Low Trajectory Launching - Rocket Plane?

I built quite a few rockets as a kid. Some of my buds and I are getting together at the farm pretty soon and I was wondering ... has anyone ever built a low trajectory fired rocket ... rather a rocket powered airplane? We plan to launch a few model rockets that we've built, but I've had this airplane idea bouncing around my head.

Hunted around the web, but couldn't find anything but the antique JetEx plans.

Just wondering ...

Thanks!

There have been a few R/C aircraft modelers who have built rocket-powered airplanes. These things are 'flown' more-or-less horizontally, but that is a different critter than what you are talking about.

As far as non-airplane rocketry, the NAR safety code prohibits launching rockets of any size in a horizontal or near-horizontal fashion. You are supposed to launch in a vertical direction.

What difference does the NAR code make? You say you're not at a contest? Well, how do you like being able to purchase any rocketry supplies *at all* legally, on the open market? The whole reason that the government allows these things to be sold openly is that the national fire codes specify how you are supposed to use them safely, and not just at contests. If these safety procedures are not followed then our government friends start thinking about prohibiting rocketry completely. When the news media gets hold of a story about someone shooting rockets at a target, you begin to put our entire hobby at risk.

Please don't do this.


Edit: Well, after re-reading this, it comes off kind of heavy-handed. Please don't take it that way, just understand why the safety code tells you to launch upward.
We really are glad to have you join us here on TRF and want you to come back often. Keep asking those questions!

Dawg,

check out my favorites, Rob Edmonds' rocket boosted gliders. https://members.aol.com/RobEdmonds/Edmonds.html

the laser cut parts glue together perfectly every time, they boost clean (straight up), and they glide just great. I've had several fly away!

Estes and Quest also have rocket boosted gliders.


if you have extensive R/C experience you can get some rocket boosted remote control aircraft, most notable is Estes T-25.

Originally posted by powderburner
There have been a few R/C aircraft modelers who have built rocket-powered airplanes. These things are 'flown' more-or-less horizontally, but that is a different critter than what you are talking about.

As far as non-airplane rocketry, the NAR safety code prohibits launching rockets of any size in a horizontal or near-horizontal fashion. You are supposed to launch in a vertical direction.

Click to expand...

There's a new R/C R/G addition to the NAR rules coming. It allows launching as low as (IIRC) 45 degrees. It also allows horizontal powered flight. Not horizontal take off, but air started powered flying. And I believe it's only for R/C, not uncontrolled R/G.

There used to be a kit of a (very approximate) Lancaster bomber. This was supposed to be launched at an angle significantly nearer to horizontal than usual. Attached is a picture of a Lancaster about to launch.

I saw it in action at IRW 1998. It did not fly very well; the phrase "bouncing bomber" seemed appropriate.

There are R/C rocket propelled aircraft which do launch safely, i.e. vertically, using the rocket to get them to altitude. Then they become R/C gliders. Look at Edmonds Aerospace, especially the Radio Control page.

Originally posted by DynaSoar
There's a new R/C R/G addition to the NAR rules coming. It allows launching as low as (IIRC) 45 degrees. It also allows horizontal powered flight. Not horizontal take off, but air started powered flying. And I believe it's only for R/C, not uncontrolled R/G.

Click to expand...

That would be appropriate (and about time), since the R/C airplane guys have been doing that for years.

I know that at least two guys have built rocket-powered scale models of the Bell X-1. (One of them was air-dropped from a scale B-29 launch vehicle.) And I know that at least one scale model of the Me-163 was built (and was on a magazine cover); that one was a rise-off-ground-under-rocket-power model.

If the R/C airplane crowd can do it without going to jail, we should be able to also.

I think the trickiest technical part is going to be finding the right motor for 'airplane' flight. In this application you are going to want relatively low thrust for a long, long duration. (This is kind of the opposite of the normal thrust characteristics for most motors out there.)

dawg, this is the reason that you have not seen a lot of plans for this kind of rocket--- we just don't design for rocket-powered 'airplane'-style horizontal flight. Even the rocket gliders are supposed to boost vertically and *then* fly/glide back down.

Adrian, that thing looks lethal.

Phil

Estes offers the plugged D3s (I think) that RC folks use to get their gliders up to altitude...long gentle climb, under RC control the whole way...George Gassaway and others have become quite adept ap flying a variety of craft this way (including an RC shuttle stack and recently an upscaled Estes Skydart). I remember the RC racks at NARAM were set at around 45 degrees.

Check the NAR safety codes...this is permitted with some limitations.

Dave

Originally posted by mrbusdriver
Estes offers the plugged D3s (I think) that RC folks use to get their gliders up to altitude..

Click to expand...

I think the Estes motors are still D11s, even plugged. I don't know anyone who currently (or recently) makes a NAR-contest-certified D3, but I wish I did.

The relatively high initial thrust of a D11 will require RG construction more along the lines of a model rocket. This is why the configurations such as the Edmunds work well, with their swept delta wings and strong construction. If you put a D11 underneath a 'normal' R/C airplane it will likely damage some part of the airframe during peak thrust. Put a D11 on a competition 'free-flight'-style R/C glider and it will rip it apart.

Aerotech has G12RC motors. No ejection tho

Originally posted by cls
Dawg,

check out my favorites, Rob Edmonds' rocket boosted gliders. https://members.aol.com/RobEdmonds/Edmonds.html

the laser cut parts glue together perfectly every time, they boost clean (straight up), and they glide just great. I've had several fly away!

Estes and Quest also have rocket boosted gliders.


if you have extensive R/C experience you can get some rocket boosted remote control aircraft, most notable is Estes T-25.

Click to expand...

Thanks CLS ... just what I was looking for. Didn't mean to get under your skind powderburner.

007

Originally posted by WiK
Adrian, that thing looks lethal.

Click to expand...

Nah, that thing is harmless. This one, on the other hand...

As for low thrust, long duration motors, I don't know if these things are available or even legal on the western side of the Atlantic, but here we get to play with the Rapier - effectively an A0.1. And a few lucky people have managed to get their hands on the Held 1000, a low thrust, long-burning C.

Adrian--

Your creation appears to be created (partially, at least) from some sort of beverage container?
Do we get thirsty while building our rockets?

That wasn't my creation! It was at International Rocket Weekend 1998, where the answer to the second question would have been "yes". But I tend to confine my rocketry insanity to balsa, cardboard, and occasionally plastic...