Greg Meyers, Cincinnati, March 10, 2009:
"Here's what I'm going to be testing in the
lab today...
... but my FIRST working jet engine, back in
December of 2005, was the prototype of
one of Larry Cottrill's original valveless
STEEL LADIESTM series. And yes,
the little Lady still runs to this day, like a
dream." No more reading.
Show me the ENGINES!
It started with me sitting at my computer one day looking for a new project to tinker with, and
I came across a concept I had never seen before: the valveless pulsejet. I was thrilled
at the whim of being able to build a safe
working jet engine that I could experiment with and demonstrate to friends; even use in a science
fair project for school. I quickly decided I was going to try and build one -- but soon realized that the
cost of materials was out of reach (for me as a high school student) and the specialized tools
required were above what I had lying around in my garage.
Then I got to know Larry Cottrill on the www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3/
forums. He had just come up with a new design he needed someone to test, and immediately
offered me the chance to do it! The decision was a no-brainer: in a few weeks, I had a
real, working pulsejet engine arriving at my door. I had the engine up and
running in no time and it was a blast! More importantly for me, it ultimately led to a deeper interest
and understanding of jet engines and the beginning of a career in jet propulsion.
After learning all the basics from my beloved "Steel Lady", I then went on
to find the resources to build my own first pulsejet design, with extreme success! My love for
aeronautics had now become focused on propulsion and as an entering freshman in Mechanical
Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, it couldn’t have been a better time. Jumping ahead
past all of the boring studying and tests, I now find myself standing beside the world’s largest
jet engine, working at General Electric Aviation in the Advanced Aero Combustion Laboratory,
designing and testing engine concepts for the future. I have to sincerely thank Larry for his
efforts in providing an affordable and effective means of getting into a rather difficult hobby
-- which turned out to be a whole lot more for me."
Although my prototype "Steel Lady" was in simplified kit form, Larry eventually decided
not to market kits. But now, for the first time, he's offering the most
affordable, easy-to-use, ready-to-run pulsejets ever put on the hobby market -- the
STEEL LADIES series of miniature valveless pulsejets.
This is your chance to get into the most exciting technical hobby EVER, at a price anyone should
be able to afford. And, Larry personally hand-builds, tests and certifies every single engine
shipped!
For a first timer, it can be frustrating trying to learn while fiddling with a non-working or
incorrectly built engine, but by having a well-designed, working engine, I was able to
get started right away and learn a great deal very quickly. By following the
VERY complete and well-written Owner's Manual supplied, you'll soon have your own real
jet engine running easily and safely. All you need to supply is a well-anchored wood plank
mounting board, an ignition source, and a simple propane fueling system (you might already
have most of this part, if you own a good-sized gas-fired outdoor grille). The Manual
clearly explains everything, with clear instructions and color closeup photos of every step.
As with any jet engine, You WILL need good hearing protection
and you should always have a working fire extinguisher within easy reach -- a COMPLETE
list of safety tips is included in your manual, naturally.
Gregory Meyers
BS Mechanical Engineer
Georgia Institute of Technology
Larry Cottrill testing the original 'Short Lady' FWE, summer 2004
I'm Larry Cottrill - you've run across my name if you've ever searched the Web on keywords like
'homebuilt pulsejet engine' or 'valveless pulsejet'. Since the summer of 2004, I've been showing hobbyists
around the world how to homebuild real air-breathing, fuel-burning jet engines that start up easily
and really run from truly low-cost materials.
Over the years I've come to realize that there are many out there who'd like to try the pulsejet engine
hobby, but who don't have the time, tools or skills (or just the inclination) to build their own from
scratch. So for these folks, I'm now offering hand-built, ready-to-run, fully tested models of my most
asked-for pulsejet designs. This is the perfect way to get started if want to own
and run your own valveless pulsejet, but you just don't want the time and effort of building it yourself.
Now is the time to get the REAL jet engine you've always wanted,
at a price you can afford!
Your jetZILLA STEEL LADIESTM engine
gives you an easy-starting, good running valveless pulsejet engine good for many hours of
educational and experimental fun. Excellent rugged design, with complete instructions to make testing
easy and enjoyable, letting you get "fire in the pipe" in just a few minutes of setup time.
STEEL LADIESTM engines pack the
following time- and frustration-saving features:
Non-exotic materials for low cost to purchase and ease of modification
No moving parts of any kind
No replaceable parts except spark plug and fuel injector tube
All FWE models: Aircraft grade Chrome-Moly steel combustion
chamber for long life expectancy under experimental conditions
Lady Anne Boleyn model: Aircraft grade Chrome-Moly steel used
throughout the entire engine shell
Fully welded steel "Bukowsky" style main engine mount and flexible lightweight tail mount
Porcelain-insulated wide-gap high voltage spark plug
Lightweight pre-cut and drilled sheet aluminum heat shield
Pre-aligned starting air tube with replaceable, adjustable-depth propane injector tube
Easy changeover to any homebuilt fuel injector tube you want to try
Q: How can you offer real jet engines for these prices?
A: We operate on a low overhead basis. We have:
No employees except the guy that does the work (me)
No factory to pay rent on, insure and maintain
No warehouse space to pay for
No fancy machine tools (we don't need them)
No corporate jet (our engines are too small to power them)
No overpaid Board of Directors to get in the way of getting done what needs doing
No venture capitalists to try to please while they take half the profits
No government bail-out money to pay back
Q: How do I know the pulsejet engine I get will start and run?
A: It WILL run for you! Here's why I can say that:
DESIGN: My pulsejet engine designs have been successfully built and run by
hobbyists around the world since the summer of 2004.
QUALITY: Every engine is hand-built from high quality materials and the aircraft industry level
workmanship we're famous for.
TESTING: Every engine I build and ship will be test run by me for at least five minutes of
unassisted sustained running, and I then personally certify that each engine has been
started and run successfully.
CONFIDENCE: For up to 90 days after you receive your engine,
I guarantee that I will give a FULL REFUND for any engine
you can't start and run by carefully following the detailed instructions provided.
Q: Are you saying these are just as good as stainless steel pulsejets?
A: That depends on what you're trying to do. If you need an engine that will
hold up over hundreds of hours of constant running, stainless is your only hope -- carbon steel of
any kind will erode, and eventually fail. But most hobbyists just aren't going to use an engine that
way; all they need is a good design that will start up and run, over and over again, for a few
minutes at a time. Even used in a model vehicle, most builders will want maximum run times of five
minutes or less, and will only have a given model out a few times per year. Under conditions like
that, you can have years of fun without the extra expense of stainless. For those users who simply
must experiment with engine modifications, stainless makes the engine structure MUCH harder to
work with, and greatly increases the mean time between test cycles.
Q: Why are your engines priced at "so many dollars FLAT"?
A: We're betting that we don't have customers dumb enough to think that they're
getting a better deal from someone else at $199.95 than they get from us for $200 ... especially
when our prices cover all associated packaging and shipping costs! We don't add in any "hidden"
costs -- the only exception is that if you live in Iowa, USA, we have to add on the Iowa
Sales Tax, since by law that cannot be included in the advertised price. What
you see is what you pay!
Q: Doesn't that mean some buyers get a break on the shipping cost,
while others pay more than they need to?"
A: Most mail order firms tack on a standard "Shipping and Handling" charge
that applies no matter where you're ordering from -- so what's the difference? Because I'll always
use the best quality shipping I can find for your area (or use the method you recommend), you'll
get your engine as soon as possible after I finish building and testing it. Since I'll use the best
packaging methods I can devise, you'll receive your engine in good condition, ready to run.
Remember, we don't sell shipping and handling -- we sell FUN! Pay us $100
and you get $100 worth of jet-engine-roaring FUN -- WE GUARANTEE IT!
Real, working pulsejet engines you can order today ...
Choose the valveless pulsejet model you've been waiting for:
Elektra II (Rev01 - improved)
"You know, if we believed that
POWER = HEAT + NOISE, this would be a heck of an engine." - Larry Cottrill, 2004
AUDIO CLIP: Audio of the first prototype Elektra engine,
started using an ordinary electric leaf blower: - Performance: at least 0.5 lb (0.25 kg) static thrust, propane vapor fueled - Features: Easy starting, good running, low fuel consumption, very low cost
- Low power - IDEAL beginner's pulsejet
- Design disclosure: 2004 - Online Order Price: US $60.00 FLAT,
via PayPal - Delivery: Allow 4-5 weeks after placing your
order
- Hearing protection ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRED
FWE 'Short Lady' (Rev01 - improved)
"I can't get over how short this
engine is." - Mike Everman, www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3, 2004
- Performance: at least 1.0 lb (0.5 kg) static thrust, propane vapor fueled - Features: Easy starting, good running, throttleable, low cost
- Design disclosure: 2004 - Online Order Price: US $100.00 FLAT,
via PayPal - Delivery: Allow 5-6 weeks after placing your
order
- Hearing protection ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRED
FWE III 'Sveldt Lady' (Rev01 - improved)
"... it's very reliable, starts instantly all the time ..."
- Greg Meyers, www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3, 2005 while testing the prototype
- Performance: at least 1.5 lb (0.75 kg) static thrust, propane vapor fueled - Features: Easy starting, good running, throttleable, low cost, slim profile
- Design disclosure: May 2005 - Online Order Price: US $150.00 FLAT,
via PayPal - Delivery: Allow 5-6 weeks after placing your
order
- Hearing protection ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRED
FWE IV 'Smooth Lady' (Rev01 - improved)
"... the smallest cross-section footprint
and lowest external drag of any valveless pulsejet I've designed so far." - Larry Cottrill, 2006
- Performance: at least 1.5 lb (0.75 kg) static thrust, propane vapor fueled - Features: Easy starting, good running, throttleable, low cost, slim profile
- Design disclosure: August 2005 - Online Order Price: US $150.00 FLAT,
via PayPal - Delivery: Allow 5-6 weeks after placing your
order
- Hearing protection ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRED
FWE 'Lady Anne Boleyn' (Rev07 - improved)
"Amaze your friends? Sure. You'll
amaze your neighbors, too ... even if they live half a mile away. If you
run at two A.M., you'll be amazed yourself at the excitement you'll create."
- Larry Cottrill, 2009
Prototype initial testing YouTube video (Jul 2007) Demo run for prototype builders YouTube Video (Aug 2007) - Performance: at least 3.5 lb (1.7 kg) static thrust, propane vapor fueled - Features: Easy starting, good running, widely throttleable,
high performance, light
weight and 100% chrome-moly engine shell - Prototype design disclosure: August 2006 - Online Order Price: US $250.00 FLAT,
via PayPal - Delivery: Allow 6-8 weeks after placing your
order
- Hearing protection ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRED
Remember, friends ...
DON'T LET YOUR PIPES COOL DOWN!
"I am not here to impress people.
I am here to build engines.
Let the engines impress people."
Larry Cottrill
Director of Product Development
Cottrill Cyclodyne Corporation
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis,
a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are
not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God
is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever ..."
Thomas Jefferson, Notes On the
State of Virginia
Valveless Pulsejets -
Most Exciting Techno-Hobby of the 21st Century
Page updated: 19 May 2009
Copyright 2009 Cottrill Cyclodyne Corporation
Mingo, Iowa USA
- All rights reserved -