Foam SU-25 Rocket Conversion

[cvause]

This kit is on Ebay all the time for $30. The Su-25 is often modeled for scale slope soaring and it looks like it would glide nicely.

I was thinking about building a motor mount where the electric pusher motor is mounted. I also think you could come in around 16oz for radio and engine in a 24mm RC boost config.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1450505

Any thoughts?

 

[powderburner]

With a loaded rocket motor all the way back there, is this going to be stable enough during ascent to avoid handling problems and a squirrelly flight?

And with an expended rocket motor all the way back there, is it still going to balance for a gliding descent?

On a lot of other purpose-built, rocket-powered gliders you will see a combination MMT-and-ballast-pole that extends all the way up into the nose and holds enough ballast at the front end to make the vehicle stable as a rocket. The pole is slid into a larger tube that is capped at the front end, open at the rear, and holds the ejection pressure sealed in the front end to push against the pole. When the ejection charge goes off the whole pole ejects, removing the nose ballast with the motor, and recovers separately by parachute (or something). The remaining part of the vehicle can be better trimmed and optimized for glide. You may have to go to a system like that....

 

[rstaff3]

I have no first hand experience in such things, but Carl Tulanko had a nice build thread on the old TRF (link to the old site is in the menu bar) about his conversion of a ducted fan RC jet to a rocket glider. The propulsion unit could be fan or rocket. Unfortunately, the photos won't be there.