HPR PVC Pad

[Johnnie]

ALL,

Well, I could not stand it any longer, here is a picture of the High Power Pad I built over the weekend (9/20/2003).

A little back ground, I started this little journey on this post:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4058

...and it got me thinking real hard, as I had these rails you see, and I needed a pad. Materials are outrageous for square aluminum tubing, but they are lighter. But square steel tubing is cheaper, but the weights are to much to handle for simple toting purposes back and forth to a launch...and the machining costs and welding costs. Sheeeeshh!!

So anyways, I have these 1" square rails that I have wanted to build a pad for now for over 10 months.

For $48.00 worth of schedule 40 PVC (I already had the glue) here is what I came up with.

Feed back please!!

 

[Jase]

Very nice! Looks like a very stable and sturdy design. I'd love to see some plans and building instructions!

My only concern would be the PVC melting if it came into contact with flame. Especially if, heaven forbid, the bird got stuck for whatever reason.

Keep in mind, that I don't know what the melt temp is for PVC tubing.

Looks great!

 

[Elbmod]

That looks superb - plans and assembly instructions would be great. How does it come apart for carriage, and how rigid is it overall??

Fantasic work however. Well done"

 

[Johnnie]

Jase,

What is not shown in the photos, is the Direct TV satelite dish that I will mount to the base of the pad that will deflect the blast away from the base. Should the rocket "stick" to the pad, then the pad is going for a ride

I'm not sure of the melting point, but single use EX motors are made from PVC. The mid-power pad I built 6 years ago, has yet to get any burn marks on it, and I have burned alot of G64's on this pad.

I currently weigh 237 pounds, and I sat on the pad, and it never creaked. My fear was of the pad twisting in the center, but this pad will not budge.

Elbmod,

For transportability, the legs un-screw, and the rail mount detaches from the base. A little more playing, and this pad will see action...

You both mentioned a plan...I did not draw one, and I built it so fast, I did not stop to take construction photos, but I can do my best to describe the process. I'll post a drawing of the original idea I had for the pad, but I'm probably the only one who could make heads or tails of it. The materials list is pretty big as well. I will try to put together a how to, and with the photos, I should be able to point out my methods of construction, or my methods for insanity...

Johnnie Paul

 

[Elbmod]

Cool - I'll look forward to it Johnnie

 

[Johnnie]

Here is what I purchased from the local hardware store, in this case it was a Lowes, to build the HPR PVC Pad:

(16) 1 1/2" Tees
(1) 1 1/2" "X" or "Cross" section
(4) 1 1/2" Female threaded adapters
(4) 1 1/2" Male threaded adapters
(4) End caps
(2) 1 1/2" Tees that reduce down to 1"
(4) 1 1/2" 90 degree Elbows
(3) 10' lengths of 1 1/2" PVC pipe Schedule 40
(1) 5' length of 1" PVC Schedule 40
(1) 1" Tee
(1) 1" 90 degree Elbow
(1) 1" End Cap

To complete the parts you will need to build the pad, you will first have to cut the (3) 10' lengths of 1 1/2" PVC pipe into the following parts:

(4) 32" long X 1 1/2" "Legs"
(4) 3 3/4" Long X 1 1/2" "Standoffs"
(6) 6 1/2" Long X 1 1/2" Tower side braces
(4) 4" Long X 1 1/2" "Cross (or "X") extensions"
(4) 18" Long X 1 1/2" "Mid-tower Sections"
(16) 2 1/2" Long X 1 1/2" "Inner coupler joints"

I cut my parts with a Framing box so I could have crisp flat cuts, or you can use a "Chop" saw, either way, make sure your cuts are straight.

I will reserve the description of the rail mount for last as it is a no Brainer...

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

PART1

Do you all know the K.I.S.S. method of doing things?? Well this ain't it...when I designed the base for this pad, I did the trial and error method, and not the KISS method. Through my trials and errors, I am now able to give you a way to do this so much simpler.

I will give hints along the way, but take them at face value. I will give you only one important Rule, and it must be followed, or you could mess up. If you build excatly the same pad I have here then the base is the most important part, if it is not right, then the it will not build very straight.

RULE 1: Follow HINT 1 to the letter!

HINT 1: Do not glue any parts until the very last!! Period! This means not until every part of the HPR PVC Pad has been constructed and test fit. I will let you know when to get Gluey!

If all parts are cut, label them as you cut them. A sharpie marker should do the job, and is removable w/ alcohol for clean up.

HINT 2: All cut tubing needs to be square cut, for proper fit and seating to gain maxim strength from this design.

For the base, here is what you will need:

(4) 32" Leg sections
(4) Male threaded adapters
(4) Female threaded adapters
(4) End caps
(4) 4" long X 1 1/2" Cross extensions
(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(4) of the 2 1/2" Long X 1 1/2" Inner coupler joints
(1) 1 1/2" "Cross" section.

Legs:

assemble the (4) 32"leg sections with one each Male threaded coupler on one end, and an End cap on the other. Set these assemblies aside.

HINT 3: The female can be mounted on the legs instead of the male, but if the male end were to break off you can rebuild the leg, If the male end were mounted to the base side, you would have to rebuild the whole base...remember DO NOT GLUE, and plan ahead.

Cross:

Assemble the "Cross" Section with the 4" long X 1 1/2" Cross extensions. Seat the cross extensions fully into the cross. At the end of each cross section, install the (4) TEES so that they are perpendicular to the base, seating fully against the extensions. Being perpendiular is very important to the successfull addition and fit of the Tower. In the other end of the TEES, Lightly install (4) 2 1/2" long X 1 1/2" dia. Inner coupler joints, followed by the (4) female threaded adapters.

HINT 4: The 2 1/2" long X 1 1/2" couplers need not be seated fully, as they are hard to extract...

Assemble the base Lightly, and stand back and say "This is gonna be so cool..."

...end part 1

 

[Johnnie]

I totally forgot the pic, and I am not able to edit it in...

Here it is:

 

[Johnnie]

PART 2

Here is the hardest part to build, and probably the hardest part to describe how to build, so ask me anything that is not clear.

For the Base Part 2, here are the required parts:

(8) 1 1/2" TEES
(6) 2 1/2" long X 1 1/2" Inner coupler joints
(4) 3 3/4" long X 1 1/2" Standoff's
(3) 6 1/2" long X 1 1/2" Tower braces
(1) 1 1/2" TEE that reduces to 1"
(1) PART 1 assembly (the legs are not nessasary for this next part, so set them out of the way)
(1) roll of masking tape (used only as a tool)

HINT 1: Remember RULE 1 from PART 1, glue nothing until the entire pad has been test assembled, once again I will let you know...


Take (6) TEES and (3) 6 1/2" long tower braces and assemble them so that the 6 1/2" long braces join (2) TEES, to form an "H" assembly, build (3) assemblies. A flat surface is required to make sure they are built square. Also seat the braces fully into the TEES.

Because the 2 1/2" long inner coupler joints are so hard to extract, we will use masking tape for this next step. Take (2) 1 1/2" TEES, and the single 1 1/2" to 1" TEE reducer, and temporarily tape them together. Please refer to the attached photo, of how the TEES should be oriented. The reduced 1" part serves as the attachment point for the lower end of the rail mount. Set this assembly aside for a minute. Now take the 3 3/4" long standoff's and insert them into the previously assembled base, at the TEES that were mounted Perpendicular.
...now it gets tricky. Take (2) "H" assemblies ," refering to the drawing, and test fit the assemblies on to the 3 3/4" Stadoff's. The assemblies should straddle the TEES that are at 90 degrees to one another, and be on oppsite sides of the base from each other. If all TEES are perpendicular, and all parts cut to the right lengths, the assemblies should fit on to the standoff's with little or no adjustment.

The final (2) assemblies to this part are then test fit, lightly using the 2 1/2" inner coupler tubes. These are installed into the top of the (2) "H" assemblies. The last (2) assemblies include the 3rd "H" assembly, and the tapped assembly. These are mounted on top of the (2) "H" assemblies and opposite each other, and opposite the first assemblies. Please refer to drwing again orientation

Now lightly assemble the Leg assemblies stand back and say "Yeah Baby!!

end Part 2

 

[Johnnie]

Easy money right here, just take those (4) 18" long X 1 1/2" Mid-tower sections, and lightly set them in the appropriate holes...

"WaLa"

Is your pad starting to look like the attached pic??

Johnnie Paul

ps Did you remember RULE 1???

 

[Rockhiittman]

Looks very good,are you going to continue with the plans?

 

[Johnnie]

Sorry for the delay, but work is getting in the way, of my finishing...

On my break, I will take this build further.

"patients young Obi Wan..."

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

...where was I??

For those following along, the tower top need not be assembled, because if you have the base built correctly, when it come time to glue, these parts drop into place, so lets do this:

Collect together these remaining parts and set them out in assemblies...

Hint 1: you may lightly assemble these assemblies if it helps to keep the parts from "straying" away...it happens, trust me.

assy 1

(4) 1 1/2" 90 degree elbow
(2) 1 1/2" TEE that reduces down to 1"
(6) 1 1/2" X 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints
(1) 1 1/2" X 6 1/2" long tower brace

The (1) 1 1/2" X 6 1/2" long Tower brace will go between (2) 90 degree elbows. (2) 1 1/2" X 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints will assemble on either side of the (1) 1 1/2" to 1" reducer TEE, and the the (2) 90 degree elbows left will attach to the other ends of the Inner coupler joints. On all (4) remaining holes in the 90 degree elbows, will go the remaining inner coupler joints.


assy 2

(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(2) 1 1/2" X 6 1/2"


These assemblies will assemble to form yet another set of"H" assemblies. Place (2) 1 1/2" TEES, one on either end of (1) ea. 1 1/2" X 6 1/2" long Tower braces, and form the H's.


Attached is a photo of a close up of the last 2 assemblies and how they will go together, study the photo, and everything will go just fine.

Thats it...now lets have some organized fun.

Johnnie

 

[Johnnie]

Trust me when I say you are over the halfway mark...

Oh! if you glued anything down, this step will be alot of work for you...He He He He

Everything must be dissasembled, completely, but kept in their respectful assembledges. Color code if you must, but remember what goes where.

Johnnie Paul

 

[Neil]

Is that it, or is there more to come? I think I will be making one of these, if you do not mind me copying your idea! looks great!

 

[Johnnie]

...more to come, but I'm making propellant right now, just taking a break to check in.

The Glue is next.

Now will be a good time for those that build this pad to think about what you would do different. Mods to this pad would be great to share, as this pad lends itself to so much improvement. I was showing it to a friend of mine this morning, and he saw so much potential for this design. If scaled up, he pointed out that this design could handle those Heavy Duty vehicles, and scaled down it can handle Low and Mid power on a budget for clubs struggling for outfitting their field equipment. I would guess that this pad built using 3/4" goods would cost in the $20.00 range here in the continental USA.



Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

This is getting better already.

The glue used is industry standard, (1) can of purple primer and (1) can of adhesive. Just for time puposes, here was the method I used for glueing all parts: The primer and adhesives were used on the coupling portion of each part. I used no primer or adhesive on any of the pipes being installed, as this left for a very clean adhesion job. "No drips No runs No errors..." (isn't that a Krylon paint jingle or something??)

The Base:

Remembering the leg assemblies, glue all parts associated to the legs, making sure that the legs fully seat inside the parts. Make sure to give the parts a twist or 2 to give a good spread of adhesive all the way around the part. You should feel the parts that are glued start to stiffen quickly, so make sure they are seated before you twist them.

HINT 1: all parts being assembled with glue must be seated fully into the coupling, all the way to the shoulder of the part. This is to insure strength of the unit part being built. Remember, your pad will only be as strong as it's weakest link...

The CROSS section:

Very tough here. study any of the pictures I have posted with this how to, and get a game plan together. Once your past Parts 1 and 2 of the base, you are home free, and all the rest of the parts just fall into place.

1st, get these parts together:

(1) Cross aection
(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(4) 1 1/2" BY 3 3/4" long cross extensions
(4) 1 1/2" BY 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints
(4) 1 1/2" Female threaded coupler adapters

glue all the 1 1/2" X 3 3/4" long cross extensions into the "cross" and seat them full giving the parts a twist once fully seated. Take (4) 1 1/2" TEES, and glue them to the cross section, so that the the middle holes facing upward and are perpendicular to the ground. DO NOT TWIST this part to much, as it may set up in a crooked posistion and your base will not go together. Then glue (4) inner coupler joints into the ends of the TEES, seating fully. Next glue the Female threaded adapters onto the Inner coupler joints.

2nd, get these parts together:

(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(4) 1 1/2" BY 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints
(2) 1 1/2" BY 6 1/2" tower braces

study the pic of the base... make (2) "H" assemblies as before, making sure that the Tower braces are seated fully into the TEES. On all the upward facing holes of the "H" assemblies, glue the (4) inner coupler joints, seating fully, and giving them a good twist.


3rd, take these assemblies with the (2) freshly glued inner coupler joints, glue them in to the TEES that were glued to the cross section, quickly seat them fully. These "H" assemblies should be opposite one another, on the cross section base. This should have your lower tower supports ready for Part 2 of the base assembly.

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

PART 2

This is it, it is all down hill past this simple step.

1st, you will need these parts:

(6) 1 1/2" BY 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints
(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(1) 1 1/2" TEE that reduces to 1"
(1) 1 1/2" BY 6 1/2" long Tower brace

We will build these 2 assemblies quickly, and be on our way.

Take (2) 1 1/2" TEES and the single 6 1/2" long Tower brace and make another "H" assembly. Make sure to glue and seat the Tower brace fully into the TEES. In the TEES, using the 2 holes facing upward, insert (2) 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints, and glue and seat fully. Pay attention to the location on the photos, and glue this assembly 90 degrees opposite the the (2) previous assemblies.
Take the 1 1/2" TEE that reduces to 1", and (2) 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints, and glue and seat these items together. Now Take the (2) 1 1/2" TEES, and lay them on their side, with the middle hole facing each other. Take the 1" reducer TEE assembly, and glue and seat it in the middle holes of the 1 1/2" TEES. Work quickly so as to maintain a perpendicular attitude for the 1" reducer TEE. The 1" reducer TEE must be perpendicular. Ste this assembly on it's ends, and glue and seat the (2) 2 1/2" long Inner coupler joints in. Take the this assembly (NOW LABELED RAIL COUPLE MOUNT) and glue and seat it opposite the "H" assembly you glued 1st...does your base look like the pic yet?

2nd, take those 1 1/2" BY 18" long Mid Tower sections, and glue them into the top of the (4) TEES you just mounted to the base...


"...You can almost smell the AP burnin on this pad can't ya??"

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

Questions??...


anyone??


anyone??

 

[Johnnie]

all righty then, lets continue...

1st, gather these parts:

(4) 1 1/2" TEES
(4) 2 1/2" Long BY 1 1/2" Inner coupler Joints
(2) 6 1/2" Long BY 1 1/2" Tower braces

Study the photo, and you will not err...Take the (4) 1 1/2" TEES and the (2) 1 1/2" Tower braces, and make 2 more "H" assemblies. Now mount these assemblies on the 1 1/2" BY 18" long tower extensions directly in line with the 1st set of "H" assemblies you made on the Base. If you mount them directly over the Rail Couple Mount assemblies, you will not be able to mount the rail correctly, so take note. Now take the (4) 2 1/2" Inner coupler joints, and mount them in the top of the "H" assmebly TEES.

2nd, Final pad build parts needed:

(4) 1 1/2" 90 Degree Elbows
(2) 1 1/2" BY 2 1/2" Long Inner coupler joints
(1) 1 1/2" TEE that reduces to 1"
(1) 1 1/2" BY 6 1/2" Long Tower brace

Take the (1) 1 1/2" Reducer TEE, and glue the 2 1/2" long inner coupler joint on either side, making sure you get no glue anywhere else but in the TEE. If you get any glue on the outside, clean it off. Now take (2) 90 Degree Elbows and seat them fully onto the Inner coupler joints DO NOT GLUE THIS ASSEMBLY, AS YOUR RAIL TILT ASSEMBLY WILL NOT FUNCTION. What? I wasn't yelling...
Now apply glue to the RAil Tilt Assembly and mount it over the Rail Couple Mount, and seat the assembly fully onto the pad.

Now take the last (2) 90 degree elbows and glue them squarely onto the Last 6 1/2" Long Tower brace, and mount this assembly onto the opposite side of the Rail Tilt assembly, seating it fully.

OPTIONAL: This occured to me, as I am needing to add a standoff for my rail, as it will tilt to far over. But if you are seriously going to build this HPR PVC Pad, then let me introduce the 1st mod advise. The last assembly I just described could be made with the following substituted parts...

Instead of (2) 2 1/2" Inner coupler joints, you could substitute (2) 5 1/2" long (We'll call them RAIL STANDOFF SUPPORTS), there by raising the back side of the Tower to support the Rail in the "Breaks Like A shot Gun" posistion so you can load your vehicles. Study the picture, and you will see what I am talking about.

For my pad I will merely cut the 1" Rail mount in the general location of the rear of the Tower, and add a 1" TEE that has a 3" extension on it for the Rail assembly to rest on while I load my vehicles.

I will walk you through the rail assembledge tomorrow, as it is a removable assembly, and I want time to record the mods I would like to make.

You now have an HPR PVC Pad, that is strong, semi-light weight ( I will try to weigh mine tonite and report back), and should Rock you for years to come...

Pictures, I want to see your HPR PVC pad now...Or maybe even a scale up or down for BIG High Power, or Mid-Low power.

Rail assembly coming soon.

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

I decided not to give you any exact measurements for this part of the build, as each individuals pad may differ, based on whether or not you modified as you built. Instead I will describe how I fashioned my mount...(Very un-Rocket Science like actually)

For this you will need the following parts:

(1) 1" X 5' Long schd 40 PVC pipe (It came in this size, but I really need twice this length)
(1) 1" 90 Degree elbow
(1) 1" TEE
(1) 1" End cap
(1) 1" coupler (Optional)

Hint 1) Do not Glue anything down, because you will need to design how You will mount the rail, once you have it built. Then glue at will.


Now then, here is how I came up with the lengths I needed. If you look at the RDS Quasar, it has a very large 4-finned fin can. So large that I feared it may make contact with the Tower when launched. So to make sure that I clear the sides of the Tower, I made my decision to make extensions that are 5" Long. 1" goes into each coupling location, leaving you with a 3" extension. Confusing??? Then bear with me and read on. Because I had to make mine to clear this large fin set, does not mean that is the way you should build yours. The closer you can keep the Rocket vehicle to the Tower, the more stable the pad will be.

To continue, I cut (2) 5" long pieces of 1" PVC from the 5' piece of PVC pipe. These were seated into the 1 1/2" Reducer TEES of the Rail Couple Mount, and the Rail Tilt Assembly on the Tower. Now take the 1" 90 degree elbow and mount on the remaining length of 1" PVC pipe, and mount the other end of the the 90 degree elbow to the extension mounted in the Rail Mount Couple TEE. In the Rail Tilt Assembly TEE, mount the 1" TEE to the end of the extension. So now you have roughly 4' 2" of 1" PVC pipe swaying, and you need to cut it to fit the 1" TEE mounted to the Rail Tilt Assembly. 1st make sure that the 1" X 5" long Extension and TEE on the Rail Tilt Assembly are Perpendicular to the pad, then move the 4' piece of pipe right next to it. Make a mark on the pipe where the pipe and TEE touch, at the bottom side of the TEE. Now remove the 4' pipe and cut it at 1" above the mark you made, as this should allow for coupling of the TEE and pipe, and your rail mount will be perfectly straight with the Tower. Remove the 1" TEE from the Rail Tilt Assembly, and mount it on your frshly cut pipe that has the 90 degree elbow on the other end, and then mount the balance of the pipe into the other end of the TEE. To finish off the mount, seat the (1) 1" end cap onto the end of the Mount. The elbow, the TEE and the end cap serve as a standoff for the rail, so the rail is not stressed from non-even mounting surfaces.

from here you are on your own...

as for glueing, you decide what gets glued, here is what I glued, and your needs mat differ...I glued the Rail Mount, elbow, TEE, and the (2) sections of pipe together as one, but not the end cap. The end cap was left removable to add rail extensions. The extension for the Rail Mount Couple was glued into the Elbow of the rail mount Assembly, but not to the Rail Mount Coupler. The Rail Tilt Assembly Extension was glued directly to the Rail Tilt Assembly itself, and not the Rail Mount, this left the intire Rail Mount removeable for transport, or better yet, you can also build a mount for the 1.5" Heavy Duty rail, if you use the larger rail buttons.

The (1) 1" Optional coupler, would be used for extending the (in my case) 6' rail to another 4 or 6 foot piece of rail.

Your pad, your mount, I built mine to handle the RDS Quasar, and I can always shorten it to mount the Rocket vehicles closer to the Tower for better stability should I need to.

anyone else building one of these yet??? let's see it...

Johnnie Paul
NAR 73740
TRA 08705 SR L2
HARA, NAR #403 / TRA #89

 

[Atlas]

I am putting one together and had already incorporated your extension/support option before I saw that you had also come up with that. I am hoping to have it done for this weekend's GHS memorail launch in Phoenix. My son has a 4' BSD Horizon that we will be launching. I am finished to point of the rail support, and as soon as I get the rail section I will finish it up. Hope to post pic's after the launch.

Jim Brill
Phoenix

 

[Johnnie]

Great to here Atlas, and welcome to the Forum...With this one post, you have made my day!

Can't wait to see the finished pad, with all the mods, if you can, some pics of the pad in action would be fantastic.

Johnnie

Phoenix is my hometown...

 

[Johnnie]

So I went to this Launch in Orangeburg, SC this past weekend, and was able to try out the HPR PVC Pad for the first time.

"Like a rock" is the best I can describe to you. The weather conditions in O'Burg left us just enough to legaly to fly...brisk winds and low ceilings meant that light rockets low and slow were the order for Saturday...but on Sunday, the brisk winds blew away the ceilings, and the HPR PVC Pad got the heavy duty workout it was designed for.

1st of all, I modified the pad, by shortening the attachment points for the rail mount. Originaly the mounts extended 3" off of the pad, to help with clearnce of larger finned rockets. But for center of gravity to the pad concerns had me cut the extension so that the rail will mount closer to the pad. Never the less, the pad worked flawless, and will hope to have more pics of it in use. The heaviest rocket flown from this pad was my RDS Quasar, at a heafty 17+ pounds.

So I went to this launch in O'Burg you see, and totally forgot to bring my satelite dish blast deflector. This proved to be the only draw back to the design of the pad. With a low center of gravity desiogned in, any lift off without the help of a deflector, blew "Crud" all over the pad, as each rocket tried it's best to bore a hole in the ground...

The attached pic was provided by "Rocketmanic" on the Events forum here at TRF, and only shows the dirty pad and the abyss that started to grow at the base of it. With 6 flights from the pad Saturday, and 12 more Sunday, and flying rockets ranging from 5 pounds up to 17 pounds, this pad is performed flawlessly.

I will post more pics when they are available.

enjoy

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

Compliments of Tom Binford of Tripoli South Carolina, here is the best pic of the HPR PVC Pad in action. This is a Picture of my "Night Rider" which is a 54mm Filament Wound Fiber Glass bird with an ACME fin-can, and ACME Rail guides. The Power plant is a 38mm 10-Grain Kn/Sb EX motor, designated as a J566 @ 680 newton seconds.

The only visible evidence of the Pad is a faint hint of the Rail in the smoke stream.

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

The only other action shot is my Modified Vaughn Brothers Javelin lifting on a KNCP "I" motor. Once again you can see a hint of the rail showing through the Smoke stream.

Johnnie Paul

 

[Johnnie]

Well, all of the pics I posted showing construction showed my RDS Quasar mounted on the HPR PVC Pad. The Rocket weighed in at 17 pounds ready to fly, and here is the proof. This is a link to a video clip compliments once again to Tom Binford of TRA South Carolina, of the Quasar lifting off of the HPR PVC Pad on a 76mm 2-grain Kn/Sb motor...note to self, beautiful flight, but me thinks the Quasar needs bigger motor

[https://www.tripolisc.org/modules/xoopsgallery/cache/albums/album44/aae.mpg

enjoy

Johnnie Paul

 

[el chubbo]

This design cannot be beat!

My senior club (4th - 6th graders) built everything but the rail in 1 1/2 hours (with an adult using a bandsaw). This pad is STURDY and is a GREAT project for teams....

Johnny, I really want to thank you for taking the time to post these plans and picts...

I am downloading our pics and will post ASAP

Thanks again.

 

[Johnnie]

El Chubbo,

Great to hear that you have found the HPR PVC Pad to be a good one. I still have some mods to do on mine, as well as building it out of different size pvc. i.e: I would like a low power version (made from 3/4" PVC) and uses rods, and and a super sized one utilizing 2" PVC and a super 1.5" rail for a possible future L3 flight...

...can't wait to see the pics, and I would love to hear more about the 4th - 6th grade project that this pad was built for.

Cheers

 

[havoc821]

This pad is awesome! I have been looking for good launch pad desings for a while and this one is great! You said something about $20 a page back. Is that how much materials cost or how much you would sell one for or what? Thanks!