Aerotech - Arreaux {Kit} (89013) [1989-]

Aerotech Arreaux

Aerotech - Arreaux {Kit} (89013) [1989-]

Contributed by Solomon Westerman

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	1.90 inches
Length:	43.00 inches
Manufacturer:	Aerotech
Style:	Sport

Brief:
High-Performance, Payload Rocket.

Rocket Pic

Construction:
Your standard 3FNC (3 Fins and a Nose Cone) rocket on the outside, but has a complex interior.

As with my other Aerotech kit, one page was missing (payload construction) and substituted for another page already printed. But the rocket construction was pretty simple, so you could figure it out. The only thing different is the FinLock rings, which glue onto the Motor Mount and "lock" in the fins. It makes for a very strong fin can, with no need for fillets.

Pros:

Tank-like construction
Can be built all with CA (although I would build it with epoxy if I had another chance)

Cons:

I really hate the baffle system, it can clog up after just a few flights
Poor Shock cord mount, it could easily burn through.
I also hate the motor clip (tip broke off after first flight!)

Finishing:
No real trick on finishing, jus take your time and it will look great.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Launch Pic Flight:
I bought the Arreaux because of the amount of motors that can be used with it (almost any 29 or 24mm motor will work). No special preparation, you don't even need wadding with the baffle system. Feeling proud of my word (and because we were at LDRS XXII), I decided to launch it on a G38-4FJ. Thoes motors are great! They have the smoke of the Blackjack propellant, but without the super low thrust. I also put an altimeter (Adept, as I recall). Now, on the box it says "Flights to over 3000 feet", so I was expecting to get 2500, because of the fact that the G38 was not a full G. It was pretty windy, but I decided to launch anyway. My Arreaux shot off the pad like an arrow, and I heard the nice "poof" sound of motor ejection.

Recovery:
I saw the 9" chute (like I said, it was windy) tumble to the ground about 200' away. Upon inspection, the motor clip was broken, so I will cut it off and use tape. The altimeter was beeping just under 1600'.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Pros:

It will fly on any motor
Flies straight and true every time

Cons:

Aerotech really needs to beef up the Motor clip, Shock cord attachment, and maybe fine-tune the baffle system.

Overall, a good rocket for people just getting into Mid-Power Rocketry (although, without the baffle system, I could put a I200 in there...hmmm....)

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Reviews

Aerotech Arreaux By Greg Deeter
Brief: This is a single stage, 29mm, easy to build, yet very durable rocket kit from AeroTech. My first AeroTech kit was the Cheetah and I was so pleased with it that I ordered and built this Arreaux, the G-Force, Mustang, Sumo, and Wart-Hog all at the same time. I built this rocket two years ago, installed the recovery system about a month ago, painted it on a Friday night, and flew it the ...
Aerotech Arreaux By Steve Bloom
4 points The kit comes well packaged and all the parts were there this time. On other Aerotech kits I've built I've had missing parts.The instructions are well written and easy to follow with good drawings.A few changes are recommended however. The shock cord attachment right at the top of the engine mount is seen as a problem by me.Even with the cooling mesh installed the ...
Aerotech Arreaux By Jarret Winkelman
Single stage with cargo bay and parachute recovery. The kit comes with 2 body tubes. One being the payload section and one being the fin section. It also has 3 plastic (very strong!) fins included. The centering rings are almost unbreakable and the nose cone is very solid. The instructions were very good although the kit is pretty straight-forward. There are a few illustrations and I don't ...

Flights

Comments:

Y.L. (January 1, 2001)

The Arreaux was my first mid-power kit. I've had my Arreaux now for three years and I've flown it on E15s, E30s, E16s (RMS), F14s and F22s (RMS) and I even used it to burn my old stock of FSI motors (E60s and F100s) for a total of about 40+ flights and it's still alive and kicking. It's lightweight enough to fly well on the whimmpy blackjack motors and delivers nice performance on everything else. I would recommend this kit to anyone.

unknown (August 1, 2001)

One thing I'd say about Aerotech kits is that they go together incredibly easy. Conservatively, I'd say they can be assembled in less than half the time of a PML or similar kit. My Arreaux flies straight even on an E, and can be flown on a small field. Recovery is close to the pad because there's not a lot of drift. I'd highly recommend this kit to anyone as a first mid-power kit.

J.B. (September 1, 2001)

This is a great rocket! Looks good, builds good, flies good. My first "BAR rocket" and it is highly recommended. The only difference I made in building mine is that I used all epoxy. Made it a bit heavier than stock and, thus, I fly on larger motors with shorter delays, but it is truly tank-like.

S.G. (September 5, 2005)

The rocket build great. After it was built I decided to retrofit it for a H165-R engine. To do this I had cut off the motor clip, but, left a good amount of it still there to hold the H165 reloadable. What a major work to remove the CA bond on the thrust ring. I had to use a dremel wand and cut and sand. I also used a cutter to eliminate motor hook tab on the inside. Once it was cleaned out I then epoxied the aft centering ring and also the bulkhead in the payload bay tube. I then epoxied parachute line for my shock cord to the payload bay tube eye screw and then to the main airframe side. This rocket took off. There was no altimeter but it must of gone close to mach speeds he way it leaped off the launch pad. Well we had many eyes looking for it and no one saw it any longer, it was lost. But a month later the farmers found it and it was mailed back to me. All was in tact except for there was some trample damage, which I'll repair and it will fly again. Great experience and the H165-R showed a beautiful red line.

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