Eric Song's NAR Level 2 Certification Journey: From L1 to a 5,000-Foot Flight

On August 4, 2026, Eric Song earned NAR Level 2 High Power Rocketry certification. His certification flight used a J-class motor and reached 5,000 feet. Those are the verified milestone facts. The rocket did not have a name, and details such as its dimensions, materials, recovery configuration, launch site, and motor model are not included here because they have not been confirmed.

That distinction matters. A certification story should show what the candidate actually demonstrated, not turn an impressive flight into a collection of unsupported specifications. Eric's path is useful because it connects a visible result—a 5,000-foot flight—to the preparation, construction, safety review, and post-flight evaluation that NAR requires.

If you want the requirements without the personal narrative, start with our NAR Level 2 certification guide. The sections below focus on what Eric's milestone means and what students can learn from the process.

The path started before the J-class flight

Level 2 is not an entry-level credential. Under the official NAR Level 2 procedures, a candidate must be at least 18 years old, be an NAR member in good standing, and already hold Level 1 before beginning the Level 2 process. Eric therefore reached this milestone through a sequence: first L1, then the additional knowledge and flight demonstration required for L2.

NAR also expects candidates to gain experience at their current level before moving up. That does not translate into a universal number of months or flights, so we will not assign a made-up timeline to Eric's preparation. The important pattern is progressive responsibility. A candidate does not skip directly from a classroom concept to a J-class certification attempt.

For a student, this is the first transferable lesson: ambitious engineering goals become manageable when you define the prerequisite skills. In the American Rocketry Challenge, that might mean learning accurate mass measurement before tuning altitude, or proving basic recovery reliability before trying to optimize flight duration.

The written requirement tests judgment, not memorization alone

Before the certification flight, an L2 candidate must pass a 40-question online exam with at least 35 correct answers—about an 87% passing threshold. NAR identifies regulations, motor designations, range and safety practices, and rocket stability among the covered areas.

Because Eric completed the L2 certification process, he completed this knowledge requirement. We do not need to invent his study schedule or claim a particular exam score to understand why the step matters. High-power rocketry asks the flyer to make decisions where a vague understanding of stability or launch rules is not enough.

This is similar to a strong ARC design review. A student should be able to explain why the center of gravity is ahead of the center of pressure, what a motor designation communicates, and how a recovery choice affects both landing and drift. A simulation result is more useful when the student can explain the assumptions behind it.

The candidate must build and present the rocket

NAR requires the L2 candidate to build the rocket used for the certification attempt. It may be a kit or a scratch-built design, but the candidate is responsible for its construction and for explaining its safety and stability during the preflight inspection.

That requirement makes the flight a demonstration of integrated work. A rocket can look complete while still hiding weak retention, an uncertain stability margin, or a recovery connection that has not been checked as a system. Before an L2 flight, the certification team may ask the candidate to identify the center of gravity and center of pressure, explain how stability was determined, and interpret the motor designation.

Eric built the rocket he used for the attempt. Beyond that required fact, we are deliberately not filling in unverified design details. The useful lesson is process ownership: if you built a system, you should be able to account for its parts, assumptions, and likely failure modes.

The certification flight: J class and 5,000 feet

Eric's successful attempt used a J-class motor and reached 5,000 feet. J is the first impulse class within the J/K/L range associated with Level 2. NAR's high-power certification overview explains that Level 2 permits adult certified members to purchase and use J-, K-, and L-class solid or hybrid motors, subject to the other laws, regulations, and range requirements that apply.

Altitude is not the certification criterion by itself. A high number does not turn an unsafe flight into a passing one. NAR evaluates flight stability, active recovery deployment, safe recovery, and the condition of the rocket after flight. The attempt must be witnessed in person by a qualified certification team, and the rocket must be returned for post-flight inspection.

That is why the milestone should be stated as a complete result:

• NAR Level 2 certification earned August 4, 2026
• J-class certification flight
• 5,000-foot recorded flight milestone
• Certification completed through NAR's required exam, witnessed flight, recovery, and inspection process

The website includes footage from Eric's rocket launches. Unless a particular clip is separately verified as this certification attempt, it should be described only as Eric's launch footage—not as video of the L2 flight.

What the post-flight review adds

The certification process does not end when the rocket leaves the pad or reaches apogee. NAR requires active recovery and a post-flight inspection. The certification team looks for safe recovery, retained components, and flight-induced damage; the general standard is that the rocket could fly again without repair.

This creates a useful definition of engineering success. A flight is not successful merely because it produced an exciting ascent. The full system must operate through recovery and return in an acceptable condition.

ARC teams benefit from the same full-flight mindset. After each test, your team should record the measured altitude and duration, inspect the airframe and recovery system, compare the result with the simulation, and decide what evidence supports the next change. A low score or imperfect flight can still be valuable if the review produces a better model of what happened.

What Eric's L2 does—and does not—mean for students

Eric's certification is evidence of his personal high-power rocketry knowledge and of a successfully demonstrated L2 flight. It gives him firsthand experience with progressive certification, stability review, range procedure, recovery, and post-flight evaluation. Those habits can inform how he coaches student engineering work.

It is not a teaching license, a school credential, or an NAR endorsement of SEALS Academy. SEALS Academy's classes are independently operated, and students do not receive L2 certification by enrolling. Current NAR procedures require an L2 candidate to be at least 18 and to hold L1 first.

Students also should not treat the story as instructions to purchase or operate high-power motors. High-power launches require appropriate certification, qualified range personnel, an approved site, and compliance with applicable rules. In student coaching, the practical value is the disciplined workflow: understand constraints, verify stability, inspect before flight, recover safely, and learn from measured results.

Where to go from here

Eric's milestone is notable because it combines knowledge, construction ownership, a witnessed J-class flight, active recovery, and inspection—not because of an invented rarity claim. NAR does not publish the age-distribution or total-holder statistics needed to say that only a certain number of people in a particular age group hold L2. The accurate conclusion is that this is a progressive, verified HPR milestone with strict prerequisites and in-person evaluation.

To compare all three levels, read NAR Level 1 vs. Level 2 vs. Level 3.

To see how the same plan-build-test-review discipline is adapted for student competition rockets, explore SEALS Academy's ARC coaching classes.