Heilaunch Series
​The Helilaunch was an attempt at a helicopter-rocket, a vehicle with blades that utilizes rockets to spin it. The blades then provide lift. The first attempts failed, and a Toad Aeronautics associate suggested extending the blades. This was at first declined at first. Longer blades would add rotational resistance, which would decrease the angular velocity of the craft. Longer blades also increases weight, further decreasing the chance of the craft working as intended. However, with nowhere to go with the project, Toad Aeronautics made the decision to add the blade extensions. Unfortunately, the Helilaunch was underpowered and never took flight, despite all of our efforts. Its fate was decided when on one of the tests, the stand failed and one of the "blades" broke off.
Helilaunch II
The first and final test flight of the Helilaunch II occurred on 22/7/25. The Helilaunch II utilized a larger motor, with almost twice the peak thrust of the motors the original used. It was constructed entirely out of carbon-fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate glycol, and was lighter than the original. Unfortunately, reducing mass came with the cost of reduced strength, and may have contributed to the demise of the Helilaunch II. Immediately after ignition, the Helilaunch II was shredded into many different pieces, and the footage does not help to know if it took flight or not. The next Helilaunch will only be printed after other projects are finished, and will use an even more powerful motor.
