I have no intention of doing this, but I got to thinking about it one day. If I were to build a full-scale, working replica of a V-1 “buzz bomb” (sans warhead, of course), hooked up a radio control unit to it and flew the thing in the desert (or some other wide open space where I wouldn’t scare too many people) would I be breaking any laws? I mean, the thing is basically a small plane, only the pilot stays on the ground in this case, so would it need to be certified and I licensed to do such a thing? Or could I just go ahead and do it with no worries? (Well, other than the fact that someone might recognize it for what it is and call the law saying that I had a weapon of mass destruction I was hauling around.)
Unless you go somewhere like Lower Mongolia, you will need to get permission, a license and probably be able to prove you know what in the world you are doing. 
And that you’re not a certifiable loony. I mean, come on, Tucker, they evacuated the White House yesterday just because some schmoe accidentally buzzed it in his Cessna, and the Powers That Be had to admit that the F-16s they scrambled actually arrived 10 minutes too late, and that they really can’t protect the White House from a suicide Cessna.
So, whatcha think they’d do to somebody caught practicing flying his buzz bomb around the desert? 
Well, as long as I wasn’t near any military bases and I kept the thing below radar, and I didn’t let anybody see me haul it out there, and…
(Aw, come on, ya gotta admit it’d be fun to fly one of those suckers around [at least until the law showed up and busted me]!)
Well, yeah, I think it’d be a blast, no question, but from a realistic “message board disclaimer” perspective you gotta admit that every PO-lice department in the country is on tenterhooks, hoping to spot the next “terrorism event”.
And a guy flying a bomb around out in the desert looks like a guy flying a bomb around in the desert, and every PO-lice department in the country knows perfectly well that Nice People don’t fly bombs around out in the desert, so as soon as somebody spots you out there on the salt flats doing your Obergruppenfuhrer impression, and phones it in (“hey, there’s a guy out here on the salt flats flying a bomb around!”) you know that the Smokies are gonna be on your tail toot suite.
Not to mention the Gray Men.
Actually, if you really wanted to do it, I’d suggest you find some geeky professorial collegiate type to sponsor you, to make it look serious and official, and do it in the middle of the park on Sunday afternoon, with press releases, media kit, “Live At Five” minicams, everything.
Plus, the V-1 is a ramjet - noiseist form of propulsion known - make that a very BIG desert…
(just get your hands on an old target drone (HEY! they USED to be available!))
I want a Predator!
Model rockets usually need a permit from the local police to launch. If you go above a certain height with anything metal you’ll need a permit from the FAA.
From the following page (http://www.nar.org/NARmodeltypes.html):
It also details what constitutes a high powered rocket, mainly weight, propellent weight, and use of metal. A V-1 replica would fall under all categories.
Whaaat? When did this happen? As a teenager, we used to build/launch model rockets all the time on the school grounds without needing a permit.
Even with the Estes D engines at the time, we achieved some pretty good altitudes.
Air Traffic Control for model rockets - PERFECT!
I wanna see them make sure your rocket doesn’t bring down a 747 (or Cessna, or…)
Cop to kid - “Hey Punk! - Go ahead - Fly that kite! - MAKE my day!”
Yes. The laws of aerodynamics.
V-1’s (which were buzz jets, not ram jets*) were not controllable; they had no control surfaces. The Germans just pointed them in the general direction of England and let them fly; when they ran out of gas, they crashed and exploded. By calculating gas consumption, they were able ran out of gas over London. (BTW, the V-1’s were much more effective weapons than the V-2’s: they both caused more damage** and, because you could hear them coming, created more terror).
In other words, you would not be able to control any authentic V-1 model. It would just fly off where it was aimed.
Also the V-1 had to get up to a very high speed for the jet to begin to work (the Germans used a what amounted to a small rocket-assisted catapult to launch). Even if you added control surfaces, it’d be out of your sight pretty damn fast.
As far as it being a rocket, the V-1 is not. It’s a jet. You could argue that any law banning rockets does not apply (it would, of course, depend on the wording of the law, and if the authorities decided to let you have a lawyer).
*Ramjets have no moving parts; buzz jets (or pulse jets) have a screen that controls the intake of air.
**A V-1 would drop onto the surface, the explosion affecting a wide area. A V-2 would bury itself in the ground, limiting the area destroyed.
Actually, in Lower Mongolia you will probably need a licence too… check this site.
Also, didn’t the V1 use some really nasty chemicals for its fuel? I may be getting it mixed up with one of the other engines (maybe the Me262), but I seem to remember that it’s not something you’d want to whip up in your basement.
I think you are mixing it up with the Komet.
There are small pulse jet engines that that are remarkably similar to the one on the V1. Typically they are only used for control line speed planes but feasable to use on on a V1 model. The RC model in the link below has a modern appearance but a general configuration very much like the V1.
Actually, Reality, the V-1 wasn’t quite the unsteerable brick you describe.
(Source German Secret Weapons of the Second World War by Ian V. Hogg.)
The Germans even built piloted models to test out the design before any were ever launched against England. The fuel was 75 octane, but it did use concentrated hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate to generate steam to launch the thing at 250 MPH, cruising speed was 350 to 420 MPH! (Guess it’d be a good idea to put a camera on the front end of that puppy if I were going to fly it remotely!)
What’s frightening is that the biggest problems the Germans had with the V-1 (guidance and the fuel doors slowly disintergating in flight) could be easily corrected today (thanks to better metals and GPS)!
http://www.nar.org/NARmodeltypes.html
[quote]
Who Regulates Model Rocketry?
Most control of model rocketry is on the state and/or local level. 48 states adhere to a common code of regulation for model rocketry known as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code 1122. This code defines the power, weight, and other limits to which a rocket must comply in order to be classified as a (relatively unregulated) “model rocket.”
…Model rocket kits and motors must satisfy the same basic product safety requirements as those imposed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on toys. For this reason, certain types of model rocket motors – such as “G” and “reloadable” motors – are available only to modelers age 18 or over.
< snip >
Who Regulates High Power Rocketry?
High power rockets fall under a different code of regulations known as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code 1127. This is a relatively new code (1995), and so some states have not yet had time to adopt it. You should check your own state’s laws before attempting to launch high power rockets.
In addition, high power rockets and motors are directly regulated by the federal government:
You must apply for and receive an FAA waiver before launching high power rockets. The purpose of this waiver is to arrange for air traffic to be routed clear of your flight area.
You must apply for and receive a BATF Low Explosives User Permit before taking receipt of any rocket motors exceeding 62.5 grams of propellant, unless both you and the seller reside in the same state. This will involve, among other things, constructing “magazine storage” compliant to federal standards.
Where Is The Line Between Model and High Power Rocketry?
A rocket exceeds the definition of a model rocket under NFPA 1122 and becomes a high power rocket under NFPA 1127 if it:
[ul]
[li]Uses a motor with more than 160 Newton-seconds of total impulse (an"H" motor or larger) or multiple motors that all together exceed 320 Newton-seconds;[/li][li]Uses a motor with more than 80 Newtons average thrust (see rocket motor coding);[/li][li]Weighs more than 1,500 grams including motor(s); or[/li][li]Includes any airframe parts of ductile metal.[/ul][/li][/quote]
So how big were your high school rockets?
Also, I’m guessing that Tucker’s buzz bombs would fall into the second category, of “non-toy” rockets.
“No, really, Officer, I bought it at Wal-Mart…”
{hijack}
:eek: [sup]Yikes![/sup] Did anyone look at the income tax in Lower Mongolia? The highest rate is 45% of all income inside or outside of Lower Mongolia on everything over 222720 tgs (which probably means everything over $23.72) :rolleyes:. Anyone staying in Lower Mongolia for over 183 days is subject to the tax. :({/hijack}
Ah, gotta love Indiana U., my alma mater…whodathunk that one could study three years of Uzbek (they sometimes teach Georgian, Azeri, and Chechen inthe summer, among others) in lovely, ethnically diverse Bloomington, Indiana? You can learn about Mongol epic poetry at the Central Eurasian Studies Department.
The one food-related thing I miss about the place (for the most part, the locals consider pepper an exotic spice) is Norbu Cafe, a Tibetan place rumored to be owned by the Dalai Lama’s brother, who does actually live nearby. The meat momos (steamed bread dumplings) are to die for…
ANyway, there’s lots of neat ethnic stuff on Bloomington’s various Web sites. Check out my institute’s:
www.indiana.edu/~reeiweb
Ah, gotta love Indiana U., my alma mater…whodathunk that one could study three years of Uzbek (they sometimes teach Georgian, Azeri, and Chechen inthe summer, among others) in lovely, ethnically diverse Bloomington, Indiana? You can learn about Mongol epic poetry at the Central Eurasian Studies Department.
The one food-related thing I miss about the place (for the most part, the locals consider pepper an exotic spice) is Norbu Cafe, a Tibetan place rumored to be owned by the Dalai Lama’s brother, who does actually live nearby. The meat momos (steamed bread dumplings) are to die for…
ANyway, there’s lots of neat ethnic stuff on Bloomington’s various Web sites. Check out my institute’s:
www.indiana.edu/~reeiweb
Gar, you guys are trying to make my head explode.
First, the V-1 had a pulse jet engine, not a ram jet and definitely not a rocket. Second, there are pulse jet engines that don’t have to have moving parts. Third, the V-1 did not stop running when it ran out of fuel; when it had covered the predetermined distance, the control surfaces were pitched so that it would dive into the ground. Due to design flaws, that created G-forces that flung the fuel to the top of the tank, cutting off it’s supply. Four, pulse jets can run on almost anything (diesel, gasoline, propane, coal dust, liquified butter, french fry grease…), so there’s no need to use nasty fuel. Five, some V-1s had control surfaces, a german pilot flew one when they were trying to get it to work right. She was absurdly brave. Six, pulse jets, unlike ram jets, will work at a standstill, but do have slightly improved thrust at high speed. A V-1 could have been launched off a normal runway, had the V-1 had wheels. Finally, seven, there are RC planes that have small pulse jets, usually with petal valve systems (like the DynaJet), and most aren’t control line. These models go really really fast (400ish MPH) and can do really neat things. One person flying theirs had it run out of fuel while a few feet above the runway; with it’s momentum, he had enough time to fly ot the end of the runway, pull up, do a 180 degree turn, and make a perfect landing back on the runway.
There’s probably more, but it’s too late to make good paragraphs. More info:
An absurd amount of information about the V-1: http://medlem.spray.se/gjsson/vw/v_main.html
The only good pulse jet forum: http://www.pulse-jets.com/
Sorry if I’ve been a bit blunt or repeated others, it’s late.
Oh, and I should share that recently the third valveless pulsejet powered go-kart was built, which would make a very interesting race. The Lockwood-Hiller valveless pulse jet engine is, per pound of thrust, the loudest engine on earth. Much louder than the Argus engine on the V-1.