SAFETY CODE | Experimental Rocketry Association

Introduction

The Experimenetal Rocketry Association (ERA) Safety Code was written to ensure compliance with FAA FAR Part 101 in addition to providing basic best practices that ERA members should adhere to when hosting, coordinating, or attending an ERA associated launch. This safety code is not meant to be exhaustive and ultimately it is up to everyone involved with an event to ensure it is carried out safely and legally.

Waiver of Liability Requirements & Disclosure Statement

Amateur rocketry can be hazardous to those directly involved in the hobby as well as to those in the near vicinity of amateur rocketry activities taking place if the correct safety precautions are not taken. By partaking in any ERA associated events, either as an active member or as a spectator you recognize this risk and agree that you are wholly responsible for any liability incurred due to your rocketry activities including during the use of the guidelines provided in this safety code.

All persons attending ERA associated events whether as participants or spectators shall sign a release of liability waiver in advance of attendance and provide a signed copy to the launch host/coordinator for ERA’s official records. This waiver shall be made readily available by the launch host/coordinator during registration for said event. A standard waiver is available under the documents sub-page of the resources section of the ERA website.

The Experimental Rocketry Association (ERA) does not represent that experimental rocketry is legal everywhere and it is the responsibility of the members to be familiar with applicable regulations wherever their activities may take place and they are solely responsible for ensuring they are adhering to said laws.

Definitions

The following definitions shall be utilized when discerning between classes of rockets:

(a) Class 1 - Model Rocket means an amateur rocket that:

Uses no more than 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of propellant;
Uses a slow-burning propellant;
Is made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic;
Contains no substantial metal parts; and
Weighs no more than 1,500 grams (53 ounces), including the propellant.

(b) Class 2 - High-Power Rocket means an amateur rocket other than a model rocket that is propelled by a motor or motors having a combined total impulse of 40,960 Newton-seconds (9,208 pound-seconds) or less.

The following general definitions shall be utilized throughout the safety code and may have been used in prior sections:

(a) Launch Host is an ERA member holding a launch either on their own property or at a location where the launch host has coordinated with and received approval from the authority having jurisdiction over the location

(b) Launch Coordinator is an ERA member tasked with overseeing the operations of a launch and may or may not be the same person as the launch host

(c) Complex Rocket is any rocket that is anything other than a passively stabilized single stage rocket with a single solid propellant motor.

General Operating Limitations

You must operate an amateur rocket in such a manner that it:

(a) Is launched on a suborbital trajectory;

(b) When launched, must not cross into the territory of a foreign country unless an agreement is in place between the United States and the country of concern;

(d) Does not create a hazard to persons, property, or other aircraft.

Operating Limitations for Class 2-High-Power Rockets and Class 3-Advanced High-Power Rockets

When operating Class 2-High Power Rockets or Class 3-Advanced High-Power Rockets, you must comply with the General Operating Limitations. In addition, you must not operate Class 2-High Power Rockets or Class 3-Advanced High-Power Rockets:

(a) At any altitude where clouds or obscuring phenomena of more than five-tenths coverage prevails;

(b) At any altitude where the horizontal visibility is less than five miles;

(d) Between sunset and sunrise without prior authorization from the FAA;

(e) Within 9.26 kilometers (5 nautical miles) of any airport boundary without prior authorization from the FAA;

(f) In controlled airspace without prior authorization from the FAA;

(g) Unless you observe the greater of the following separation distances from any person or property that is not associated with the operations:

Not less than one-quarter the maximum expected altitude;
457 meters (1,500 ft.);

(h) Unless a person at least eighteen years old is present, is charged with ensuring the safety of the operation, and has final approval authority for initiating high-power rocket flight; and

(i) Unless reasonable precautions are provided to report and control a fire caused by rocket activities.

ATC Notification for all Class 2 & 3 Launches

No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1 - Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA ATC facility nearest to the place of intended operation no less than 24 hours before and no more than three days before beginning the operation:

(a) The name and address of the operator; except when there are multiple participants at a single event, the name and address of the person so designated as the event’s launch coordinator, whose duties include coordination of the required launch data estimates and coordinating the launch event;

(b) Date and time the activity will begin;

(d) Location of the center of the affected area in latitude and longitude coordinates;

(e) Highest affected altitude;

(f) Duration of the activity;

(g) Any other pertinent information requested by the ATC facility.

Information Requirements when COA Required

(a) Class 2 - High-Power Rockets. When a Class 2 - High-Power Rocket requires a certificate of waiver or authorization, the person planning the operation must provide the information below on each type of rocket to the FAA at least 45 days before the proposed operation. The FAA may request additional information if necessary to ensure the proposed operations can be safely conducted. The information shall include for each type of Class 2 rocket expected to be flown:

Estimated number of rockets,
Type of propulsion (liquid or solid), fuel(s) and oxidizer(s),
Description of the launcher(s) planned to be used, including any airborne platform(s),
Description of recovery system,
Highest altitude, above ground level, expected to be reached,
Launch site latitude, longitude, and elevation, and
Any additional safety procedures that will be followed.

(b) Class 3 - Advanced High-Power Rockets. When a Class 3 - Advanced High-Power Rocket requires a certificate of waiver or authorization the person planning the operation must provide the information below for each type of rocket to the FAA at least 45 days before the proposed operation. The FAA may request additional information if necessary to ensure the proposed operations can be safely conducted. The information shall include for each type of Class 3 rocket expected to be flown:

The information requirements of paragraph (a) of this section,
Maximum possible range,
The dynamic stability characteristics for the entire flight profile,
A description of all major rocket systems, including structural, pneumatic, propellant, propulsion, ignition, electrical, avionics, recovery, wind-weighting, flight control, and tracking,
A description of other support equipment necessary for a safe operation,
The planned flight profile and sequence of events,
All nominal impact areas, including those for any spent motors and other discarded hardware, within three standard deviations of the mean impact point,
Launch commit criteria,
Countdown procedures, and
Mishap procedures.

Recommended Distances from Rocketry Activities

(a) The following distance table should be used as a baseline for determining safe distances from rocketry activities including, but not limited to launch and motor tests:

(b) Smoking or vaping is prohibited within 25 feet (8 meters) of any flammable material including solid propellant or initiators. The area around each launch pad must also be cleared of any flammable materials to at least the following radii based on the size motor being tested or launched:

J impulse or less: 25 feet (7.5 meters)
K impulse or less: 37.5 feet (11.5 meters)
L impulse or less: 50 feet (15 meters)
M-O impulse or less: 62.5 feet (19 meters)

For motors which may produce sparks, it is advisable to increase these radii by 50%.

(c) These numbers shall be considered a baseline and should be adjusted at the discretion of the ERA member hosting the launch and/or the member acting as launch coordinator if necessary to account for any additional considerations. For example, if everyone at the launch will be in a bunker and/or is wearing personal protective gear such as hard hats, safety glasses, etc., it may be acceptable to be closer to the launch. Or alternatively, if a motor with a particularly high risk of catastrophic failure is being flown, it may be appropriate to increase your distance from the launch. The aforementioned distances are also only valid for motor tests which are performed in the vertical orientation. Special considerations must be made for horizontal testing.

Motor/Launch Initiation

(a) Motors or launches shall only be initiated electronically by a means which only momentarily applies power and has at least one physical inhibit from accidental initiation such as a switch.

(b) Initiators shall be of resistive heating type construction (such as nichrome wire) that requires intentional power application to initiate:

If an initiator can be set off by simple static discharge, it is prohibited at ERA associated launches.
If a rocket is of multi-stage construction, the second stage initiator shall only be armed after recovery devices are armed if employing electronic recovery methods, but before the first stage initiator is connected to the launch system. Special care should be taken to ensure staging devices cannot inadvertently initiate upper stage(s) until after the rocket has been launched.
Initiators shouldn't be installed into motors until the rocket is on the pad or the motor is in the test stand, unless additional precautions are taken to ensure they cannot be inadvertently initiated.

(c) Motors or launches shall be initiated from a single location at the launch which will be overseen by the launch coordinator.

The motor/launch may be initiated by the launch coordinator or by the member whose motor/launch is being initiated, so long as the launch coordinator is directly supervising the initiation and has cleared them verbally to do so.
All initiations shall be announced such that all the attendees of the launch can hear it and a countdown given with at least five seconds notice.

(d) It is at the sole discretion of the launch coordinator to decide if a rocket or motor is ‘okay’ to be launched or tested at the event.

Members shall be prepared to brief the coordinator on the type of motor being utilized, whether it has been qualified for flight, etc., and be prepared to allow the launch coordinator to inspect the rocket or motor in any way they see fit that doesn’t damage the hardware. It is generally a good practice to mark the center of pressure and CG on the outside of the rocket as this may expediate the launch coordinator’s ability to make a decision on the flight worthiness of the rocket.
Launches shall not be initiated if winds exceed what the launch coordinator considers safe for the type of rocket being launched.

Rocket Recovery

Rockets launched at ERA associated launches must employ a recovery device or be passively recovered (such as with tumble recovery or aero-braking) in a manner that ensures the entire rocket will be safely returned to the ground at less than 35 feet per second (11 meters per second).

Motor Qualification for Flight

(a) Motors which are to be flown at ERA associated launches shall be ‘qualified for flight’, unless a previously validated design methodology (such as Nakka’s SRM software, burn-sim, etc., were utilized along with a previously characterized propellant in a motor of ‘typical construction’) was employed during the design of said motor, and an electronic recovery initiation device or passive recovery means is employed to ensure safe recovery whether the motor performs as expected or not.

(b) For a motor to be considered ‘qualified for flight’ the motor must be static tested at least once on the ground in a manner that produces a thrust curve which can be utilized to simulate the flight and demonstrates full functionality of the motor including parachute delay and charge if a motor has one, prior to being allowed to be flown at an ERA launch.

(c) Motors may be qualified for flight at ERA associated launches and then re-loaded and flown the same day so long as the ERA member has access at the launch site to the resources required to simulate the flight prior to launch.

Motor Design

(a) Motors which are to be flown at ERA associated launches should be designed such that the closures, nozzles, connections, seals, etc., fail rather than the primary pressure bearing body of the motor or engine, significantly decreasing the potential of high velocity fragments perpendicular to the launch axis.

(b) Motors shall only use stable propellants which are not sensitive to shock or prone to inadvertent ignition.

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