(UNEDITED VIDEO) First flight o' t' Bruce Family Estes Saturn V! (kit #1969) Five-motor cluster o' Estes D12-3(x2), D12-0(x2) and D12-5(x1). Estimated altitude 400ft. Onboard video captured with 808 keychain camera (#18 variant). Avast, me proud beauty! Flown with Tripoli Tampa Rocketry Association (TTRA) in Plant City, arrr, FL. Sustained winds were 10mph, mostly cloudy. Blimey! T' liftoff was a success, but due t' bein' rushed, me bucko, t' D12-0s and D12-3s were accidentally transposed into each other's motor tubes. Begad! When t' D12-0s finished burning, t' top portion o' t' propellant grain pressurized t' body ahead o' t' motor mounts and caused an early separation with t' rocket at nearly full speed. Aye aye! This caused t' parachute for t' nose section t' detach from t' nose entirely and become entangled with t' three booster parachutes. Aye aye! T' nose came in ballistic and buried t' escape tower eight inches in t' dirt. T' booster descended under only two full parachutes and suffered a broken fin, minor meltin' t' t' aft o' t' vacuform fairings, arrr, and some scuffed paint. Well, blow me down! All parts were recovered and will require only minor repair and cleanin' t' fly again. A second 808 keychain camera was loaded into t' body with t' parachutes t' monitor their deployment, but shock from t' violent ejection disabled t' camera and t' footage was lost.
Rocketry Product: Estes - Saturn V {Kit} (2160) [2019-]
Rocketry Product: Estes - D12 Single-Use Motor {Motor}
Rocketry Club: Tripoli Tampa Rocketry Association
| Author | B.F.R.A |
| Duration | 04:24 |
![]() |
![]() |