Yesterday in the mail, I got the above card, showing my Level 1 Certification! My previous card had a big "0" where the "1" is now. According to Tripoli's rules, you have to pay $5 if you want your card re-issued when you achieve a new certification level. $5 is no big deal, given all they do for the hobby, and I was planning to do that once they'd received and recorded my cert paperwork.

But instead, they just sent me a new card, with "Congratulations on your Level 1!" written inside the envelope! :) Very cool! Hopefully someone at Tripoli is reading this and will see it is appreciated. I may write them a letter.

In the US, there are two national organizations supporting, lobbying for, and certifying people for, the rocketry hobby. They are Tripoli Rocketry Association and National Association of Rocketry (NAR). Without getting into a religious-style discussion/argument on the merits of either, suffice it to say that they both have slightly different focuses and depending on your interests you may want to join one or the other, but not necessarily both. Obviously, I joined Tripoli.

I've been very happy with Tripoli so far. Not only did they help out the hobby immensely with the victory vs. the BATF on the explosives permit issue, they just simply...rock!