Rocket powered ME 163 CONCEPT

[Wernher von Braun]

Hi folks, I want to build a rocket powered ME 163 that will be propeller driven until ignition of the motor. I'm brand new to this hobby and have made an FT storch and painted to look vaguely like a real one.

The motor that will be used in the ME 163 is still in the planning phase but I am hoping for a motor that will fire for hopefully 10 seconds and give a scale amount of thrust. I expect the motor to weigh between 1-2kg. Can someone help me come up with specks for how big this plane should be and what to put in it. I want to make it out of foamboard and I will insulate the inside of the plane from the heat as best I can. I plan to have the motor in the COG of the plane and use thin steel tube from a can wrapped with a layer of ceramic Fibre As the exhaust pipe. I will also have air scoops to channel air to the inner wall of the exhaust tube and motor to keep it cool. The exhaust will also push on this air and suck more through the tube, recovering a little more thrust.

 

[Kugzenburg]

I don't reccomend putting the motor in the cog, since the air expansion will be blocked by the tube (and the heat insulation will add some deadweight too)thus decrease the efficiency of the rocket itself. For size u reccomend 80cm wingspan at max since for commercial use, a 1kg thrust rocket motor is what you can get(unless you wanna make one by yourself which is possible but you have to careful to not get in troubles) sick build btw

 

[Wernher von Braun]

I plan to build the motor myself. The motor will weigh 1-2kg, that's not the thrust. But I probably will aim for about 1kg of thrust. I want to put it on the COG because if it's at the back, the plane will be unflyably tail heavy. Insulation is a must as the motor will get hot enough to set fire to the paper and melt right through the foam.

 

[quorneng]

WvB
It is the rocket nozzle that creates the thrust. Any duct after the nozzle will just loose thrust.
The only rocket with a long tube after the nozzle I know of is a thrust augmenter tube but they do have to very accurately manufactured and positioned to work. They require a large inlet area and there is no such opening on a Me163.

I would suggest it might be better to build a smaller prop driven foam board Me 163 to make sure it will fly acceptably. As a modest sweep sweep flying wing Its aerodynamics are quite sophisticated to achieve adequate stability.

 

[cyclone3350]

HK sold a Durafly Komet with the rocket motor option. Here is a video. As U can see, it is placed in the rear. A club member had one, it flew with it tail heavy until the rocket ejects.