100 meter club (A motor)

Can you get a model rocket past 100 metres on an A motor? It's a great first challenge for a new altimeter: small enough to fly at any club launch, and hard enough that you'll need to build light and fly straight.

This one isn't a race. Everyone whose flight reaches 100 m wins the points, once each. Fly it again as often as you like: your later flights go on the leaderboard, but the points are paid once per flyer.

Which motors count as an A?

Any motor with 1.26 to 2.5 Ns of total rated impulse, such as the 18 mm Estes A8-3 or the 13 mm A10-3T and A3-4T. The class goes by the total for the whole flight, so two A motors in a cluster make a B and won't count.

How to get to 100 m on an A

• Keep it light. A small 18 mm rocket with the altimeter inside will get there; a heavy kit with a big parachute probably won't.
• A smooth finish, a pointed nose cone and thin, sanded fins all help.
• Use a streamer instead of a parachute. It's lighter, and the rocket won't drift as far.
• Fly on a calm day, straight up. Wind tips the rocket over and every degree off vertical costs height.
• Weigh the rocket ready to fly and enter the lift-off weight on the flight page.

Entering your flight

Upload the flight as normal, then on its flight page add the motor and the lift-off weight, and set the launch site, date and time. Then open the Add my flight tab here and pick it. Your altimeter's accelerometer measures the burn, which proves the motor really was an A.

Fly safely, and follow the safety code of your club or national association.