Working LES?

Anyone ever built a working Launch Escape System (LES) into a rocket? I seem to remember Phil Bulmer trying this on his scratch built Mercury Redstone at an IRW back in the late 1990s, but I don't recall the details, nor if it was successful.

Seems to me the challenges would be to:
1. determine the time & means of ignition
2. incorporate motors into a necessarily small area
3. protect the capsule from the motor exhaust

Well... The LES kinda worked...

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The LES looked pretty unstable - I guess the capsule was meant to stay on. Cool attempt! I was thinking of something much smaller though!

I think someone did...I remember seeing pictures of one with the three motors lifting the capsule..Just don't remember where, here or on YORF..

Well, not an LES but Gus and I did build 2 Pad Abort models.With video!

I did Pad Abort 2 in 1/10th scale and Gus did Pad Abort 1 in 1/12th scale.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=25121&highlight=Pad+Abort

Yeah That's what I was referring to...lol..

hokkyokusei said:

The LES looked pretty unstable - I guess the capsule was meant to stay on. Cool attempt! I was thinking of something much smaller though!

Click to expand...

Yeah, the shear pins that would have held the capsule on (and made the LES MUCH more stable) broke when the main motors burnt out instead of a couple of seconds later after the LES had pulled it free...

sandman said:

Well, not an LES but Gus and I did build 2 Pad Abort models.With video!

Click to expand...

Close, but no cigar
Cool models though.