38mm Mongoose

I recently got a 38mm carbon fiber mongoose, and I want to use one of the minimum diameter tube like launchers (can't think of the name of them). My club doesn't have one of them, and I have limited tools. Is there a way to make a simple one out of PVC?

Tower launcher. A PVC one isn't likely to be good for very many shots, so I'd make that part fairly replaceable.

Yeah, get some half in ply and radial mount three tubes vertical. You can have more sheets of ply or use bolts off the shelf and sheet steel bent to adjust for tension or compression. I've built a tower for $70. Adjustable for a university rocket comp. I used 1010 rail in tri rail config and A-36 steel base CNC plasma cut. The 24 X 14" steel was 1/4" thick and was $15. Drop cuts always get marked down. We considered PVC and wood it's cheaper, we went with metal for durable. There's not much side loading.

I have some 1" PVC and plywood, and I can grab some steel from my schools metal shop as a blast shield. How tall should I make the tower?

Most people are just using Fly Away Rail Guides these days. A lot easier then building and maintaining a tower launch pad.

https://cart.amwprox.com/index.php?...t_id=881&virtuemart_category_id=69&Itemid=435

https://www.additiveaerospace.com/products/fly-away-rail-guides

6-8ft is normal. I made one four foot for the other Aerotech i1299N but I do not recommend making it so short. The launch rail exit velocity is important. I always sim over 70 fps before any school design flies off that four foot rail.

terryg said:

Most people are just using Fly Away Rail Guides these days. A lot easier then building and maintaining a tower launch pad.

https://cart.amwprox.com/index.php?...t_id=881&virtuemart_category_id=69&Itemid=435

https://www.additiveaerospace.com/products/fly-away-rail-guides

Click to expand...

Where's the fun in that????

I never liked how people complain of fly off rail guides shattering and also failing to separate. Call me stubborn.