At K-LOB 2006, Alexander Field and Sebastian Field, with the help their Dad, Mark Field, obtained UKRA Level 1 Certification. This enables them to launch rockets in the range H to I. This is the story of how two more members of PARS obtained their Level 1.

That means PARS now has three Level 1 members. Alex and Seb join Oliver in that honour.

It all started in a workshop. In fact, not PARS HQ workshop. It turns out, and unbeknown to the PARS president Howard Smith, the Fields have been studying building a 2nd PARS rocket workshop. Not only this, it appears that their dining room has been taken over by rocket building activities for several months. Caroline must be congratulated for this patience. I think it has been set up that way for several months.

Here is Sebastian Field, and Oliver Neil Smith, in the second PARS workshop. Let's call it PARS H2Q.

Mark Field, long suffering rocket Dad, is here performing some simulation calculations for Seb and Alex's Level 1 rockets. There is a rumour that he is more interested in rockets than his bored expression here might indicate. Not only has he been seen to be quite excited by rockets, it is also rumoured that he is building, or has built, a rocket with which he will be attemping Level 1, and a height record. We shall have to wait for such excitement until the next event.

Seb, with his Level 1 rocket after weeks of work. It is based on a kit from Deepsky Rocket Shop.

Alex, with his Level 1 rocket from Loc Precision. We think it's called Fantom. A lot of work went into this rocket, and it's not yet finished, because it can be converted to dual recovery. That's a project for the Xmas period.

Experienced rocketeer and UKRA qualified RSO, Chris, help Seb and Alex prepare for the Level 1 attempts. We thank Chris for the time he spent with us at K-LOB. It took an hour or two to prepare the rockets and launch them, taking into account that the boys had to do this alone, and un-supervised by Dad as far as possible.

Level 1 looks easy. It is not. PARS insists that all members build their own rocket for Level 1. Launching on someone's else's rocket would not, according to the PARS president, give the boys the experience they need to be a responsible Level 1 rocketeer - even though it is not strictly required by the UKRA rules. The boys must be able to explain to the RSO all of the safety procautions.

Because it is easy for boys to forget these rules and
safety procautions in the weeks and months between
rocket events, PARS has a code of conduct which all
members are required to read prior to any event. Also, all preparation of a rocket, by a PARS member, must be overseen by the President or Co-President, in addition to the checks made by the RSO at the launch head.

We hope that PARS members will take the step to
UKRA Level 2 in the years to come. This is a much bigger step involving an examination, which is quite challenging. In addition, PARS will also be designing its own examination for anyone wishing to take Level 2. This extra examination complements the UKRA exam, and is designed to ensure that the boys are fully competent in several important safety matters. More news of that in 2007. For now, it congrats to the Fields for this achievement.

Our thanks once again to Chris for helping these young PARS members take their first step in High Power Rocketry.

Want more pictures from K-LOB, including the
actvities of the other PARS members. Download
them here. Now back to the Level 1 story ....

Alex prepares his rocket on the pad for his Level 1
attempt. With Mum and Dad standing by, things
are getting rather tense. It has taken a couple of
hours to get to this point but Alex has succeeded
in demonstrating to the RSO that he can safely
prepare a High Powered Rocket for flight.

In parallel, Seb is doing the same. Seb's rocket is smaller
than Alex's, and fitting everything together took some
doing. Once again, the RSO confirms that Seb's rocket is
safe to fly.

Our thanks to the UKRA for making facilities
available to us for this Level 1 attempt. A special
thanks to Richard Osborne and Cath Bashford
for their encouragement of PARS efforts in rocketry.

Both rockets launched successfully on Pro38 H-class
motors.

We then had to wait for the boys to recover the rockets
and bring them back to the launch head for inspection.

The RSO announces Seb is now UKRA Level 1 and
hands him the certificate.

Alex's rocket at take off ...

Alex is also confirmed as Level 1 and is clearly delighted.