April 2010 Update

Well its been quite a while since the last update, almost a year. I'm glad to say we are still around and humming along, just not good at this whole internet thing, so if you do follow us your more than likely to get the updated news under my twitter account @fineri, much easier to do a quick note there, so I do apologise if you've been waiting for the next news item on this site.

Engine Work

I've been working towards making a small 100lbf boiler plate test engine to test some propellant combinations I've been thinking about and to try out different manufacturing techniques. I finished the last of the injector holes the other night and now have a complete engine that is ready to test. Hopefully in the next month or two.

Test Stand

My original plan was to have my "Psycho" rocket airframe as an engine test bed but it soon became apparent that this was not going to work out. So I went ahead and made a verticle test stand as a stand alone unit that can be attached and dettached from the testing pole in the paddock. Its a pretty basic setup, SS tanks, loadcell mount etc. With this in the arsenal I should be able to build and test engines at a fraction of the time this last one has taken, theoritically its bolt on and go. I also should be able to test engines horizontally with abit of modification to this setup when they start getting bigger.

Assistance/Help needed?

Now that I'm pretty well setup to test engines I'm putting the offer out there to any other kiwi's who have built a rocket engine and have no where to test it, I'm offering my setup and assistance (if need be) for you to come along and test your projects. I also have a horizontal test stand for testing solids/hybrids (up to 6" Dia), so can cater for all needs, including firing hardware.I also have a full machine shop on site if you are needing help in that area as well. Email me if you want to know more: kiwi2space@gmail.com