Technical Advisory Panel (TAP)
The primary purpose of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) is to supervise and provide technical guidance to Tripoli members pursuing Level 3 certification.
Level 3 certification is available to members who hold a current Level 2 certification and is intended to demonstrate the member’s ability to safely design, construct, prepare, fly, and recover a rocket using Level 3 impulse. Unlike Level 1 and Level 2 certification, Level 3 is a more involved process that begins well before the certification flight.
A Level 3 candidate selects two TAP members to oversee the project. The candidate prepares a detailed design package describing the proposed rocket, including its construction, recovery system, electronics, expected flight performance, and other required information. Both TAP members review the design and may provide comments or require changes before approving it. For a member pursuing Level 3 certification for the first time,
construction of the certification rocket may not begin until both TAP members have approved the design.
Before beginning the Level 3 process, candidates must also have the required Level 2 flight experience. This includes three successful flights using Level 2 motors, with the Level 2 certification flight counting as one of those flights. At least two of the required flights must have successfully used electronic deployment. These flights are documented using the
TRA L2 to L3 Flight Log.
Once the design has been approved, the candidate constructs the rocket and keeps the TAP members informed of the project’s progress. The candidate is expected to personally complete the required construction and assembly of the rocket and provide documentation, including photographs of the candidate working on the project. The TAPs continue to serve as technical advisors during this stage and help ensure that the completed rocket is consistent with the approved design and meets Tripoli’s requirements for a Level 3 certification flight.
When the rocket is complete and ready to fly, at least one of the candidate’s TAP members must be present for the certification attempt. The TAP reviews the completed rocket, its recovery systems, predicted flight characteristics, required documentation, and other pre-flight requirements before authorizing the certification flight.
Following the flight, the witnessing TAP inspects the recovered rocket and determines whether the flight and recovery meet the requirements for successful Level 3 certification. If the certification is successful, the TAP signs the appropriate portion of the Universal Certification Form, which the candidate then submits to Tripoli Headquarters.
TAP members therefore serve as more than witnesses to a Level 3 flight. They are technical advisors and certification authorities who work with the candidate throughout the process—from design review and approval, through construction and pre-flight review, to the certification flight and post-flight inspection.
Members considering Level 3 certification should review the
Level 3 Certification Process before beginning a project. That page contains the complete and current requirements for the certification process, including design documentation, required Level 2 flight experience, construction, recovery systems, electronics, motors, certification flights, and the conditions that may result in non-certification.
The
TAP Manual provides additional information regarding TAP qualifications, selection, responsibilities, duties, and administration of the Technical Advisory Panel.