Best SU E-F motors for Estes (Centuri) Saturn V??

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JStarStar

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OK, I have a Centuri Saturn V I got from my grandmother for Christmas 1969 that I finally built in 1994. I installed the single-motor 24mm mount, and I flew it a handful of times on the E15's available then, but the model has basically sat on my mantel for the last 15 years.

With the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 coming up, I'd like to fly the old bird another time or two this summer.

Luckily, none of the E15's I ever flew it on in the 1990s ever experienced the dreaded "E15 blowout." As I recall, the Saturn V flights on E15s were OK, but still very low -- probably 200 feet at most. Since then of course, due to those blowouts, the E15 has gone to the engine graveyard, replaced by the E9.

I have a Maxi V-2 which is pretty similar in size and weight to the Saturn V, and the Estes E9 barely gets it off the pad -- maybe 100 feet in the air, struggling every inch, with ejection probably 20 feet off the ground -- so using an E9 is not an option (since it's way overweight).

Since the later Estes editions were based on (and similar to) the Centuri kit, what are the single-use motors people have had the best success with their Estes models? Aerotech E15s and E30s? How about the F's?

I'm not looking to set any altitude records -- in fact, I'd rather not send it miles high, since this is somewhat of a museum piece -- what I mainly want is a nice, stable launch that gets off the pad fast enough to be stable and high enough to get the chutes open.
 
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For SU, I'd say go for an E30 for a safer flight. An F32 will be good too, but not sure how high it'll get you. Now, if you get an RMS case, you'll a lot more choices to choose from.
 
If the old E15 is anything like the E9, they weren't anywhere close to a full E. Personally, I think the AT E15-4 (A full 40N-s E) would be a great motor choice for the Saturn-IB. Lots of flame, lots of white smoke, more "realistic" if you will. The RMS F24 would give a similar effect with a little more impulse.
 
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Yes, I second the Aerotech E15-4 motor. Much more total impulse than the Estes E15. if you go to an E30 it will be overpowered and the new single use F32-4 and RMS F35-5 will be overkill (emphasis on the "kill" portion). An RMS E18-4 would be good. An RMS F12-2 would be good, but smokey.

When in doubt, compare the actual motor data:

https://www.nar.org/SandT/NARenglist.shtml
 
If the old E15 is anything like the E9, they weren't anywhere close to a full E. Personally, I think the AT E15-4 (A full 40N-s E) would be a great motor choice for the Saturn-IB. Lots of flame, lots of white smoke, more "realistic" if you will. The RMS F24 would give a similar effect with a little more impulse.

The Estes E15's weren't drastically underpowered, at least as far as I remember. The main problem was their tendency to go boom at ignition. :y::y:

(It's a Saturn V I'm launching, but they're relatively similar in size.). I was leaning toward the AT E15-4W; that's the way I think I'll go.
 
Yes, I second the Aerotech E15-4 motor. Much more total impulse than the Estes E15. if you go to an E30 it will be overpowered and the new single use F32-4 and RMS F35-5 will be overkill (emphasis on the "kill" portion). An RMS E18-4 would be good. An RMS F12-2 would be good, but smokey.

When in doubt, compare the actual motor data:

https://www.nar.org/SandT/NARenglist.shtml

I'm not sure I'd try it on the F12 - it's fairly low thrust, and seems to be slow to come up to pressure. The E15 would work great though (as would the E30, though it wouldn't look as nice).
 
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