TARC 2018 Results

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aerostadt

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TARC 2018 results have been sent out by Trip Barber. Trip sent out this word:

"Yesterday we flew the national Finals for TARC 2018. We had great weather (for a change), and it went exceptionally well due to the hard work, skill, and positive and supportive attitude of the 112-person NAR volunteer range crew and our AIA partners. We have a TARC 2018 winner: Creekview High School of Canton, GA. A team from this same school (different students) won in 2014 as well. Creekview will be going to the Farnborough Air Show courtesy of Raytheon Company to fly against the winners of the TARC-like events in the UK, France, and Japan. And they collected $21,000 of the overall prize pool of $100,000 that was split across the top 10 teams. I have attached the detailed results of the Finals."

I noticed that the TARC 2019 rules look tough to me. The teams are required to launch 3 eggs.

View attachment TARC Results 2018 - Flight Data.pdf
 
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I was there as a volunteer and, as Trip says, it was a truly fantastic event. The TARC finals are a MAJOR event with over 1000 attendees, numerous additional competitions in addition to the TARC flying, an exhibit area with big displays from many of the big aerospace companies (Aerojet/Rocketdyne, United Launch Alliance, Orbital/ATK,etc.). The U.S. Spacemodeling team had a big display to attract new junior fliers and Estes was there and you could talk directly to the new CEO, Ellis Langford! Each of the companies was giving out lots of free trinkets, huge fun. Even if you don't want to go as a volunteer, you owe it to yourself to go at least once to see what a giant, incredibly professionally run, exciting event this is. Really spectacular!

As for the rules for next year, yes they are tough but what a treat. They are a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, hence the 3 "passengers" who must be returned safely. Egg capsule and altimeter must return separately from the booster and must descend via two chutes. Booster can descend on whatever the team chooses. Apollo 11 landed at 8:56 pm so the target altitude for the first round is 856 feet. The rocket must be flown on an F or less motor. Trip has actually test-flown the event, so it can be done.

The addition of different heights for the second round this year was brilliant, and will be continued. It forces the teams to create a rocket, or rockets, that can be adjusted to a different altitude and descent rate. That forces the teams to do way more sophisticated engineering than just trying to hit one set altitude and duration.

Some of the entries this year were truly amazing. The kids from The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs used a large central motor followed by recruitable smaller Estes motors. A computer calculated the rate of ascent and fired the additional motors as needed. Their first round score was exactly the goal, 800 feet. Simply fantastic both in concept and execution! Unfortunately their second round flight weathercocked in high wind and even with all the recruits, only hit 765 feet.

Last night I had the chance to have dinner with the mentor of the second place team, from Festus, Missouri. The Festus team came in first place last year and only came in second this year by virtue of a spectacular second round flight that moved them from 26th place to 2nd. The rules let you enter two rockets, so this team actually built and brought 3 different rockets, each one tuned to the 3 potential target altitudes and durations. No other team did that. The other teams did weight and parachute adjustments to their single vehicle. Want to know what it takes to do well in this contest? The Festus team flew 81 test flights this year.

I was a pad manager this year, helping the kids out at the pads. The launch range is a long way from the viewing stand and no one but team members are allowed at the pads. No adult supervisors, mentors, parents, etc. Absolutely wonderful rule. These incredibly talented kids are completely on their own and the skill level of most of the teams was amazing. At the end of the second round I watched an all girl team from somewhere out west wave off their flight when the launch queue came around to them because the wind had shifted in direction and intensity. The five girls then turned their pad, re-angled the rod downwind, examined the angle from all directions, and came to unanimous consensus. It wasn't one kid in charge directing the others, all 5 clearly knew what they were doing. Then they got back in the queue and when they launched their rocket left the rail at a slight downwind angle and immediately weathercocked, just as they'd predicted, to absolutely vertical. Now I've been watching this same thing for years on contest ranges done by 50+ year-olds, but to see it done so expertly by a group of highschoolers under big pressure at a national event, well, it just gives me a huge amount of confidence in this generation. There were a whole lot of junior steely-eyed missile men and women out on that field this weekend. That's why AIA puts so much stock in this event.

And I can honestly tell you that the U.S. Internats team in this event (S2P) picked up a few really useful techniques from watching these kids that we'll be using in Poland this year.

As I said earlier, if you ever get a chance to go to the TARC finals, don't miss it. To all of you who helped with a team this year or judged flights, thank you. And to my friend Trip Barber who has nurtured this project from the very beginning into the spectacular event it is today, kudos. What a remarkable achievement.

Steve

View attachment Event Rules - TARC 2019 (changes highlighted).pdf

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I was there as a volunteer and, as Trip says, it was a truly fantastic event.

Great write-up that perfectly summarizes what the event is all about. I like to tell new volunteers "You're going to spend your entire weekend working hard for Trip Barber, a man with very work product high standards, you'll not fly a single rocket all weekend and you're going to have the time of your life."

Also, as Steve says, if you can't volunteer, just show up to see what the future of our hobby is going to look like and who's going to be leading it. It'll restore your faith in the future.
 
I love reading the results. Congrats to everyone involved.

On a side note, does anyone know how many teams participate in the UK, France, and Japan? Is it as popular in those countries as it is here?
 
In the UK "Last year’s competition (2017) saw a record number of entrants to the competition, with more than 500 students from 98 teams across the UK taking part."

It's harder (for me, at least) to find info on the French competition. The last numbers I found were for 2014 and they had 32 teams at their finals.

My google searching isn't finding much info on the Japanese program on either the JAXA or the SJAC websites.

The Ukraine Rocketry Challenge is being held next weekend, so we should be able to see how their turnout is.

kj
 
As a second-time volunteer at the finals, I think Steve and Bunny are both dead on. I helped put the range together on Friday and was at Returns (checking eggs and reading altimeters) during the actual flying.

Between the actual hard work and the time zone shift I’m still pretty tired (it hasn’t helped that weather delayed the first leg of my return flight and so I’m in Denver right now rather than home) but I’m already thinking in terms of being back next year.

At least the nasty storms (there were actually tornado warnings at Dulles yesterday while I was there yesterday evening!) waited until after the TARC finals were over.
 
Trip Barber has announced that the 2018 U.S. TARC winners have won the International TARC:

Fellow NAR TARC Mentors –



The good news for all of you who helped support TARC 2018, is that the U.S. team from Creekview High School in Canton, GA who won TARC 2018 here in the U.S. has just won the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in England. See the press release below.



The bad news is that some scammer got into the AIA system used to send TARC information to all the people (schools and others) who are interested in TARC and used it to transmit a bogus “GoFundMe” e-mail. See the AIA message below about ignoring this. As most of you know the NAR has had this same problem previously, and we have warned our members to never fall for a personal fundraising plea that appears to come from the NAR since we never do such things..


I look forward to working with all of you in the “Apollo 11” themed challenge of TARC 2019. Please take every opportunity to build interest in this challenge in schools and youth groups in your area.



Sincerely,



Trip Barber

NAR 4322 L3

NAR TARC Manager



---------------------------------

U.S. Rocketeers Win Gold


PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 20, 2018--Four students from Creekview High School in Canton, Ga., competed against the world’s best rocketry teams and took first place at the International Rocketry Challenge (IRC) at the Farnborough International Airshow. Sponsored by The Raytheon Company, the team represented the United States against teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan over two days, July 19-20.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” said Creekview team captain Brayden Dodge. “It’s been four years in the making to get here; working all year long, every Friday after school to make our rocket the best it can be. Today’s result shows we did a fine job of that.”

The Creekview team includes Dodge, 18; Kennedy Hugo, 17; Aiden McChesney, 17; and Warren Teachworth, 17. As part of the IRC, teams were required to launch a raw hen’s egg to 800 feet and return it to earth safely within 41-43 seconds. In addition to launch requirements, competing teams were also tasked with delivering a presentation explaining their rocket design to a distinguished panel of international aerospace experts, which accounted for 40 percent of their total score.

Creekview High School placed first both in the presentation component and in the rocket launch.

France’s Lycee Sud Medoc School came in second, the Japanese team from Omiya Technical High School finished third and the U.K.’s Tonbridge School came in fourth.

“This is the most exciting thing we do at AIA, and it’s because of the amazing students who compete every year,” said AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning. “This contest encourages STEM education and shows a pathway to joining our workforce. Congratulations to Creekview High School – today, you’ve made America proud! There’s little doubt that the future of our global industry is in great hands.”

This is the 13th year the Raytheon Company has proudly sponsored Team USA, enabling them to attend an international air show. Raytheon’s support is tied closely to the company’s MathMovesU® initiative that aims to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“Congratulations to all the students who participated in this one-of-a-kind global competition,” said Thomas A. Kennedy, Raytheon Chairman and CEO. “My challenge to you is to take the problem-solving skills you used in the International Rocketry Challenge and apply them to spark innovative solutions throughout your studies and careers. After all, our world needs a new generation of scientists and engineers to discover the breakthrough ideas and technologies of the future.”

The International Rocketry Challenge is the culmination of four separate competitions held annually around the globe: the Team America Rocketry Challenge ( TARC ) sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association ( AIA ) and the National Association of Rocketry ( NAR ); the United Kingdom Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC) sponsored by ADS, the UK Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space association; the French Rocketry Challenge sponsored by Groupement des Industries Francaises Aeronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS), the French aerospace industries association, and Planete Sciences; and the Japanese Rocketry Challenge, sponsored by the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC) and the Japan Association of Rocketry.

Each challenge brings together teams of middle and high school students to design, build and launch model rockets with the goal of inspiring young minds to become engaged in STEM education and aerospace careers.
 
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