Flew my first Cesaroni (CTI) today... my thoughts...

[majordude]

WOW. :clap:

I assembled a motor in 5 minutes (it would have been quicker but I kept trying to push the nozzle through the ejection end until someone told me I was loading it bass akwards ). And clean up was 2 minutes.

I'm sold!

 

[MasonH]

I love CTI. Nothing against Aerotech, but CTI is just my preference.

 

[CarVac]

I must have broken some sort of record today... I assembled an AT J420R (6 grains) in about 2-3 minutes. Cleanup was similarly fast. Of course, if I had decided to go with CTI it would have taken 3 seconds instead, but at that point the gains are marginal.

 

[Area66]

Congrats for you Lev 1

 

[majordude]

Congrats for you Lev 1

Thanks for your help!

The Mirage flew great. But I DEFINITELY need to work on packing shock cord. Luckily my 1/4" cord was Kevlar and 30' long... it tangled but still had enough line to take the hit.

 

[Wayco]

Thanks for your help!

The Mirage flew great. But I DEFINITELY need to work on packing shock cord. Luckily my 1/4" cord was Kevlar and 30' long... it tangled but still had enough line to take the hit.

Congrats on your level 1 cert. I recently had a friend show me a way to keep your shock cord from tangling. Wrap in in a figure 8 pattern between your first and pinkie finger, keeps it from twisting up as it extends. Works for me.

 

[fyrwrxz]

The secret is small rubber bands. Think braces or ponytail type. Accordian fold and slip 'em on-neat and reliable.

 

[UPscaler]

I like snap ring hardware, mostly, but I love my new CTI hardware!


It's nice to just slide a motor together and go fly.


Braden

 

[DizWolf]

Congrats on the cert!

I fly a lot of AT and like building motors. But there's something to be said for knocking out a spent motor, pushing a new one in and being good to go back out to the pads.

 

[gdjsky01]

I fly both. But I am an unabashed CTI fanboy because A) the variety is freakin' amazing! I still can not figure out how CTI makes so many loads and can be profitable., B) I still see dozens of AT motors blow chow because of improper assembly. That is ALMOST (almost!) impossible with a CTI. It does not matter WHO is at fault, fact is, more steps equals more failure points, C) CTI has treated me very well as a customer (no lie there, its a big deal to me, but a bias for sure), D) assembly and cleanup are a whiz.

I like AT because: It's like driving my old '69 383 Super Bee with a Hurst four on the floor, it brings back fond memories of the good ole days. Sitting around with dozens of blackened baby wipes cleaning up is cathartic (pun intended). They are a bit cheaper. As was pointed out to me today (thanks carvac and bandman44 ), High Power Rocketry (not rocketry in general, but HPR) is an expensive hobby. You put wads of money in the back of a rocket and light it. Saving $10 when it cost you $60 in gas to make the trip, and you are paying $70 for the reload, is $80 ($10 more) really the make or break? (I hate you guys! :wink

So I like both! But I am a CTI fanboy.

 

[fyrwrxz]

LOL, Jeff! Wife is trying to get me to change hobbies. She says it's like lighting hundred dollar bills and throwing them up in the air. It's really only about $49.95..........

 

[gdjsky01]

LOL, Jeff! Wife is trying to get me to change hobbies. She says it's like lighting hundred dollar bills and throwing them up in the air. It's really only about $49.95..........

It's HARD to argue the point. But I love doin it. So as long as I can afford to... when I can't, I won't! :wink:

 

[o1d_dude]

LOL, Jeff! Wife is trying to get me to change hobbies. She says it's like lighting hundred dollar bills and throwing them up in the air. It's really only about $49.95..........

Money going up in smoke as I always say.

Whatever you do, boating is the worst. You simulate owning a sailboat by standing in a cold shower and shoving $100 bills down the drain.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Money going up in smoke as I always say.

Whatever you do, boating is the worst. You simulate owning a sailboat by standing in a cold shower and shoving $100 bills down the drain.

LOL! My brother bought a new 36' and right there, he spent more money than I'll ever have in this hobby. Had to have a custom triple axle trailer built for the move to Conn. Heck, I can rent a Sabot or Lazer for the price of a reload. Who's the smarter one now, Ma???

 

[Area66]

LOL, Jeff! Wife is trying to get me to change hobbies. She says it's like lighting hundred dollar bills and throwing them up in the air. It's really only about $49.95..........

She better pray you don't get in model railroading.

 

[majordude]

LOL, Jeff! Wife is trying to get me to change hobbies.

Take up binge gambling. It's cheaper.

 

[Derek]

LOL! My brother bought a new 36' and right there, he spent more money than I'll ever have in this hobby. Had to have a custom triple axle trailer built for the move to Conn. Heck, I can rent a Sabot or Lazer for the price of a reload. Who's the smarter one now, Ma???

just remember the three f's rule and you'll be fine!

 

[gdjsky01]

You simulate owning a sailboat by standing in a cold shower and shoving $100 bills down the drain.

That made me spit coffee and :lol:! Now I have to clean the monitor! Thanks.
Jeff

 

[BEAR]

Wait, I have done sailing. It is a hole in the water that you pour money into. but I think there is something worse. Keeping an aircraft flying. Parts on a sailboat or a rocket do not time out with age or use. There is no cycle limit. There are no annual inspections or engine overhauls like on an airplane. You can keep sailing when you flunk the physical. Sailing is not as technical, so there are not as many things that you have to stay on time up. A bird strike will normally not kill you. You do not have to keep a log book. There is no traceability issues on the parts or where they came from, etc. I'm sure there are more things I can think of, but I just timed out and have to mow the lawn.

 

[degreaser]

The secret is small rubber bands. Think braces or ponytail type. Accordian fold and slip 'em on-neat and reliable.

I was scolded by tfish for thinking about using rubber bands at Black Rock as we want to leave as little junk as possible on the playa. He suggested to use blue tape instead. Same idea though, accordian fold and one wrap of 1/2" blue tape. The blue tape tends to stay with the line on the way down.

 

[Golfpro62]

Congrats on your level 1 cert!!! As for the motors, AT vs CTI has gone at it many many times here on the forum. Both are great motors, once you have built a few AT motors they are no problem and you can get it done fairly quick but never as quickly as the CTI. I fly 29 and 38 in AT and 54 with CTI, like I said they are both great motors.

 

[majordude]

Congrats on your level 1 cert!!! As for the motors, AT vs CTI has gone at it many many times here on the forum. Both are great motors, once you have built a few AT motors they are no problem and you can get it done fairly quick but never as quickly as the CTI. I fly 29 and 38 in AT and 54 with CTI, like I said they are both great motors.

The way I see it, Aerotech adapted the Morton-Thiokol (Space Shuttle) model (complete with "O-rings"!) and Cesaroni adapted the Estes model (slide it in, use a motor hook, and you're done). :eyepop:

(Is that blasphemy?)

 

[CarVac]

The way I see it, Aerotech adapted the Morton-Thiokol (Space Shuttle) model (complete with "O-rings"!) and Cesaroni adapted the Estes model (slide it in, use a motor hook, and you're done). :eyepop:

(Is that blasphemy?)

CTI's use O-rings too.

 

[majordude]

CTI's use O-rings too.

Hmmm. On the one I used yesterday (H-123), all I had to do was slide in a pre-manufactured plastic casing.

It would have taken longer getting the casing out of the chipboard tube than assembling the motor (if I didn't try assembling it backwards for four minutes!).

 

[gdjsky01]

So you did not adjust the delay? If you did, you'd see an o-ring.

 

[majordude]

So you did not adjust the delay? If you did, you'd see an o-ring.

Hmmm. I didn't see an O-ring (that I recall). I did adjust it using the tool but I thought it was strange that the drill bit was way thinner than the actual delay core. I figured that it was like a nozzle to a second stage and all it needed was some black powder to get up there to start the burn.

 

[gdjsky01]

The O-Ring should clearly have been in sight on the OUTER diameter of the delay grain assembly. Between the insulator tube and the delay grain tube.
The drill size as no bearing. It's all about the flamefront in the motor burning the surface of the bottom of that divot X seconds earlier than it would have otherwise.
The instructions here https://www.pro38.com/pdfs/Pro29_instructions.pdf show the o-ring (poorly) as a groove in the delay and nozzle unit. The pro38 instructions show it better here https://www.pro38.com/pdfs/Pro38Instns.pdf Zoom in to the delay module in the picture.
But 24, 29, or 38, mine have all had o-rings.

 

[DizWolf]

this is a burned H133BS. The ejection delay cap is pulled up about an inch or so to show the Oring seal. The way it's on there it doesn't fall off, so functionally it's not something you really notice.