Thanks Nute, or should I call you Nate? Thoughts...many, but really I'll prob get something in the f26 range, I am planning on making my first online order so who knows what I'll end up with. I do know I'm not putting a G in it untill I get a locator or get out to Alberta as I'm afraid of losing it.
Would someone help me understand, are aerotech & estes single use motors the same size? Also are aerotech reloadable casings the same size as the single use estes & aerotech motors? I'm talking about length & diameter.
My understanding is that I can fly any single use estes or aerotech composite 24mm or 29mm motor in the arreaux or my PSII, is this correct? Is there any other brands of motors that are same size as estes 24 or 29mm composite motors? Thanks, I just want to be clear on what I can use.
I'm busy building away, I'll post more later.
Nute or Nate, either works (Nate is legit name)
As for ordering an F26 online, a word of caution: due to shipping regulations, all single use motors containing 62.5 grams or more of propellant (most Estes and Aerotech 29mm Fs and Gs), have to ship Hazmat (those little orange diamonds on the side of trucks) requiring a $27.50 Hazmat fee in addition to the cost of the motor and additional shipping! the main way Aerotech has fought this is by introducing their "Econonjet" motor line (F20W, F23FJ, etc.) which, as you may know, ship in 2 packs for usually around $25-$40 without the Hazmat. however, they are not as powerful, due to the lower propellant mass, but they will suffice for many rockets.
There has been some speculation over Estes PSII composites, but the current thoughts are that they are identical to the Aerotech versions in all ways, and totally cross compatible, and the same size (however, I've only ever flown one AT SU motor, and never seen the Estes versions)
I'm not completely sure about the difference in casing length between the reloadables and SUs, but I would guess that the case length of the 29/40-120 is about equal to that of a G SU, and an identical diameter.
As for what you can fly in the aerroux, I do not have experience with it, but just about any composite motor (24mm[with an adapter], 29mm, SU, reload, estes or Aerotech) that gives you a 5:1 TTW ratio off the pad should work fine, so long as you do not put in the motor block, and, depending on the design of the kit, the motor hook may get in the way of the longer 29mm reloads like the 29/240 or 360 cases. As for Copper Top, I have flown it on a variety of 29mm Aerotech motors from an F26-a G76, and the 24mm F39T, all successfully. You can also fly it on longer motors, like the G75 (assuming, like yours, it's built strong enough) if you leave out the motor block.
The only other motor manufacturer I know of that makes motors in the 24-29mm sizes that aren't composite or hard to come by is Apogee Components medalist:
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket_Motors/Apogee_Medalist
apogee components also has many interesting "How To" videos on their website and youtube.
Hope this helps! (these are actually some of the very same questions I had when I got into composites!)
Nate (Nute)
