Regular 'Jetex' flyers and readers of the various motor-related threads on the forum will know that motors are in a bit of a short supply at the moment.  We have no Rapier L-1's and stocks of about 300 Rapier L-2's.

I have sorted out  these last motors for distribution and measured their performance: 

These are all very useful in the right model, so and please contact me (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you would like some.

Fortunately, when these are all gone, we have an alternative, a brand new, and hopefully secure, supply of motors for our beloved rocket  planes.  These are the new TSP 'Tender' motors.  Below are examples of the L-1 and L-2:

These are very close to the sizes of the Rapier L-1 and L-2 motors.  Note these are 'used' motors and that the casings have done their job well!

Below are the TSP L-2's with the Rapier L-2's:

Note they are similar in size to Rapiers, if a bit thicker.  No problem, though!

The performance of the Tender L-'s are great:

And the thrust is consistent:

The Tender L-2 motors too, measure well:

And the thrust on the test rig with different sizes of nozzles is predictable:

Boring out the two types of L-2 and L-2L to 1.7 mm gives particularly good results:

Piotr, who is responsible for the development and manufacture of these motors, tells me he will now concentrate on the 'L-2L' type.  These can be used with confidence in any of the profile Jetex.org kits, or the many Jetex kits from the Vintage Model company:

https://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/jetex-powered-models.html

More about these motors can be found on two forum threads, see

http://www.jetex.org/index.php/jetex-forum?view=topic&catid=8&id=317

and

http://www.jetex.org/index.php/jetex-forum?view=topic&catid=8&id=319

Piotr is happy to discuss the supply of these motors to flyers in the UK.  His email address is:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I shall be getting a supply of the Tender L-1 motors from him, and and I look forward to trying out Piotr's motors on the flying field.  The motors are beautifully produced and can be put in that precious scale model with confidence!

Above:  a TSP Tender L-2L motor on the test rig.  The reading equates to a steady thrust of 150mN, just perfect for those vintage models!

All of the above is very much 'work in progress' so do look at the forum for news of further developments, like an L-3 and a TSP L-2 HP!

 Welcome to the first of what I hope will be regular 'Jetex and Rapier related 'blogs'. As this is my first foray into the 'blogosphere' it will take me time to find my niche, so please bear with me.

These will of course be full of interesting observations about the modern 'small model jet plane flying' scene which will motivate a loyal cadre of enthusiasts to keep up with the latest news about motor availability, upcoming meetings and how to take part in what I hope will be a growing part of the free flight aeromodelling scene. Note the 'free flight' bit. I have nothing to say about those marvellous and sophisticated RC jets that we see showing off at meetings. However, free flight EDF is pertinent to our hobby and is one way of keeping our models flying. We shall see!

What with the winter weather – my own flying field is more suited to hydroplanes than aeroplanes at the moment – I have been designing some new models for the new flying season. These are simple 'semi-profile' models like the Cougar above  suitable for the latest batch of Rapier L-1 and L-2 motors.

Dr Zigmund, developer and manufacturer of our 'one shot' Rapier motors, delivered a fresh batch of three types of L-2's (L-2 LT, L-2-X and L-2 HP) when he visited Old Warden's model meeting in July.

I have now tested these with the following results 

 These are quite pleasing: the L-2X motors appear a bit more powerful than the 'HPs' but both are usable.  The L-2 LTs have less 'oomph' than last year's, but, again, they are perfectly acceptable.

The L-1 motors are quite powerful:

 We have good stocks of all these motors, so please contact me for details of how to get them.

Flying small model aeroplanes with rockets is a thrilling activity, one open to all, but in the last couple of years there have been questions about the availability of Rapier motors, and their reliability and performance when you can get them.

Although they are not now sold by model shops like the splendid 'SAMS Models', who nevertheless sell models for them, see: 

http://www.samsmodels.com/acatalog/copy_of_AEROGRAPHICS_KITS.html

Rapiers are still made by Dr Zigmund in the Czech Republic and available in this country. They can be collected at meetings or by personal delivery. The situation is not unlike that of the more powerful motors for model rockets. But, if you want 'em, you can get them, and the latest 2013 batches are well worth having.

The latest L-1 motors put out 100mN for 10 sec, giving my Swedish Lansen (above) a sparkling performance:

The latest L-2 motors are also pretty potent, and so far, I've had no blowouts. So we can build and fly with confidence!