|
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|
1984 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1985 Tripoli was just getting its sea legs on motor
certifications.
TMT chair Bill Wood repeatedly praised U.S. Rockets as being the most cooperative vendor
and fastest (and for several years ONLY) to pay certification fees.
|
|
1986 Tripoli really tested motors right for the first time.
|
|
1987 U.S. Rockets was the leading advocate of Tripoli
getting dedicated equipment and forming a permanant committee for testing.
|
|
1988 Tripoli was asked by members to raise money
for a dedicated test stand and many volunteers came forth with cash. The
BOD balked and spent the money on other projects. Tripoli continued to
use equipment belonging to vendors, notably Aerotech..
|
|
1989 Because Aerotech equipment operated by Aerotech
employees was being used, other vendors were asked (by Aerotech) to take extraordinary
precautions to test motors because Aerotech claimed they could not risk their
equipment on "unproven" motors. Mean time Aerotech motors were failing at
the same or higher rate than other vendors' motors.
|
|
1990 1990 was a banner year for Tripoli. It is the year
U.S. Rockets introduced snap ring reloadables in January and Aerotech released
threaded reloadables in May and Tripoli was asked to find a way to make them legal.
Metallic case motors were strictly illegal; in a number of codes and Aerotech was
already shipping product when they stood before the August annual meting and
announced the market release of reloadables. Oops, before any legal treatment,
any EX numbers, any certifications, etc. Tripoli allowed it. U.S. Rockets stood
by legally watching the law being broken en masse.
|
|
1991 U.S. Rockets submitted its reloadables to TMT in
February 1991 AFTER provisions were made to make them legal. The motors were
fired by Dan Meyer of Aerotech for Tripoli with Bill Wood and Charles Rogers
present at a Lucerne launch hosted by U.S. Rockets. Interestingly Charles Rogers
was also co-owner of the motor vendor (Powertech) USR used for that propellant and he and
another co-owner Franklin Kosdon asked Tripoli to list the motor certifications
under the Kosdon name exclusive and apart from USR, which they did since Rogers
was on the TRA board at the time. Kosdon motors were born by fraud and conversion
and theft, all with the active blessing of TRA in a non-arms length transaction.
The subsequent lawsuit awarded ALL Powertech assets to Jerry Irvine. The assets
continue to be illegally sold. All Kosdon dealers and customers and certifiers
are subject to court judgements. The practice and damages continue despite one
of several judgements exceeding $5,000,000.
|
|
1992 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1993 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1994 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1995 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1996 U.S. Rockets was one of the first certified motor
manufacturers for Tripoli.
|
|
1997 U.S. Rockets was visited one BOD member Korey Kline and a few
short weeks
later Tripoli (Bruce Kelly, President) decertified all USR motors with Tripoli. At the time
USR was the
only manufacturer which actually had all the required ATF permits, DOT classifications,
business
lisences etc. They continues to certify almost a dozen manufacturers who had NONE of these
documents.
About the same time Kline promised to deliver an order of plastic nose cones to USR, and
following
this he deliverted them many months late and refused to deliver/ship them as agreed when
they were made
despite paid deposit. There was another Tripoli conspiracy brewing. Naturally motor sales
revenue
USR was entitled to by virtue of in-place certifications was fully ceased by the
decertification.
This is because in addition to the unprecedented (never before) decertification by Tripoli,
they opted
to ALSO terminate the 3 year grace period afforded to every manufacturer by TRA or NAR in
the history
of rocketry. The result is not only could USR not ship new certified motors, the motors in
posession
of dealers and consumers were also uncertified retroactively.
|
|
