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FAQS
What is Sport Rocketry? Sport rocketry is aerospace engineering in miniature! This popular hobby and educational tool was founded in 1957 to provide a safe and inexpensive way for young people to learn the prinicples of rocket flight. It has grown since then to a worldwide hobby with over 5 million flights per year, used in 25,000 schools around the U.S. Its safety record is extraordinarily good, especially compared to most other outdoor activities. It is recognized and permitted under Federal and all 50 states' laws and regulations. Sport rocketry has inspired two generations of America's young people to pursue careers in technology. What is a Sport Rocket? A sport rockets is a reusable, lightweight, non-metallic flight vehicle that is propelled vertically by an electrically-ignited, commercially-made, nationally-certified, and non-explosive solid fuel motor rocket. Sport rockets are designed to be recovered and flown many times, with the motor being replaced between flights. Are These Rockets Legal? Model rockets are legal under the laws and regulations of all 50 states and the Federal government. Model rockets are regulated by the National Fire Protections Association (NFPA) Code 1122, which is adopted as law in many states. They are permitted for sale to children by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under their regulations (16 CFR 1500.85 (a)(8). They are not subject to regulation or user licensing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They are endorsed and used by the Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs, the Civil Air Patrol and NASA. Is This Hobby Safe? In well over 250 million flights since the founding of the hobby, there has never been a death caused by the flight of a sport rocket! Injuries are rare and generally minor, and are almost always the result of failure to follow the basic safety precautions and instructions provided by the manufacturers. Aren't These Rockets Fireworks? All Federal and state legal codes recognize sport rockets as different from fireworks. Fireworks are single-use recreational products designed solely to produce noise, smoke, or visual effect. They have few of the designed-in safety features of pre-consumer national safety testing of a reusable sport rocket, and none of the sport rocket's educational value. Fireworks are fuse-lit, an inherently dangerous ignition method that is specifically forbidden in the hobby of sport rocketry. The purpose of sport rockets is to demonstrate flight principles or carry eduational payloads, not blow up, make noise, or emit a shower of sparks! Who are the Experts? The oldest and largest organization of sport rocketeers in the U.S. is the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). This non-profit organization represents the hobby to public safety officials and federal agencies, and plays a key role in maintaining the safety of the hobby throught engine certification testing and safety code development. The NAR aslo publishes Sport Rocketry Magazine, runs national sport rocketry events and competitions, and offers liability insurance coverage for sport rocketeers and launch site owners. Liftoff! is Chapter #676 of the NAR and abide by all safety rules set forth by the NAR. Information provided by the NAR "Sport Rocketry- America's Safe, Educational Aerospace Hobby" |
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