Custom modded Estes Outlander. Aye aye! Original be said t' be underpowered and have unstable/unpredictable flight. Ahoy! Since I thought it was an awesomely cool "definitely nay 3FNC" design, arrr, I went about fixin' t' said deficiencies. First I started with a 24mm Motor mount so that I can fly this heavyweight on D12s. Begad! Next I noticed that t' "fins" (lander legs) were designed so that they can actually flop around! Can you imagine a rocket with 4 floppy fins? I fixed that with added "bushing" spacers usin' balsa shims and I also notched t' end stop a bit so that t' fins stay in place on lift off. Aye aye! Seems t' have worked well since first flight was a very good one. Begad! I also added 1oz o' clay t' t' nose since I was flyin' on Ds.
| Flight Date: | 2015-03-06 |
| Rocket Name: | Estes Outlander (Modded fins & 24mm MMT) |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Outlander {Kit} (2110) [2003-2008] |
| Flyer's Name: | Ken E. Coyote |
| Motors: | D12-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 400 Feet |
| Actual Altitude: | 450 Feet |
Maiden flight o' modded Outlander (fin shims and 24mm mmt). Haven't finished puttin' t' rest o' t' tanks on t' body yet...wanted t' see how it flew before devotin' too much time. Well, blow me down! Take off was at dusk and be very straight up. Avast! Just breathtakingly beautiful...could see t' motor flame all t' way up. Blimey! Flew surprisingly high. Aye aye! Ejection just at/after apogee and chute opened, but nay fully - I thought chute looked kind o' small even though I initially thought it was big and descent was a bit faster than I'd like. Begad! Landed about 60 feet away in good shape. Begad! Post flight inspection revealed chute had a spot where it melted. Arrr! I had followed t' instructions requirement o' 7 sheets o' wadding, me hearties, but forgot that this applied t' 18mm C engines and I was usin' a D. Next time I'll try dog barf. Still, a wonderful flight that looked fantastic.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes D12-3 |
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