Originally posted by Darian Rachal
I just wonder how this might work in the Estes kit? I know you'd likely have to put a bit of weight in the nose. I'm wondering about an E9 rather than a C11 or D12, because I assume the take off speed with the E would slower & less likely to shread than the C&D. 
Well, first off I think you'll need a pair of binoculars.
Make that two pairs, one for the booster and one for the glider.
If I was going to do this, here's how I'd go about it:
1. Coat the inside of the BT, in front of the motor mount, with epoxy (for about, say, 6 inches). E's have HOT ejection charges which burn through BT-50 after just 3 or 4 launches. Learned this the hard way.
2. Extra nose weight, as you already pointed out.
3. I'd put roll tabs on the booster wings. A long burn motor is going to compound any pitchover problems, my O.T. has always pitched over backwards due to the orbiter. By putting it into a mild roll, the pitch movements will average out, keeping it going straight up.
4. Ditch the balsa pylon on the orbiter attach point, and use a piece of 1/8" or 3/16" ply, instead. This is a weak point in the original design, even with standard motors. You want the orbiter to stay put through the whole ride, assumedly. Good glue joints are imperative here, too.
5. The original plans have the grain of the orbiter elevons going lengthwise, which is not the best way. Mine have broken a couple of times due to this, while handling them - not in flight, fortunately. But with the higher aerodynamic forces imposed by an "E" motor, they may not last. I would recommend tissuing these, which will greatly increase their strength and add virtually no weight. In fact, it may be a good idea to tissue the whole orbiter wing.
6. Tissue the joints of the booster vertical wingtip fins (the ones that point down), too. These break and crack upon landing frequently, and with an "E" casing they're going to face even greater forces on landing.
7. Finally, take lots of photos and videotape and post links here!
