First Aerotech Reloadables

[jadebox]

Here is another piece of rocketry history I stumbled upon recently:

It's an Industrial Solid Propulsion (ISP) 29mm Motor Set. ISP was the parent company of Aerotech. When Aerotech first released their RMS motors, they did so under the ISP brand.

The motors in this set have manufacting dates of August, 1990. The serial numbers are 20 and 25.

Additional photos: https://www.payloadbay.com/gallery/v/other/vintage/001_001.JPG.html

-- Roger

 

[Art Upton]

Nice Find Roger,
My first reloadable 38mm I got at Danville Dare with Serial #125

Back in the old school days,
ISP sold the HPR motors and Aerospace motors.
Aerotech sold hobby motors only for NFPA 1122 uses.

Tripoli members could purchase aerospace ISP motors since they were an aerospace research corporation that was exempt from NFPA 1122 rules.

 

[georgegassaway]

I am attaching a couple of photos of the Aerotech 24mm “R/C” reload casing. This is used for the D7 and E6 reloads, as well as the E11-RC reload. They came out in April 1994.

This one is serial #003. Gary Rosenfield has serial #001 (and 006), and Ed LaCroix has serial # 002 (and 007). I also have serial #008. Ed and I had the great privilege of testing out the prototype D7 and E6 reloads with a bunch of flying during a week in November 1993, using prototype (bare aluminum) cases. Ed still has one (or two?) of the bare aluminum prototype cases.

The casing's serial plate in the photo is so scratched up because over time I obtained several casings, and put them all into a Ziploc bag (and many times those were inside my luggage during trips by plane). The aft closures of the other cases scraped around and really did a number on the soft aluminum serial plate. I finally decided to “retire” #003 from active use, while #008 is still being used with some other 24mm R/C cases.

I do not know how many were made before they stopped doing the serial numbers for the 24mm R/C cases.

- George Gassaway

 

[Garoq]

I am attaching a couple of photos of the Aerotech 24mm “R/C” reload casing. This is used for the D7 and E6 reloads, as well as the E11-P reload. They came out in April 1994.

This one is serial #003. Gary Rosenfield has serial #001 (and 006), and Ed LaCroix has serial # 002 (and 007). I also have serial #008. Ed and I had the great privilege of testing out the prototype D7 and E6 reloads with a bunch of flying during a week in November 1993, using prototype (bare aluminum) cases. Ed still has one (or two?) of the bare aluminum prototype cases.

The casing in the photo is so scratched up because over time I obtained several casings, and put them all into a Ziploc bag (and many times those were inside my luggage during trips by plane). The aft closures of the other cases scraped around and really did a number on the soft aluminum serial plate. I finally decided to “retire” #003 from active use, while #008 is still being used with some other 24mm R/C cases.

I do not know how many were made before they stopped doing the serial numbers for the 24mm R/C cases.

- George Gassaway

Gee George, I wonder how you were able to use those different power and length reloads in the same casing?

 

[jadebox]

Gary,

When did y'all start producing the motors under the Aerotech label instead of ISP?

-- Roger

 

[Garoq]

Gary,

When did y'all start producing the motors under the Aerotech label instead of ISP?

-- Roger

I think it was 2 or 3 years after they were first introduced.

 

[Rocketjunkie]

Here is another piece of rocketry history I stumbled upon recently:
The motors in this set have manufacting dates of August, 1990. The serial numbers are 20 and 25.

I'm still flying my original cases. I had to peel the label off my 54/1280 case at Freedom launch to get it into the Blue Tube motor mount It's s/n 12 also August 1990. I was able to leave the label on for LOC and PML and my G10 motor tubes. I had to retire the 54/1706 (s/n 13), just worn out on the threads and loose closures. My only other remaining original case is a 29/240 s/n 10. The rest have been lost to catos over the years.

 

[new2hpr]

I've got a 54mm ISP set (dated '92) still in the original foam and cardboard box. Don't know the sn's off the top of my head, though.

Any collectors want to trade?

-Ken

 

[jadebox]

Well, it took us a little while to discover everything everything we'd uncovered.

We also have the 38mm and 54mm sets of ISP motors. The serial number on each of the 54mm motors is 005!

​

I'm not going to fly the motors, so we've put them up for sale on eBay in case there's someone out there interested:

https://www.jonrocket.com/auctions.html

-- Roger