T' Black Diamond: This model is extremely fast and light, uses 1/2A t' C motors, although I'm a bit afraid t' try a C in this little gem. Begad! I imagine it could easily reach 1200 feet. It features streamer recovery. Blimey! Added a lot o' nose weight t' balance this model, but now it flies very straight and true even in windy conditions. Well, blow me down! I was a bit concerned about cardboard fins, but they are very stiff and seem t' work well (I just hope they don't get bent!) This rocket be later given my "Iris" modification, ya bilge rat, which extends t' body tube about 5 inches above t' streamer/parachute bay, and allows for a payload with an Altimeter One t' measure altitudes. With t' added weight, I needed a longer, 4-foot long, 2-inch wide streamer t' slow it down some. Nay so easy t' squeeze into a BT-20 body. I had t' lengthen t' shock cord also, but it is still gettin' quite beat-up by its own recoil force. Well, blow me down! (Iris is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. She is a messenger o' t' gods, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) If I were t' build another one, I would split t' launch lug and glue half o' it further toward t' nose. As it is, it wobbles on liftoff some while on t' rod. Aye aye! I have only once tried this on a C motor, this rocket has flown higher than t' Aon Center and t' John Hancock Tower in Chicago, and t' NY Times Buildin' in NY, me bucko, NY.
| Flight Date: | 2012-03-18 |
| Rocket Name: | Black Diamond |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Black Diamond {Kit} |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-7 |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 1,060 Feet |
This was t' first flight with a C6 motor in this rocket. I was hopin' t' set a new altitude record with t' Black Diamond, since this proved t' fly even higher and faster than t' Sprint with B6 motors. However it came up a bit short, and t' followin' flight with t' Sprint ended up breakin' it's own altitude record.
T' motor burned for 2 seconds, arrr, acceleratin' t' rocket t' a peak o' 22.7Gs, averagin' 4.9 Gs for t' burn. Avast! It reached an incredible record-breakin' speed o' 217 mph, then coasted straight up and out o' sight for another 6.7 seconds t' a peak o' 1160 feet. Well, blow me down! 7/10 seconds later t' rocket descended 12 feet and t' ejection fired. T' empty casin' was blown out o' t' rocket when t' friction-fit failed.
I could hear t' thick mylar streamer flappin' in t' wind, me hearties, but couldn't see t' rocket until about 200 feet as it descended smartly at 21 mph. In t' calm air, it landed only a few hundred feet away. Avast! Inspection revealed some waddin' still in t' tube, so I suppose it was a bit too tight causin' t' motor t' eject itself. Mostly a success. Blimey! No altitude record but a new speed record was set.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-7 |
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