Level 3 Certification
Level 3 High-Power certification is open to all members who hold a current Level 2 certification. Briefly, the candidate selects a team of two TAPs who will make themselves available to advise the candidate during the process and who will ultimately determine whether the candidate met the requirement for L3 certification. A new rocket must be built for a candidate’s first L3 certification attempt. The candidate must submit a detailed design package of a complete rocket to their TAPs for approval by both TAPs before construction may begin.
You are required to select two Technical Advisory Panel Members (TAP) to oversee your Level 3 project. The TAP team will provide a coordinated review of the detailed design package. They will comment on elements of the design that could be improved and they may request that the candidate rework portions. Once both TAPs are satisfied with the design they will approve it. Only after the design has been approved by both TAPs may the candidate begin construction. The only exception to this rule is for a Tripoli member who has been certified L3 and is trying to recertify. In that situation the TAPs may allow a previously flown rocket, built entirely by the member, to be used. A detailed design package must still be approved by both TAPs before the flight. The candidate then documents the construction of the rocket and details for safe flight recovery for review by both TAPs. After completion of Construction and Recovery details, which may occur in person rather than in a formal document, the candidate may coordinate with at least one TAP to witness the L3 certification flight.
Level 3 Certification Procedure
A TAP has a responsibility to verify the following steps are completed:
- The candidate shall compile a design document that includes all of the following elements:
- Airframe construction details, including:
- Dimensioned drawings
- Bill of materials
- Schematic diagram of the recovery electronics (This does not mean that schematics of the actual recovery devices are required! It simply means a wiring diagram that accurately reflects the wiring provided by the candidate from the power source, switches, and ejection charges.)
- Rocket flight simulations
- The candidate will submit the design document and a signed Universal Certification Form (UCF) to each of the TAPs. The candidate will complete the top portion of the UCF down to the line that says “Following is for Certifying Authority Use.”
- For L3 only, the candidate must have successfully flown three flights using L2 motors (refer to the TRA flight log form). The L2 certification flight counts as one flight. After the L2 certification flight the L2 motors used may be Research Motors.
- At least two of the necessary L2 impulse flights must have successfully flown and recovered using Electronic Deployment. The Tripoli Rocketry Association Flight Log (Level 2 to Level 3) must be submitted with the design document to demonstrate compliance with the three L2 flight requirement. Electronic Deployment in this case means that an electronic flight controller has been successfully used to control the ejection of a parachute. A parachute which has been released by a device after the chute has been ejected by motor ejection does not satisfy this requirement.
- Both TAPs will review the candidate’s rocket design to ensure that the design is satisfactory and that a flight of the rocket would not violate the Tripoli Unified Safety Code (TUSC).
- Once the candidate’s design has been approved by both TAPs, the TAPs shall both signify their approval by signing the Design Approval section of the UCF signifying that the design has been approved.
A candidate who has not been L3 before shall not begin construction of the rocket until the design has been approved. A candidate who is attempting to regain L3 certification may use a rocket which they previously had submitted to TAPs and which was reviewed and approved, and which was built by the candidate. The signed Universal Certification Form with both TAP signatures must be returned to the candidate, who will be required to present it again before flying the certification flight.
- During the construction of the rocket the candidate shall frequently communicate with the TAPs, updating them on the progress of the construction.
- Pictures of the candidate working on the rocket shall be provided to the TAPs.
- The candidate shall personally assemble all assemblies of the rocket including the motor mount and fin section, the avionics bay, the avionics wiring, and all of the structural elements such as bulkplates, motor retainers, and recovery harness.
- Before the certification flight the certification authority shall review the predicted flight characteristics to ensure they comply with the TUSC and FAR 101.25 as well as any special conditions for the launch site. The certification authority may not impose additional conditions on the candidate beyond the requirements that are listed here, such as requirements for specific flight experience that are not part of this procedure.
- Inspection of the prepared rocket motor to ensure it complies with the paragraph below entitled Motor.
- The candidate must arrive at the launch site with the design packet as approved and a fully completed data capture form. If this is not done the flight will be delayed until the necessary
is provided.
- Pre-flight inspection of the rocket with motor to ensure it complies with the build packet submitted to the TAPs and complies with the paragraphs below entitled Recovery and
Airframe.
- Observation of the certification flight in accordance with the paragraph below entitled Certification Flight.
- Inspection of the recovered rocket in accordance with the paragraph below entitled Post-Flight Inspection.
- After accomplishing the steps above, the certifying authority shall determine whether the candidate’s rocket and flight constituted a successful certification. The certification authority shall make the determination for a non-certification in strict compliance with the conditions listed below in the paragraph entitled Non-Certification. The goal is for all certification authorities to apply the rules uniformly.
- Following a successful certification, the TAP who witnessed the preparation and flight should sign the Universal Certification Form in the appropriate place and hand it to the candidate. The candidate is responsible for emailing it to HQ at the address listed on the bottom of the form. The form will also serve as proof that the candidate is certified at the new level until receiving a new membership card with the updated certification listed.
Level 3 Project Requirements
Airframe - The rocket must be built entirely by the flyer. The calculated center of pressure must be marked on the rocket. The rocket must be of conventional rocket design, meaning stabilized by fins and recovered under parachute. "Odd Rockets", such as flying pyramids, saucers, and flying spools, will not be allowed for any certification flight. The rocket may be either a kit or scratch-built. Scratch-built rockets may contain commercially built components.
The Certification Authority has the authority to refuse the use of premanufactured assemblies or rockets that do not reflect a candidate’s ability to build a rocket. Fin cans are allowed if they are made by the certification candidate, but not if they were manufactured by another person. 3D printed fin cans are allowed if they were substantially designed and fully printed by the candidate. Although 3D printed components, including fin cans, are allowed, an entire rocket body (minus the nosecone) that is a single 3D printed piece may not be used for a certification flight.
Recovery - Parachute recovery is required. Non-parachute recovery methods such as tumble, helicopter, gliding, etcetera are not permitted for certification flights. If the rocket uses dual deployment, the apogee recovery event is not required to use a parachute, but must result in destabilizing the rocket at apogee. The apogee event may be either drogueless or streamer, if the main event uses a parachute to decelerate the rocket to no more than the landing velocity allowed by the Tripoli Unified Safety Code.
Motor - The certification flight must be powered by a single, certified M, N, or O motor (total impulse between 5120.01 and 40,960 N-sec). Staged or Clustered rockets may not be used for certification flights. The certifying authority is not required to witness the entire process of the candidate building or preparing the motor but should be aware of the process and make themselves available to answer questions about building or preparing the motor.
Electronics - Dual redundant electronics are required for all recovery events in the L3 certification rocket. That means that two completely independent and separate electronic recovery systems must be incorporated. Neither system must adversely affect the other, either in failure or when operating.
Notice: redundancy means completely separate systems, including batteries, switches, avionics, and energetics that separate and destabilize the rocket at apogee.
Certification Flight - The Level 3 Certification flight may only take place at an insured launch that has the necessary dimensions to support the Safe Distances from the TUSC. One TAP must be present and witness the certification flight. The TAP must observe enough of the flight to be completely confident that the rocket ascended in a stable manner and descended in a safe manner controlled by the recovery system. The certifying authority is not required to see the entire flight.
Post-Flight Inspection - The rocket must be presented to the TAP who witnessed the flight for inspection as recovered (all parts included). If the rocket cannot be recovered but can be inspected in place (power lines, tree, etc.) that may be acceptable at the discretion of the TAP. The certifying authority shall inspect the rocket for excessive damage. Excessive damage shall be considered damage to the point that if the flyer were handed another motor, the rocket could not be put on the pad and flown again safely. Damage caused by wind dragging after a safe landing will not cause
a disqualification.
Level 3 Non-Certification
Any of the following will result in non-certification for a certification flight:
- Motor Cato
- Motor Retention failure
- Excessive Damage
- Excessive damage is defined as damage to the rocket which would prevent flying it again safely.
- In the absence of other flight damage, a zipper of a quarter caliber or less is acceptable, if the rocket could be immediately flown again.
- Cosmetic damage to external fillets is acceptable, but a fin tab that is no longer securely bonded to either the motor mount tube or body tube is not acceptable.
- A rocket exceeding the waivered altitude, the expected altitude as limited by FAR 101.25(G), or drifting outside the waiver radius.
- Failed recovery system deployment, including failure to eject deployment system, tangled recovery system, failure of chute to eject, or other failure that allows the rocket to descend faster than designed even if there is no damage to the rocket.
- For a dual deployment flight, the primary event must occur near apogee and the main parachute must not be ejected or shake loose at apogee.
- Components which descend without a recovery system.
- Landing in excess of 35 feet per second.
- Any other violation of the TUSC associated with this particular flight.