Brief:
This was a high powered flight of an Art Applewhite Rocket 18-inch Flying Saucer using the Cesaroni Pro54, 2 Grain, J210 motor. It used aerobrake recovery.

Construction:
The 2 grain reload came in sealed, heavy duty plastic bag with instruction rolled and attached to the bag with a rubber band. All of this was inside a heavy cardboard tube with stapled cardboard end caps. An Oxral igniter with instructions was included in a sealed plastic bag taped to the outside of the cardboard tube.

The Pro54 casing came in a clear plastic tube with tight fitting, black plastic end caps. The retaining ring came in its own plastic bag. It performs the function of rear closure and thrust ring for the Pro54 motor. The threads are cleanly cut and square, not triangular. This will keep cross-threading to a minimum.

The instructions were quite complete. They included thrust curves for the Pro54 family of motors and black and white pictures of the reload and casing components. The printing was very small and too light in places.

Finishing:
I first applied some Dow Corning 111 Silicone Lubricant to the threads on the casing and the retaining ring. I also applied a small amount to lube to the inside of the rear of the casing as recommended in the instructions. I then inserted the reload into the casing. It fit snugly and slid easily to the front of the casing and the retaining ring screwed on very smoothly with no hint of cross-threading. The knurling around the circumference of the retaining ring made it very easy to tighten it without the need for any tools.

The motor slid smoothly into the 54mm motor mount. The retaining ring acts as a very substantial thrust ring. For my flying saucer no additional tape or other means of motor retention were necessary. If used in a rocket with a conventional recovery system, a half turn of masking tape or simple engine retainer may be all that is needed. Note: The bottom of the retaining ring is flat so hook-like Kaplow Clips may have to be slightly modified to properly hold this motor in place.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The Pro54, 2 grain is just right for this size saucer, The thrust curve has a little kick at the beginning and a very gentle roll off of thrust during its 4 second burn. It makes a very satisfying, low pitched sound as it burns and a moderate amount of flame and smoke. Ignition is almost instantaneous. After motor cutoff there is a very nice smoke trail left by the delay element.

Recovery:
The motor is warm but not hot shortly after firing. There was absolutely no sign of wear on the casing and the disassembled reload had only minor scorching on the outside of the liner with no evidence of burn through anywhere.. The casing required only a run through with a paper towel to remove the silicone lubricant.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The Pro54, 2 grain is the best motor I have every used. I preferred single use motors before this because I didn’t like the complicated assembly and cleanup process of reusable motor systems. Pro54 was worth the wait and the slightly higher cost.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5