If you have been following the dialogue for the past few days in the TRA forums, about the commercial "P" motor, and all of the extensive salivation that has been occuring, it happend upon me that it might be good that Smashburn's computer is down, or he would be salivating also. Can you imagine one of his fantasy rocketships with a "P" in it. Totally outrageous. We would have to host LDRS at the spaceport in Los Cruces to be able to launch it! Or I guess you might get a class 3 approval for Balls. Yet if you clustered, you would have to get approval from the TRA BoD as your step 1. And to learn about the launch service company in Denver that flies out of the spaceport in New Mexico is rather cool also! 8)
A commercial P from CTI... I wonder if it is based on the Tomahawk booster that they sell the US Navy to kick the cruise missiles out of the launch cells. At one point Dr. J got me the spec sheet on it and it was impressive - integral head-end ignition for starters and a real ass-kick off the pad.
However, if you consider that a CTI N1100 costs $900 and the CTI commercial S and T motors that Up Aerospace uses start around $50K, you gotta know this is going to be a VERY expensive motor.
Depending on what you're flying and projected altitude, it should be possible to fly a Class III motor at the North Site.
All of that is so cool, but the dollar amounts change my priorities. I can get an airplane that my wife and I can fly in for that price, and it keeps giving (albeit, there are continuing expenses for the continuing fun) for that price I can also get a twin turbo Cobra Mustang. It has an adrenaline rush to it also. Granted, maybe not as fast or as high, but it keeps going with another tank of gas for about $50. I may have to consider changing hobbies. 😯
We've definitely had TAPS leave because other hobbies were less expensive. Think Al McBride and his sudden interest in Formula 1 race cars... (far from cheap).