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-   -   Anyone ever fly Jetex models? (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=10412)

foamy 12-22-2011 01:00 PM

Anyone ever fly Jetex models?
 
I guess it was the early eighties when I built the little Jetex rocket gliders. The motors were small metal "cans" that you put pellets of propellant in and snapped a closure on that had a small hole in it for the exhaust to come out and it made a small rocket motor. You lit it with a bit of thin fuse kinda like the Centuri bits in their old ignitors (I just found a package of them in my attic). The gliders I had were solid balsa sheet that you sanded a bit of airfoil on the top of the wings. Stick body and a conventional tail (that was upside down to prevent it being burned off by the exhaust). The little metal "motor can" was mounted on top of the kits I had. I forget who made the kits, but I had three of them from the same manufacturer (white boxes w/blue print?)—all with small differences in the design. I had the smallest motor Jetex made. I learned right away not to touch the bloody little bugger right after a flight.

I miss those little things. It'd be nice to see them, or something very similar, manufactured again. I learned from another thread on the other forum that a man had been making a small low power/thrust motor much like conventional paper wrapped rocket motors called a "Rapier" engine, but his government's (Eastern European?—forget which country) new regulations forced him out of business. It'd be way cool if Estes, Quest or somebody filled in the gap. I'd like to fly some of those again. Just wishful thinking on my part.

Anybody else ever mess with them?

jharding58 12-22-2011 01:11 PM

Mess, and mess, and mess. I flew Jetex first time around when I was about nine or ten. They were universally difficult to light, could be problematic in burning all the fuel, and sometimes the remnants would be hard to get our of the can. You also had to keep a supply of washers since they were notoriusly easy to lose. That being said in the 80's I was intensely into free scale flight models and Jetex was the only solution for jet or rocket power. Model rocket motors would rip the wings off. I hear that in the last (and I believe final) guise they had improved reliability to the degree that they were only galactically difficult to light.

There are alternatives now in the single use motors from Rapier. Not sure of you intended use but Sams Models in the UK is my stockist of choice - and a really nice guy too.

http://www.samsmodels.com/acatalog/...__Electric.html

http://www.jetex.org/index.php

http://www.ffscale.co.uk/page4d.htm

foamy 12-22-2011 01:44 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by jharding58
snip... There are alternatives now in the single use motors from Rapier. Not sure of you intended use but Sams Models in the UK is my stockist of choice - and a really nice guy too.

http://www.samsmodels.com/acatalog/...__Electric.html

http://www.jetex.org/index.php

http://www.ffscale.co.uk/page4d.htm

Interesting. So, they still have a stock of them or has the manufacturer somehow complied or gotten around the regs?

Followed the links and I must say, those models they use them in are far more sophisticated than the ones I was building. Looks like fun.

edited: wrong connection

Thanks for those links.

jharding58 12-22-2011 02:17 PM

Not sure about the stocking situation. Rapier still has a functioning website and lists both the rocket (R) and aircraft motors with their attendant impulse power. I would check with SAMs on the availability becasue I am not sure how well Rapier took off in the States. Of note is that the R range includes 13, 15, and 18mm motors.

http://www.rapier.cz/

While this URL is still functional the updated date is a little concerning.

If all else fails Semroc is considering motor production once more. If there is a market for more slow burning 13mm booster motors you might give them a try.

As for the Jetex Fuel - not sure about that. I have some that I really keep for nostalgia purposes now. But I am sure that they would light right up if needed.

hcmbanjo 12-22-2011 03:38 PM

I didn't fly Jetex models but I made a few rocket cars with them.

The cars were flat sheets of metal with four wheels, nothing much else.
The Jetex 50 engine holder was screwed onto the metal body.

After lighting, the'd run around the street in a unpedictable pattern.

Things got more interesting when I bent up elevons (lift tabs) on the back of the flat car body.
It would do wheelies and even airborne a few times.

jharding58 12-22-2011 04:35 PM

I have a plan for (and no longer sadly the model) of the Opel Sander RAK built for the Jetex 50. Very nice little sheet balsa model with the motor mounted within the aft part of the fuselage on two gooved rails. The compartment was lined with foil to prevent the heat burning the balsa; although now I am sure I would coat with Sodium Silicate 40%. It flew while powered and then assumed the glide ratio of a dirty Shuttle, but id did fly. I would love to say that I lost it to a thermal taking its' 13" span out of sight, or a more appropriate trip to Valhalla as the motor finally consumed the airframe in a slowly spinning blaze of glory. Regretably the demise was a more mundane left it on the car seat out of the Sun and "someone" did not see it as they entered the vehicle.

P.S. Can you tell that I am in the Crown Room??

dlazarus6660 12-22-2011 04:56 PM

I did not....
 
I did not fly Jetex models but I knew someone who did and he was a craftsman at building and flying model planes.
I used Steve Bage F-105 Thunderchief plans for my F-105 rocket.

http://www.ffscale.co.uk/plans14.htm

BEC 12-22-2011 09:53 PM

I had at least one Jetex 50 when I was in Jr. High (or high school) - so no later than the early 1970s. I recall that there was never enough Jetex fuse in a package of fuel as they sometimes refused to light...and I recall cleaning a motor case out was kinda messy. But they did work.

Mine got the most air time on a Jetco Jet 50 powered glider....nice flyer, actually.

I have no idea where the motor is now....it's not among the stuff my parents forwarded to me after I got out of college.

jharding58 12-23-2011 01:50 AM

It seems that previous conversations with regard to Rapier are accurate. The shift in position that killed them off late last year was the implementation of categorisation of the motors as fireworks as opposed to smoke generating devices. As such the thought of hand-held craft using these motors created liability havoc and production safety issues which killed the manufacture of the motors. Given that position I doubt there is any US manufacturer that would be willing to touch a product categorised as such with two barge poles roped together.

Of course, no one has ever tossed a bottle rocket once lit either...

Couple of last links for you, one surprisingly sourced from ebay.

http://reviews.ebay.com/About-JETEX...000000002108639

And if you are wondering how they are now getting free flight jets to aviate, look no further.

http://www.kpaero.com/ProductReport...ategory2=motors

mojo1986 12-23-2011 06:43 AM

I believe these things still sell on Ebay frequently. The unused collector ones fetch a little money, but the used ones, when you find them, can be quite cheap. Fuel for them is still available too on Ebay. Copy and paste the web address below occasionally to check out what's available.

Joe

http://www.ebay.com/dsc/i.html?_nkw...&LH_TitleDesc=1


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