That's what I'm talkin' about!

I've only been to the BALLS launch once, several years ago, and it's still a cherished memory. BALLS is like Knob Creek for high-power rocket geeks. It's held annually at Black Rock Dry Lake in Nevada. Black Rock is the biggest, most featureless patch of real estate I've ever experienced and it's perfect for big rockets. The government hates these guys. Tripoli Rocketry Association fought a decade-long legal battle with ATF after the feds reclassified ammonium perchlorate as an explosive (it's not) and then gave everybody hassles over magazine inspections and licensing rules. Of course F-Troop handled the matter in its usual ham-handed way, and TRA eventually won in court which is the only reason the hobby is still practical.

I know of one similar altitude attempt, and it failed for the same reason - it definitely got to very high altitude, but the recording altimeter didn't. That flight wouldn't have been certified anyway because of safety violations - you're really not supposed to let a 20-pound stainless steel dart (the second stage) come in ballistic without even a nod toward a recovery system. That was quite a long time back, but apparently now there's a big cash prize and that's always a lovely incentive.

Anyway, this is very cool.