Contrail Rockets LLC

05/06/2023

NOS for Spaceport America 2023 is on my website under Accessories drop-down menu. I added not just rental cylinders of NOS but CO2 as well.
CGA 660 adapters, pressure gauges, Braided Stainless Steel Teflon lined high pressure lines and much more.
I even added a 1/4 NPT to 1/4 BSPP adapter for international flyers.

04/25/2023

I want to thank the Phoenix Tripoli Club for again a wonderful location, waiver and great weather. They may have only had control of two of the three. This Experimental flight was launched with 650 PSI NOS pressure to increase NOS density and get some extra kick. This is the first time a 4 Stage Ziggurat has been flown in a rocket. Other videos to follow. I love the 48,000 foot waiver and also the ability to launch on both Saturday and the Sunday. This is the same rocket that I got my Level 3 on last April so I am glad that I will be able to fly it again at our next scheduled launch.

04/25/2023

I want to thank the Phoenix Tripoli Club for again a wonderful location, waiver and great weather. They may have only had control of two of the three. This Experimental flight was launched with 650 PSI NOS pressure to increase NOS density and get some extra kick. This is the first time a 4 Stage Ziggurat has been flown in a rocket. Other videos to follow. I love the 48,000 foot waiver and also the ability to launch on both Saturday and the Sunday. This is the same rocket that I got my Level 3 on last April so I am glad that I will be able to fly it again at our next scheduled launch.
1/2 inch push to connect injector and 4 stage 1/2 inch NPT ziggurat.
Estimated 6000 newtons off the pad with 2 gallons of NOS per second.

N-4000 Demo flight. This 98mm motor was a 60 inch 5300 cc bolted motor modified to have a 1/2 inch push to connect injector and a four stage ziggurat vortex...

05/14/2022

This is my Level 3 flight using a hybrid 98mm Contrail Rockets M-1575BG. Winds were at about 14mph. The flight got a nice kick off the pad this is a hybrid motor that has over 600 pounds of initial thrust off the pad. This flight used another innovation, not only was a "vent detector" used, it used the newly designed "on pad hold system". This allowed the motor to be filled at the pad and when the filling stopped so did the venting. This innovation allows for holds due to aircraft or any other events as in a "break in the breeze" that would normally require either a refilling of the motor for any vented NOS or worse case purging the NOS to then again refill the motor. This addition has not only a solenoid valve on the vent but an "expansion chamber" at the fill solenoid valve. Since Contrail Rockets motors have minimal utilage in the motor, any expansion in the hold process could elevate pressures, the expansion chamber coupled with the vent solenoid hold the rocket ready to launch. In this flight the hold time was about five minutes. As long as no one approaches the rocket hold times could be extent well beyond the five minutes seen here. The purge solenoid is not effected by this additional device and no additional control circuits are needed as the fill circuit also operates the on pad hold device. This saves NOS and allows motors to be prefilled at the pad and then put into a hold status awaiting the launch command.

Many thanks to my L3 TAP's at Phoenix Tripoli who understood the delays over the past few years in getting this flight into the air. I also want to thank my Club for creating a hybrid friendly environment. With a 48K waiver in the Arizona desert launching on Saturday and Sunday allows time for flyers to do more than just launch rockets.

I also want to thank my customers who ask for innovations. The internal vent lead to the vent detector which lead to the on pad hold system which lead to the expansion chamber. Each of these innovations was because of a customers request. They directly or indirectly started the wheels of innovation. At Contrail Rockets we continue to make improvements in what we offer customers to enhance the hybrid flying experience.

This flight with 5300cc of NOS or just under 9 pounds at $4 a pound plus the NOS used in filling about 1.5 pounds for a cost of $42. The M-1575BG fuel grain is $259 plus any shipping or tax available at www.ContrailRockets.com.

This grain is shipped worldwide without any HazMat fees.

For any questions please email me at [email protected]

01/05/2022

Contrail Rockets Hybrid Vent Detector. This Detector operates on volume of Nitrous Oxide not the temperature of the Nitrous Oxide. This new product is in final testing but a sneak peak of what is happening in new developments. This works on existing motors that are vented through the combustion chamber in the 75mm, 98mm 152mm lines. This new innovation also works with the new internally vented 54mm and 38mm motors. This is a stand alone product only requiring a 12 volt power supply. There are no delicate electronics to get damaged . The Horn is a 12 volt back up alarm which is covered with tape to reduce the noise. The strobe is from a Forklift giving a 360 degree warning that the motor is filled and ready to launch. When coupled to a Wilson FX that has an audible tone when filling the dramatic audio and visual notification that the motor is filled in at a distance.
This detector is shown on a tripod using the standard ¼ 20 threads , so no modification are required to the tripod. I also have a simple ground level stand. A cutting board with a ¼ 20 bolt that the detector threads onto. Ul Rated cords and heavy duty gator clips are color coded to connect to existing 12 volt pad power.

Visit the "Quick Order Motor Chart" at our site under development. www.contrailrockets.net
Please let me know what you think.
Tom Sanders
Contrail Rockets

06/27/2021

Hybrid rocket motor do not need to be long and hybrid motors will fit in standard kits plus no need to drill a vent hole for a vent line in your rocket.

Contrail Rockets continued to supply flyers thru COVID and in fact continued development of newer products. The latest innovation is the internal vented hybrid motors in both 54 mm and 38 mm.
Assembly and firing of the 20 inch J-300 Black Smoke can be seen on my YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEfRF3D07y21UTmivI546g
This pre TMT certified motor is producing an amazing 2.12 Newtons per cc of NOS.
Features include;
CNVA injector the 1200 rpm hollow cone of NOS improves burning and moves the flame front to the top of the grain. This is enhanced with the Ring of Fire ignition cup inserted in the CNVA baffle. This baffle is drilled and designed for an Internal Vent so vent gas adds to combustion process and is not wasted and as a bonus no need to drill holes for vent lines in your rocket. With a the unique 4 inch long pleated 13 star Black Smoke grain it has 72 inches of surface area.

The Internal Vented 54 mm 20 inch hybrid motor is one of many innovations coming out of Contrail Rockets. You can download a copy of the 54 mm Internally Vented Hybrid Motor Manual on my new website under construction. www.contrailrockets.net
Once the new website is completely merged with all the existing certified Contrail Rockets existing motors and reloads from the older website the webdesigner will begin adding exciting new products and features never seen in the hobby hybrid motors market.

05/23/2021

05/23/2021

With the introduction of the CNVA which produces a hollow cone vortex in the NOS injectors that rotates at about 1200 rpm a higher temperature ignition became necessary.
I initially returned to red iron Thermite as used in the Contrail hybrid motors certified in 2005. Working in collaboration with the University of Tennesee a safe stable shippable formula of copper Thermite. While UT was applying this to the fuel grain I looked at a method to move the ignition above the injector and the aggressive flow of the CNVA. Contrail Rockets is calling this composition and process the used the “Ring of Fire”. The cup and composition fit inside the CNVA injector baffle and include a hole that allows the internal vent to exit the motor thru the combustion chamber. The copper oxide in the composition lowers the disassociation temperature of nitrous oxide enhancing ignition of the motor. Twin igniters are used thus a primary and backup igniter are installed during motor assembly. Using resistor igniters or shunted e-matches in an inert motor waiting for the oxidizer to be loaded at the pad is safer then the ejection charges installed during rocket assembly. The “Ring of Fire” is assembled in a 54mm 20 inch Motor. This motor has yet to be tested by TMT. Properly assembled this ignition method ensures that when you fill your hybrid motor you launch your hybrid rocket. This 54mm 20 inch long 600 cc pad filled NOS hybrid with its internal vent, 3/16 injector and #2 CNVA, Ring of Fire ignition, plus the 13 star high surface area Black Smoke 4 inch long grain makes this J-300 with a total +1200N during it’s 3.95 second burn exceeds the cc per Newton performance of all other certified 54mm hybrids.

11/23/2020

Hybrids are still flying. This is a great picture of a Contrail Rockets 38 mm G-100 hybrid motor. I love the Mach Diamonds in the exhaust plume. You can see the NOS tank on the lower right corner of picture.

This rocket was launched by Eastern Florida State College. Thanks Don for the great feedback and photo. Flight reached nearly 3000 feet