HAS ANYBODY HERE FLOWN A KOSDON 29MM J1000?

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fyrwrxz

fyrwrxz

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The last I know one was flown was somewhere around 2009. It's a ridiculously fast burn 29mm motor in an almost 3 foot case. I know it's de-certified and I should be able to fly it at an EX launch. I have the case and 3 loads still left. What I need to know is where should the igniter be placed? Franks is not around anymore to ask so I need some of you old dogs to chime in for me here. I've gotten answers all over the place about theory (all the way in, head end ignition, prime the middle grain, use a foot of thermalite....you know how it goes. Any help?
 
No clue but I'd love to see a pic of that case and a video of the flight when the time comes.
 
View attachment 256036

Here's the assembly instructions. They don't mention igniter placement. Probably all the way to the delay grain as usual.

P.S. The naming on those loads changed at one point; I think the J1000 became a J530 and the J1500 became a J975.
 
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Please post pictures of the hardware and reload!! I would love to see one. I love the Kosdon stuff, especially the edge stuff like this and I've never had the opportunity to gawk at one.
 
CoyoteNumber2 said:
View attachment 256036

Here's the assembly instructions. They don't mention igniter placement. Probably all the way to the delay grain as usual.

P.S. The naming on those loads changed at one point; I think the J1000 became a J530 and the J1500 became a J975.
Click to expand...
I think you are right! My hero! Hard to believe it was that long ago, dang! How goes the battle at Vandenberg?
To everyone else-I'll try to post pics later today. Right now I have a sick '65 Mustang that needs my attention. Us old guys are still good for something!
 
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grouch said:
No clue but I'd love to see a pic of that case and a video of the flight when the time comes.
Click to expand...

Here's one at the 1:33 mark:

[video=youtube_share;SKz-FZGi93Q]https://youtu.be/SKz-FZGi93Q[/video]

That rocket had fourteen tube fins and was beefy. The J975 flung it like it was nothing.
 
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The instructions say 1.5inches - so it's a 38mm not a 29mm?
 
I used to go to Frank's launches when he had them at Lucerne; fun times! Frank and Jerry even buried the hatchet at one of those launches... Wow! Frank used to fly some interesting motors at those launches. I don't remember any of the motor designations flown, but there were a few 29mm and 38mm motors that were unbelievably long. All of them were very short burning, very high thrust motors. They were all ignited by installing the igniter all the way up to the top of the motor or they were head end ignited motors. The one thing all these long high thrust motors had in common was that when they burned, they would "spit" out most of the paper casting tube material out the nozzle. In fact, most anything that would fit through the nozzle would be ejected during the burn.
I miss Frank; he was a good guy.
 
DanFrank said:
I used to go to Frank's launches when he had them at Lucerne; fun times! Frank and Jerry even buried the hatchet at one of those launches... Wow! Frank used to fly some interesting motors at those launches. I don't remember any of the motor designations flown, but there were a few 29mm and 38mm motors that were unbelievably long. All of them were very short burning, very high thrust motors. They were all ignited by installing the igniter all the way up to the top of the motor or they were head end ignited motors. The one thing all these long high thrust motors had in common was that when they burned, they would "spit" out most of the paper casting tube material out the nozzle. In fact, most anything that would fit through the nozzle would be ejected during the burn.
I miss Frank; he was a good guy.
Click to expand...
Dan-thanks for remembering Frank. One of my most treasured assets is a shirt he wore I got from Dave Triano after Frank passed. Needless to say, one of the most talented 'mixers' there was, but had a hard time playing well with others. The price of genius.
 
Frank gave me one, I used it in a 54mm airframe with a 29 MMT. A cardboard rocket, no carbon, built for the motor. As an experiment the fins were tacked with hot glue and foamed. It stayed together. Really fast.

M
 
That is amazing!! Although us youngsters get all the new electronics and tech we really missed out on a bunch of Kick a** motors!!!!
 
fyrwrxz said:
The last I know one was flown was somewhere around 2009. It's a ridiculously fast burn 29mm motor in an almost 3 foot case. I know it's de-certified and I should be able to fly it at an EX launch. I have the case and 3 loads still left. What I need to know is where should the igniter be placed? Franks is not around anymore to ask so I need some of you old dogs to chime in for me here. I've gotten answers all over the place about theory (all the way in, head end ignition, prime the middle grain, use a foot of thermalite....you know how it goes. Any help?
Click to expand...

You mean 38mm. I never flew one, but I have seen several and they kicked butt.
 
fyrwrxz said:
No Mark-it really is a 29mm! That is what attracted me first was this 'Frank'enstein case. I've just never had the balls to fly it!
Click to expand...

Do you know what year it's from? I have a 1998 Kosdon catalog and the longest 29 casing listed at that time was the 470 Ns at 23.5". Was it a special item?
 
fyrwrxz said:
No Mark-it really is a 29mm! That is what attracted me first was this 'Frank'enstein case. I've just never had the balls to fly it!
Click to expand...

Interesting. I think I was thinking of the J1500 which when certified was the J975.

He made a lot of cases many of which never had certified loads. Of note was the 2.5" line of which not a single motor was certified.
 
CoyoteNumber2 said:
Do you know what year it's from? I have a 1998 Kosdon catalog and the longest 29 casing listed at that time was the 470 Ns at 23.5". Was it a special item?
Click to expand...

Me as well. When I first heard of this motor I figured it must have been something by request only. I don't recall seeing it in any of his catalogs, but Frank had some other cool stuff I was fortunate enough to witness that never made it the catalog, or at least the versions I saw. I thought about starting a new thread on these motors I recall seeing. An 18mm G flown as a demo at one of the LDRS's in Amarillo (I can't recall which one but I do remember buying my hardware out the trunk of his rental car!) and his Emerald Green propellant I saw at BALLS in 2002. My recollection is that it was the most vivid green I've ever seen. Again, probably time for a dedicated on thread on these. Anyone else interested?
 
H_Rocket said:
What was with the tube launcher?
Click to expand...

If done right a tube launch will go straighter than a rail and it is easier to change rocket diameters than a tower, just have different sabots.
Cardboard tube with closed bottom. The rocket is on a piston that has a skirt to keep it straight and away from the bottom. Rocket is held centered by styrofoam sabots. In this case with the high thrust motor the piston was loose fitting and the tube had a few vent holes.
On the other end of the thrust range, very long burn (40 sec) I used a sealed tube with a tight piston and a black powder charge lit by the motor exhaust.
 
One of my favorite urban legends involves this motor. I heard it second or third hand, so who knows if it's really true. Story is that Frank fired this motor and of course it sounds like a gunshot. While walking around the pad afterward somebody finds a 29mm Kosdon grain just sitting on the playa. Frank looks at it and it matches the length and core on the 29mm. The nozzle throat on this motor is pretty huge, but extruding a grain through it in one piece is pretty insane. Out of curiousity, they numbered the grains and fired the motor again. Sure enough, they later found grain #1 on the playa... intact.

Todd Harrison
 

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