What do you get when you mix an EPO Parkjet Mkll RC plane and an Estes rocket engine? A rocket plane of course!
We connected a normal Brushed ESC to the receiver providing 5 volts straight into the rocket engine egnition system.
The Flite Test crew tried to create a rocket plane awhile back, but the efforts were unsuccessful and the episodes never aired. Well, David decided he'd like to give it a shot and setup the EPO Parkjet with a D-Class Estes Rocket Engine!
The Estes D-Class rocket engine worked great! The thrust angle of the rocket was perfect and the plane launched and glided down better then we could have hoped!
The flight was such a success... it only made sense to try a bigger rocket!
We mounted an Aerotech F50T-4 Rocket onto our EPO Parkjet , this rocket is 10 times more powerful then the Estes D-class rocket.
The airplane launched perfectly and then suddenly exploded the EPO foam plane in mid-flight sending components everywhere.
So all in all, it looks like the EPO Parkjet is a great D-Class Rocket Plane! But it's not a good F-Class rocket engine plane.
We'll have to revisit this test and see if we can launch a rocket plane from another RC plane in mid-air like a Bell X-1!
Here are some of the items mentioned in this episode:
EPO ParkJet MkII (international)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=13763&aff=247441
EPO ParkJet MkII (USA)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=22863&aff=247441
Estes - D11-P Plugged Rocket Engine
http://estes.unleadedsoftware.com/store/rockets/engines/plugged/1669-d11-p.html
Aerotech F50T-4 "Huge" Rocket Engine
http://www.aerotech-rocketry.com/products.aspx