| Model |
Flt
# |
Recovery Type |
Motor |
Comments |
|
Alpha
|
1
|
12" plastic parasheet w/ spill and vents |
Estes A8-5 |
Boost, coast and deployment were perfect, exactly what I'd expect from
a design over 30 years old. As expected, the -5 delay is much more
suitable for this low-drag model than the -3, but with this motor no longer
manufactured, I've only got about two years to burn the rest of the 50
or so I have in inventory. Unfortunately, the model landed on the
road at the downwind edge of the launching site, and sustained some chips
in the paint. |
|
Alpha
|
2
|
12" plastic parasheet w/ spill and vents |
Estes 1/2A6-2 |
Even with this wimpy motor, the Alpha gets high enough to be very satisfying,
and all was well with the flight. |
|
Spyglass 1
|
1
|
Rocket Glider |
Estes 1/2A3-2T |
Spyglass 1 is a true rocket glider, in which everything that boosts
remains attached as the glider returns to earth. This kind of model
is more challenging to build and trim than a boost glider, where one can
put nose weight in the pod to reduce arcing during boost; typically, a
rocket glider must change configuration in some fashion after the coast
phase of flight, in order to change from rocket stability (like an arrow)
to glider stability. In the case of Spyglass 1, the configuration
change is entirely powered by the ejection charge of the motor -- see the
description of the model for more information. This first flight
had a roll on boost that minimized arcing, and transitioned well into the
glide, but had much too tight a turn in glide and didn't give much glide
time. |
|
Spyglass 1
|
2
|
Rocket Glider |
Estes 1/2A3-2T |
After minor adjustments, the second flight had less roll in boost,
less turn in glide, and a slight tendency to stall, including the Dutch
Roll often seen in a swept wing design when flying close to stall.
Time was 24 seconds. |
|
Spyglass 1
|
3
|
Rocket Glider |
Estes 1/2A3-2T |
This flight, the deployment into glide configuration failed, and the
rocket arced into the ground as a lawn dart. Due to light weight
and robust construction, there was no damage beyond a small amount of crimping
in the airframe at the point of the ejection vents. Examination showed
that the deployment mechanism was fouled with ejection residue; I removed
the nose cone, worked the mechanism several times, and then applied baby
powder as a lubricant to all sliding contact points. After doing
this, the mechanism slid much more readily. |
|
Spyglass 1
|
4
|
Rocket Glider |
Estes 1/2A3-2T |
This flight narrowly missed the line of poplars at the west end of
the flying field; because I was using my car battery for ignition, I had
to launch close to these trees due to the limited wire run available with
my controller setup. After transition to glide, there was considerable
stalling, and the rocket landed on the road at the bottom of one of the
stall dips, fortunately without any visible damage. I decided it
was time to make a more permanent adjustable surface set for the glider
before further testing, and put it away until I could spent some shop time
on it. |
|
Bertha 24
|
33
|
12" plastic parasheet w/ spill and vents |
Estes B6-4 |
This was the usual perfect flight on my Energizer Bunny of a rocket. |
|
Bertha 24
|
34
|
12" plastic parasheet w/ spill and vents |
Estes C6-5 |
One more nominal flight, though there was more walking in this case
due to a reduction in wind speed without corresponding change in rod angle.
By this time, it was getting late, and I was getting a little sunburned,
so it was time to pack up and head for home. |