I have yet to fly a lot of reloads, in fact I’ve only got two flights with them so far. I will say, however, that I’ve been satisfied with my flights on E23Ts in the Aerotech RMS 29/40-120 casing.
Preflight, however, was a
pain. You can do great things with reloadables, but as it stands, I hate them. Hopefully this will wane with further practice, though.
That said, the most important things I learned are:
- Identify and be familiar with the hardware components before attempting to assemble. That’s your casing, your forward closure, and your aft closure. I made the mistake of thinking that the forward closure on my knockoff RMS 18/20 was an integral part of the casing when in fact it screws on like the rear one does. In my confusion, I decided to abort the load, but doing this ruined the propellant grains and the casing (more on this in a second). Watch a tutorial video, ask the forum, or contact the manufacturer if you have even the slightest question about how to assemble.
- Study and follow the instructions very carefully. Understand the components and their purpose. Unless you’ve really dived into the specifics of how these things work beforehand, some of these components will probably be alien to you, the way that a lot of airframe and GSE components probably were for your first rocket build. Again, pose any questions to the Internet or the manufacturer.
- Aerotech liner tubes sometimes don’t fit correctly as is. If the fit is anything less than smooth and effortless, peel and/or cut away the outer layer of the liner tube’s paper until the liner tube assembly slides in the casing without you having to muscle it in. Trying to force it in with tools or banging them together will only get the liner tube stuck in the wrong position or damage it. Or both.
- Your complete hardware set(s) will probably come with a small tube of lubricant, but you’ll also want to buy or commandeer a tub of petroleum jelly and apply it liberally to the exterior of the liner tube. It will further improve the fit and also make cleaning out residue easier. Do not think of lubricant as a substitute for any needed trimming, though. If you need to remove the liner tube assembly, a slippery liner tube will make it that much harder. Be careful not to get the jelly on the grains, though. It might physically damage them or interfere with their burn properties.
- Enlist the assistance of somebody who is familiar with your reload, if possible. A little bit of supervision would have saved me some money and frustration.
- Place your orders well ahead of time. I ordered a couple of Aerotech E16W reloads via Animal Motor Works in November. They still haven’t arrived, since Aerotech was having some distribution problems that delayed everything by an estimated 15 weeks. Currently they’re not expected to arrive until the end of February, so my next 29mm flights will be with Estes black powder E16s.