Public Missiles - Io {Kit}

Public Missiles IO

Public Missiles - Io {Kit}

Contributed by Patrick Ryan

Manufacturer:

Public Missiles

(Contributed - by Patrick Ryan)

Brief:
Single stage 29mm with parachute recovery and piston ejection system.

Construction:
Three (3) G-10 fins, pre-slotted "Quantum Tube" body. Motor Mount is plywood and heavy cardboard type. Monster heavy duty shock cords (one mounts to motor mount and gets a little crusty, but great overall). 20" nylon 2 color parachute with spill-hole.

This was the first mid-power kit I have built- what a great choice! Instructions need to be read thru a number of times if you are used to building Estes type kits, but with a minimal amount of sanding/trimming, this one goes together fine. You will need to trim the fins a bit to fit, and you MUST lightly sand all parts prior to applying finish. The piston ejection system is a bit hard to understand at first, but with a few dry fits, you'll have no problem.

Finishing:
Looks great with an enamel finish. I didn't bother with the decals (disappointing vinyl self adhesive)

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Rocket Pic Flight:
This thing roars off with an Econojet F20-4w and the G38-4. With a little tweaking and PML'S qwick switch 29/38 mm motor mount you could really open some eyes. The piston ejection system works great- use a little talc so everything slides easily. This rocket tends to weathercock quite a bit- take that into account. Minimal horizontal drift on the recovery, and holds up well on landing (6 flights, no damage save for some scuffed paint). I highly recommend the PML PMR motor retainer, takes all doubt out of motor kick out at ejection.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Great first mid-power kit- just make sure you review the instructions a few times before each step and dry fit all sub-assemblies.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews

Public Missiles IO By John Hattan
Brief: PML's smallest and simplest kit, this is a simple tried-n-true 3FNC rocket, suitable for F to H motors. Construction: Rocket consists of a single body tube, plywood centering rings, and a piece of woven nylon that's epoxied to the motor tube. The piston is attached to the other end of the nylon. The fins are G10, which sands very nicely and is really tough. Includes a fairly ...

Flights

Comments:

M.W. (October 1, 2000)

A friend (John) and I got into HPR a few months back, he bought a PML D-region Tomahawk, and I bought a Miranda. Both of these have flown for Level 1 certs. Since we saw that it could get expensive in a hurry to keep flying larger and larger motors, we decided that smaller might be the direction to go. He purchased an Io, and I bought a PML Callisto. John noticed right away that the recovery items were a tight fit. I would suggest the Callisto as a solution for this problem. The Callisto and the Io are identical except for an additional 12 inches of body tube in the Callisto.

R.C. (October 1, 2000)

I certified NAR L1 with this rocket. Nice kit.

S.M. (August 1, 2001)

The Io was my first HPR kit. I bought it just after QT was introduced, with a 38mm MMT and PML's motor retention. This is one tough little rocket! When I first built it I couldn't get over how heavy and solid it felt. I have recently added a 9" QT payload section, and flown it on an I161 and an I357. There were some raised eyebrows when I put it up on those motors, I can tell you! Recovered fine from over 5000ft. I have also tried a Rocketman R24D as a main chute and it worked great. At some stage I may remove the piston and use a chute protector for altimeter deployment. One of my favorite rockets!

J.W.H. (December 19, 2001)

This was actually my first and second HPR kit. Bought this and a LOC Lil' Nuke at the same time. Boy, talk about differences. QT is where it is at. And the G-10 fins are extremely durable. No question in my mind that this kit is tough and ready to roll. Flew it on a couple of F's, thinking it is time to stuff a G in there and see what happens. Our field is not very large though. Speaking of which, the Io is pretty heavy and the drift is pretty minimal, another plus. Definitely worth the money, and fun to build. The decal stinks, and the directions could be beefed up a little. Overall, I am very, very pleased.

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