Contest Rockets Forum

There is a huge amount of information about piston launchers and various combinations of motors, piston tube diameters, lengths and more out there on the NAR site and other places. But....

Is there any reason why pistons could not be also used with composite motors with some benefit as well? I know their time-thrust characteristics are rather different than BP motors in that they come to thrust generally rather faster....but does that negate the benefit of using them - or accentuate it?

Just wondering because one event at NARAM-61 in particular almost begs for a pistoned composite motor.....

Generally yes.

We've been piston launching the Q-jet C12 motors off of pistons in C Eggloft Altitude at NRC launches with good success. See Chad Ring's and Huh? What? team scores on the National Scoreboard. Both Piston Launched.

I suspected as much...and of course that’s exactly the application I was thinking of. I guess I’d better at least build a piston or two for those models.

I know what I’m getting launching out of a tower without a piston....

Thanks, Dan.