a website for those who got back into model rocketry as adults
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rocketcopters

I built a whole series of rocket-powered helicopters when I was in high school. My first attempt, shown here flying, had a successful first launch, but only by luck. It proved unstable in later flights. Eventually I achieved a consistently successful design which could be flown with one or two engines. In the future, I'd like to build a really efficient rocket helicopter for routine flying.

But this one shown below is my only recent endeavor into rocket-powered helicopters. It is very simple, and it is based on some of the aerial fireworks. Unfortunately, it requires a modified rocket motor, in which the nozzle has been plugged with epoxy and a new nozzle has been drilled into the side of the motor casing. (I'm not recommending you actually do this. The potential for accidentally igniting the propellant while drilling the hole should be obvious.)

Here is another project from my youth. This isn't really a rocket-powered helicopter. It spins very rapidly, however, and it makes a wicked noise on the way up. I also built a large, D-powered version with six plywood rotor blades. It saw many flights before being destroyed by a bad engine (hence, no photo).