39 replies to this topic

[Zinginex]

Firstly, I know that this is not strictly pyrotechnics but it involves it and it's quite fun. Close this post if you want.

I just succeeded in making a rocket car (well in my terms a "rocket car"). I just loaded some meal powder into a homemade tube with a nozzel and taped it to the top of a toy car. I made 2 and the first one had too short of a runway and it flipped off the edge. I didn't think that it would actually work seeing as i've never made a rocket that flew before. The second had a longer runway but it crashed . But i was using really bad bp so i was wondering if anybody here has made "rocket cars" before? Mine start rolling slowly then started to get to about walkig pace and these were about 2 inch long rockets on little toy cars smaller than your hand. I want to make more on a larger scale hopefully and find a good runway. Then it should be really fun
BTW I'm out today so sorry i won't be able to reply.

Edit: Also, why can't you search words shorter than 4 letters? just wondering.

Edited by Zinginex, 01 April 2007 - 08:53 AM.

[king pyro]

I dont know much about the search engine but even I faced some problem when I wanted to search for the CIA mathod of making bp.
Thank god that you have started the topic of rocket cars. I used to meke them when I was a small child and I made them with rockets bought from the market. I also used very small cars with the minium weight on them. My cars just went about 1 metre ahead so I soon got bored and left that. BTW thanks for reminding me I will again try that but now I will use my own bp. For runway I used the pavement of a park which was no longer being maintained and was used only by children to fight and have fun.
I hope we both will get help through this.

[Zinginex]

Cool I've ran out of sulphur at the mo but will get some soon. I was thinking today you could proabably make one of those gliders, you know the ones that people hold on the bar and run fast then jump and they glide on the wings, but with a rocket attached to that. If you designed it properly i can imagine it being pretty good and flying for a long time.
The one i did in my garden was pretty loud seeing as the rocket isn't flying off into the air so i'm going to find a nice remote place to test them
Would be great if you could post your results king pyro. I'll try to post mine

[pyromaniac303]

I was thinking today you could proabably make one of those gliders, you know the ones that people hold on the bar and run fast then jump and they glide on the wings, but with a rocket attached to that. If you designed it properly i can imagine it being pretty good and flying for a long time.

Do a search on here and google for jetex, or Jet-X (both used to exist anyway) and the new system called 'rapier'. They all rely on a really slow burning but gassy comp, the Jetex and Jet-X ones use fuel pellets which are placed inside a metal container; the newer rapier ones you can still buy are small end burners, but I don't know what comp they use.

jetex website

Edited by pyromaniac303, 01 April 2007 - 09:56 PM.

[Zinginex]

Do a search on here and google for jetex, or Jet-X (both used to exist anyway) and the new system called 'rapier'. They all rely on a really slow burning but gassy comp, the Jetex and Jet-X ones use fuel pellets which are placed inside a metal container; the newer rapier ones you can still buy are small end burners, but I don't know what comp they use.

jetex website

Hey thanks for that site. It's interesting, Especially that special propellant.

Edited by Zinginex, 01 April 2007 - 11:01 PM.

[king pyro]

Cool I've ran out of sulphur at the mo but will get some soon. I was thinking today you could proabably make one of those gliders, you know the ones that people hold on the bar and run fast then jump and they glide on the wings, but with a rocket attached to that. If you designed it properly i can imagine it being pretty good and flying for a long time.
The one i did in my garden was pretty loud seeing as the rocket isn't flying off into the air so i'm going to find a nice remote place to test them
Would be great if you could post your results king pyro. I'll try to post mine

I am not going to make them now. I lack time nowadays so maybe after a few weeks. First of all I will try to succeed in making rocket cars and only then I will try to make that rocket glider. I request you to PM your results to me. I will get some help through that. Its actually a brilliant idea. I dont think they are going to close this. I once thought of making an aeroplane(or airplane; I dont know the difference) but I thought that it would become very heavy so I never tried that. I never thought of making a glider, you know with very thin wings and minimum possible weight on them. I hope you will succeed. I am actually eager to know that exactly how will you launch them. Hold it in your hand while you light it?-Do not do that until unless you are an expert, its dangerous. Or attatch wheels?-that will become too heavy. Just keeping it on the floor will generate a lot of friction. OK thanks again for such a nice topic and that awesome idea. I am really excited so I will make them as soon as possible.


PS dont forget to PM me your results and the way you launched it.

[Zinginex]

I am not going to make them now. I lack time nowadays so maybe after a few weeks. First of all I will try to succeed in making rocket cars and only then I will try to make that rocket glider. I request you to PM your results to me. I will get some help through that. Its actually a brilliant idea. I dont think they are going to close this. I once thought of making an aeroplane(or airplane; I dont know the difference) but I thought that it would become very heavy so I never tried that. I never thought of making a glider, you know with very thin wings and minimum possible weight on them. I hope you will succeed. I am actually eager to know that exactly how will you launch them. Hold it in your hand while you light it?-Do not do that until unless you are an expert, its dangerous. Or attatch wheels?-that will become too heavy. Just keeping it on the floor will generate a lot of friction. OK thanks again for such a nice topic and that awesome idea. I am really excited so I will make them as soon as possible.
PS dont forget to PM me your results and the way you launched it.

Ok will do. BTW the glider thing was just an idea. I was thinking that you might be able to do it with wheels but it'll be a while before i try that. I try another rocket car today but the car was too wide and not long enough so the rocket forced the car to toppell over forwards. I did realise though that a rocket with a big ID is ideal for rocket cars as the wieght doesn't matter too much. I'm guessing the bigger ID the more composition is burnt in one layer creating, obviously, more gas.

[pyromaniac303]

I am actually eager to know that exactly how will you launch them

With the existing systems they just produce gas, and virtually no visible flame, so its hand-launched and is not dangerous. A propellant for something like this would have to have extremely fine ingredients, large mesh charcoal or metal powders are a bad idea unless you want to set your clothes on fire!

I was thinking along the lines of a small sugar rocket end burner, they don't need to provide much thrust as the 'plane is already up to flying speed from the hand launch. The rudder is generally trimmed slightly to the left or right so that it doesnt fly too far away, just round in a circle. It should be launched into wind, to gain height as early as possible (small core to provide more initial thrust perhaps), to give a longer gliding distance. I've been planning to build something like this for over a year, but have never really had the time.

There are a couple more options with these too, whether to go for a high thrust, small wing diameter plane which will travel quite fast, or a low thrust but longer duration glider-style plane.

Using a standard balsa and tissue covered wings model, the motor must be mounted well out the way of the wings, as the tissue shrinking dope is basically NC lacquer (comes in handy when you run out of ping-pong balls) and will ignite at quite low temperatures.

[Zinginex]

Does anyone here think that it would be possible to make a glider with wheels? I was thinking you could make a frame with 3 or 4 small wheels (make sure it's stabalized) then attach wings to the frame then attach a rocket to it... somehow

[pyromaniac303]

Does anyone here think that it would be possible to make a glider with wheels? I was thinking you could make a frame with 3 or 4 small wheels (make sure it's stabalized) then attach wings to the frame then attach a rocket to it... somehow

Its definately possible, think along the lines of card discs, or plastic games counters, but both need a very smooth surface to run on for taking off, which is not usually found in areas remote enough to fly from.

Rubber powered model planes sometimes use these. A good starting point would be to search the BMFA (British Model Flying Assosciation) kit range which sell for only a few £s, might give you some construction ideas.

Edited by pyromaniac303, 02 April 2007 - 10:36 PM.

[Zinginex]

Its definately possible, think along the lines of card discs, or plastic games counters, but both need a very smooth surface to run on for taking off, which is not usually found in areas remote enough to fly from.

Rubber powered model planes sometimes use these. A good starting point would be to search the BMFA (British Model Flying Assosciation) kit range which sell for only a few £s, might give you some construction ideas.

OK thanks very much

[StevenRS]

Or you could use a wheel system that falls off after takeoff, not sure exactly how you would do it, and make it stable though.

[Zinginex]

Or you could use a wheel system that falls off after takeoff, not sure exactly how you would do it, and make it stable though.

Yeah i thought of that aswell. To keep it pyro related, maybe a very weak salute that could take the wheels off somehow but not damage the plane's flight oor the plane itself Ignited electronically? Hmm...

[king pyro]

guys you are making it complicated. And stick to pyrotechnics or the moderators will become angry. Using big wings will make it float in the air for a long time but gliders actually dont fly much upwards, they actually stay in the air for a long time. So a small rocket and glider type big wings should be what we should start with as it will be easier than a big rocket with proper wings to provide enough thrust. Everybody has a lot of ideas but sticking to them and completing the task is quite difficult. So I will try it only after some time and I hope that you all will post your result.

[Zinginex]

guys you are making it complicated. And stick to pyrotechnics or the moderators will become angry. Using big wings will make it float in the air for a long time but gliders actually dont fly much upwards, they actually stay in the air for a long time. So a small rocket and glider type big wings should be what we should start with as it will be easier than a big rocket with proper wings to provide enough thrust. Everybody has a lot of ideas but sticking to them and completing the task is quite difficult. So I will try it only after some time and I hope that you all will post your result.

Ah hmm yes but i was thinking that if your wings were at the right angle and your rocket had enough thrust the glider would actually gain height. The rocket forces the glider forward into the air, the air hits the wings and the angle of the wings pushes the air downwards. This then pusher the glider upwards. That's just my thoughts.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't see what you wrote king pyro. Yeah we should start off with just getting the glider in the air and for it to float

Edited by Zinginex, 03 April 2007 - 09:23 PM.