be printed out with detailed instructions and a checklist. As I said before, it's not too difficult a process, once you get over the initial shock of having your civil liberties infringed upon once again. After you come to terms with that the fingerprinting and background checks all become easy. In fact the way I've come to look at it is a sort of protection. If someone abuses the system in your name, your filed prints could be a way to exonerate you from any liability. I don't know, does that sound like BS to anyone??

 

[Johnnie]

So I got my passport photo yesterday at Kinko's, and went to the Sherrif's department today to be fingerprinted. They must use the same camera for the passport as they do for the drivers license because I know I'm not that ugly! Fingerprinting was cool, as I had taken the pad off of my left thumb with a table saw a couple of years ago, and it now leaves a cool print. The sherrif deputy told me I had better be good (don't break the law), as I give real good prints...

I brought the passport photo home to the wife, and she says it makes me look like a terrorist the purpose of getting the LEUP is to stay legal and show that I am not a terrorist...I'M A ROCKETEER FOR PETES SAKE!!!!!

The application is almost done and will go in the mail tomorrow, then there is a manditory 90 day waiting period while they conduct background checks...

good time to work on day box and L3 project.

 

[wwattles]

I wonder if my previous federal background investigations will be enough to meet the requirements. After all, they have my fingerprints, my eyescan, my DNA, a full background check (including parents birthplaces!), and the Dept of Defense has awarded me a security clearance and the authorization to carry a weapon as required for my job.
But wait, that was the Dept of Defense, and the LEUP is through Dept of Homeland Security. Silly me, those two aren't going to talk to each other...
Well, guess I'd better have all my references lined up for character witnesses again and have my fingers cleaned of CA and paint so I can go through it all again...

WW

 

[loopy]

Originally posted by wwattles
I wonder if my previous federal background investigations will be enough to meet the requirements. After all, they have my fingerprints, my eyescan, my DNA, a full background check (including parents birthplaces!), and the Dept of Defense has awarded me a security clearance and the authorization to carry a weapon as required for my job.
But wait, that was the Dept of Defense, and the LEUP is through Dept of Homeland Security. Silly me, those two aren't going to talk to each other...
Well, guess I'd better have all my references lined up for character witnesses again and have my fingers cleaned of CA and paint so I can go through it all again...

WW

I was wondering the same thing. I'm typing this from an Air Force base...lol I carry a favorable NAC level II rating. Any way the BATFE can get my NAC info from the AF???

 

[HeadHunter]

Originally posted by Loopy
I was wondering the same thing. I'm typing this from an Air Force base...lol I carry a favorable NAC level II rating. Any way the BATFE can get my NAC info from the AF???

The most frequent background that I go through is for my concealed weapons permit. I noticed after my DoD background was completed that this and any other background investigations have gone much quicker. I would assume those of us that comply with all of the requirements of these investigations are easy to get information on. It is those that remain below radar by chance or planning that tend to have to wait longer for the information to filter back to the requesting agency.

By the way, did I mention I work for the Auditor Generals Office