Dear fellow Rocketeers, After a series of talks with several leading rocket fliers in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands I would like to bring forward an idea that has been growing slowly in a small group within the rocket community in Europe. In the last few years I came across some developments that will influence the way that we enjoy our hobby in the future, both points are very important for a good continuing infrastructure for the rocket hobby in Europe. Most fliers in Europe are a member of the local rocketry organizations and use their infrastructure to launch their projects. As a Tripoli prefect, TAP member and the co-owner of REBEL Space / Rocketry I came across two EU developments that will have a large impact on how fliers can enjoy our hobby in the future in the European Union. I take this initiative, mainly because no one is addressing it and both issues can mean the end of rocketry in the EU in the future completely or at least have a major impact on how we launch rockets in the EU. No matter how long countries in the EU will take their own time to implement the laws that are being developed, it will have a definitive impact in the end. We need a good group of knowledgeable fliers to take action on these issues. This is why I take this initiative and distribute this letter in several languages among all EU rocketry organizations, all forums, public or not public. Please feel free to translate it in our own language and try to reach all EU rocketry organizations and individual fliers in Europe and also in Switzerland and Norway. This way all Rocketeers in the EU can see the importance of these issues and we can get a good group together to tackle these issues so that our hobby has a good future. We live in an era of Space Technology that is developing the way Aviation was developing itself about a hundred years ago, so lets continue that quest and be able to fly rockets in Europe on all levels. After several talks with some leading fliers in the EU we have come to the following setup that we can use to reach our goals. It is however imperative that everyone sees the importance of these issues, if we can reach a good agreement with the EU Governmental agencies this could mean a very good future and loosen allot of burdens for our hobby on all fields for Low Power Rocketry (Model Rocketry), Mid Power Rocketry, High Power Rocketry and Research Rocketry (Experimental Rocketry). Facts; • In Europe several amateur rocket organizations are active, most have a good infrastructure and have agreements within the laws of their country to be able to actively launch rockets and store motors and reloads. • In the EU the lawmakers have written a concept for the use of pyrotechnical articles, the use of our motors is unsure in this, also the setup now is that only companies can use larger motors (above a few grams of propellant). We need a system that fliers can use all commercial and non commercial motors legally when this law is implemented. Up to now only the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France have a law in place or an agreement, in the Netherlands a extension of the law is being written, but all these laws will be subject to change when the EU law comes into effect. • The EU is working to clear the total airspace in the EU from military areas, probably there will be only training area left in the whole of the EU in the future for the military, and the whole airspace will be reclassified to be able free up congested airspace and make more flights possible along shorter routes. We need to be able to use this airspace for our launches however and we need a law in place in the EU aviation law that covers this, up to now only the Netherlands has a law like this in place, in all other countries local regulations have been made by the organization, but they are all subject to what happens in the EU aviation law concerning airspace. These two points will have influences on how we can actively launch rockets in the EU in the near future. My idea is to take action on these issues and address them for the good of the Rocketeer and the hobby in the EU; • Inform all Rocketry organizations and Rocketeers in Europe of these issues. The goal is to motivate all fliers to become a member of a local organization as we need every support we can get, and to start a European based Rocketry Organization, for now called EU Rocketry. This is done by this letter. Goal is to start; • A European Amateur Rocketry Organization that can represent all organizations in Europe when dealing with the two issues on the use and storage of pyrotechnical articles and the use of the Airspace in Europe. All organizations will have to pay a membership fee to this Organization, probably based on the amount of members to be able to pay for all costs that will certainly come when addressing the two issues and no one can do this without expenses paid for. This organization will basically not interfere with the infrastructure that all the EU organizations already have in place as certifications, trainings and so on although it will have consequences on some fields, we will not be able to get around that as they will be consequences from the Pyro and Air laws in the EU. The main goal of this European Organization is to lobby in the EU for the use of pyrotechnical articles (rocket motors and reloads that is) and the use of the airspace in the EU. The organization will however use laws and agreements with local governments (for instance Dutch Rocketry Air law, UK storage agreement, German T1 / T2 system and so on) that are good for our hobby as a spear point on the issues, mainly to prove that good systems are already in use that we can build on for a EU arrangement in the laws in both fields. • This European Organization will then form a BOD of about 5 members that will do the daily communication with all the organizations in Europe and will form two Working Groups. One to address the pyrotechnical article issue and one to address the use of the airspace issue. Also this BOD will setup a website that will reflect the organization, goals and milestones of the process. • Forming by this BOD of two working groups of about 5 members, one group to tackle the use and storage of the pyrotechnical articles and one group to tackle the use of the airspace in Europe. A example for this has already been done by the firework organizations in Europe. The new pyrotechnical law that is under development by the EU has already been changed by the lobbying of a European fireworks organization that was formed strictly to address this law. A Dutch consultant was made the head of this organization and thru him we could get access to the road for a chapter about rocket motors in this new law (EU 9315 Pyro Law). For this we also have some other contacts we can use. o The Pyro Group will have to address the EU 9315 Pyro Law and find a way to implement the new P1 / P2 regulation in something like the German T1 / T2 system combined with the TRA / NAR / CAR / UKRA certification system for the use of the larger motors. This will prove difficult as also organizations in Europe that do not use this system will have to device a way to use a system like this in the future. We cannot get around this, but this way we can lead the law makers to a situation that works for our hobby and is safe as we have the safest track record with this system in the world and we can prove this with thousands of launches all over the world. o The Air law Group will have to address the use of the airspace and the regulations concerning NOTAMS and the special rocketry regulations. We can use the Dutch air space law for rocketry for this as a basis and the FAA legislation that has been in place for a long time in the USA. I end this letter by saying that the fliers that are going to participate to this BOD and the two working groups have to be very motivated and be able to spend time on these issues. You will have to do allot of research, talk to fellow fliers for ideas and work with different organizations to get to the needed results. Some will also have to make time to travel to Brussels and make presentations for the law makers. I give the flag now to all boards of our European Rocketry Organizations and individual fliers to make this all happen. Please contact me as soon as possible for further details or when any of you have any questions, and I would like to set a date for the forming of the BOD of the EU Rocketry Organization around the end of December 2007 as time is pressing to form the pyrotechnical group. Ideas are welcome, I would also rather use my time on one of my rocket projects, but if we do not take action on this then we can only fly in the USA in the future in a worst case scenario. Please only contact me directly via rebel@quicknet.nl as I really do not have the time nor resources to visit all forums where this is posted to answer or react on all ideas or comments. I will react to all e-mails however to setup a basic working layout that will later be represented on the webpage that we will be made operational to represent this effort. Please forward this to all concerned.
