Public Missiles Sudden Rush

Public Missiles - Sudden Rush

Contributed by Jay Ward

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Public Missiles

 

Brief:
Electronics only recovery using the new Close Proximity Recovery System. Apogee drogue with main parachute at user selected altitude. PML Quantum tubing with G10 glass fins make this three fin boatailed beauty darned near indestructible.

PML Sudden RushConstruction:
This is a fairly sophisticated kit consisting of over 50 parts. Three sections of Quantum tubing, one slotted for fins, one main chute and one drogue chute compartment. The altimeter bay adds greatly to the parts count.The excellent instructions make the assembly very easy, but you would be well advised to test fit all components together in order to understand the assembly order. The only parts needing sanding were the pistons. This airframe uses two, one for drogue and one for the main chute. Pistons bother some people; they require attention to detail and occasional cleaning. The Quantum airframe makes piston maintenance very simple. A quick pass with a baby wipe and it's good to go.

Excellent instructions. Everything fits the first time. Order of assembly makes sense. I put her together with Raka epoxy. I used the fast catalyst. It's made by a boat hull manufacturer so their fast epoxy, when spread thin, takes about an hour to set up. Make sure you lightly scuff the Quantum and the G10 fins in order to provide some tooth for the epoxy to bond to.

This rocket comes with the 29mm/38mm/54mm Kwik-Switch motor mount system. The boat tail leaves little provision for motor retention. PML recommends an AeroPac retainer. A little creativity will help you come up with a couple of lower cost alternatives.

One limitation of the Kwik-Switch mount is it limits the length of motors that can be used. The practical limit is about 12" or a J350 in a 38 MM case.

When built according to directions, you must use electronic deployment. A couple of well-placed holes drilled in the bulkhead of the fin can will convert this rocket to motor ejection.

Finishing:
Quantum tubing means NO SPIRALS to fill! It also means a light sanding in order to get the paint to stick. PML provides a couple of advertising decals.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

PML Sudden Rush Flight:
First flight was on an H-123. Using altimeter deployment, drogue at apogee followed by main at 800'. Conditions were very windy. Rocket left the pad nearly vertical but encountered a gust at about 30' veering off at about an 85-degree angle. Nosed over at apogee and fell ballistically for what seemed like forever but in reality, was probably only one or two seconds. The drogue fired followed almost immediately by the main. Rocket recovered in perfect condition.

The 29mm motor was retained by Kaplow clips. Instead of the plywood centering ring (which is a 29 to 54mm adapter that slips inside the 54mm mother tube) I used a piece of 1/4" aluminum with tapped screw holes in place of T-nuts. Reported altitude was 950 ft.

PML Sudden RushThe second flight was on a 38mm H-242. The 38mm Kwik-Switch tube uses a 38mm to 54mm centering ring which is too narrow to provide room for threading or T-nuts. I cut two narrow slots into the ring (which is epoxied to the 38mm motor mount tube). I formed two Kaplow style hooks with an "L" shaped hook on the end that would normally screw into the T-nuts. This hook passes through the slot in the centering ring and locks behind it. When the Kwik-Switch motor mount is screwed into the mother tube the clips are captured behind the bulkhead.

Beautiful straight lift with the same weather cock at about 100'. This time I set the altimeter (PML Co-Pilot) to 400' deployment. The rocket did the same thing, pitching over at apogee and falling like a lawn dart for about 2 seconds before deploying the drogue, followed by the main several seconds later at about 400' estimated. Altimeter beeped out 1045'. Close enough to win me the predicted altitude contest!

I contacted PML about the slight delay at apogee. They seemed sure that it was caused by the weather cocking and the fact that the rocket was moving in less than a vertical attitude. Subsequent ground testing of the Co-Pilot altimeter confirmed normal function.

Recovery:
Recovery (other than heart stopping delay at apogee) was perfect. Dual pistons functioned exactly as planned. No wadding required. Tubular nylon shock cord (white) didn't even look dirty.

Dual deployment charges require accurate measuring of black powder charges to ensure reliability. Fresh battery (9 volt) and good electric matches are a MUST.

PML Sudden Rush Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Pros: Excellent design, perfect materials, excellent documentation.

Cons: You have to log onto their web site to get the recommended motor listing. Can't handle longer high power motors without modification.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Public Missiles Sudden Rush By Barry Lynch

    Public Missiles - Sudden Rush review is provided courtesy of: PML’s Sudden Rush with CPR 2000 Assembly, CPR 2000 Information, Kwik-Switch 2000 Information   PML's Close Proximity Recovery (CPR) 2000 parts with altimeter My first attempt at dual deployment came in the form of Public Missiles' Sudden Rush kit featuring the new Quantum Tube airframe. I had ...

Flights

Comments:

avatar
B.O'B. (January 1, 2001)
I purchased and built the Sudden Rush w/CPR3000 twice now. This is a wonderful kit and a great value. I recommend taking your time to give it the kind of clean, attractive finish this rocket deserves. The Quantum Tube makes this easy (I also HIGHLY recommend some kind of "arm before flight" flag so that maybe you won't end up purchasing a second kit as I have). The Sudden Rush is a delightfully technical, well thought out kit that is a joy to build, fly and recover. The instructions are lengthy and complete. You will have to do a little thinking about motor retention. On my first bird I used blind nuts on the aft centering ring of the 38mm adapter. This method worked fine as I didn't plan on ever using 54 motors. On the second build I used two Aeropack retainers with a slight tail cone modification. The 'Rush flies beautifully under I-211 power. I find the sight of this well finished rocket dual-deploying on a nice sunny day simply breath-taking. 5 out of 5 in all categories.
avatar
M.L. (February 1, 2001)
I built the PML Sudden Rush with CPR 3000 over Christmas. I installed a Transolve P6 using the existing PML hardware. This is an outstanding kit and flies great. I would however, recommend replacing the PML slide switch with something more substantial and/or less exposed. No switch trouble yet, but I know it will end up landing on the switch sooner or later.
avatar
K.D. (July 2, 2002)
I liked the looks of this kit from the first time I saw it. When I decided it was time to get my first HPR-only rocket, this is the one I went for. It was pretty straight-forward to construct, and also taught me a bit about building for dual deployment. I used it for my CAR level 2 and 3 flights at Roc Lake V, and it performed flawlessly. My only complaint is the Swik-Switch motor tubes are a bit on the short side. The casing for the Pro38 J300 was too long for me to use the slimline retainer I'd installed (by a mere 1/4"), forcing me to friction-fit the motor in place.
avatar
J.C. (June 19, 2004)
I didn't find this review to be accurate in regards to the ease of use of the CPR 3000 system. The aft ejection charge holder o-ring is a pain to install into the altimeter tube even with copious amounts of baby powder as recommended by PML. Also the holders don't do a good job of supporting the altimeter circuit board when you try to slide the altimeter into the tube. I would not recommend purchasing the rocket for the CPR 3000 system because your own altimeter bay would be a sturdier and easier way to go. As for the rocket itself, the review is very accurate. The Sudden Rush is a high flying, straight-as-an-arrow rocket that blows you away on an I motor. I can't wait to try her on J's and K's!

comment Post a Comment