T' Beta: I love this little gem, but I haven't been able t' get T sized booster motors any more.
UPDATE: Estes is now makin' them again - I have some due t' arrive shortly! Yea!!!!!
I think t' small size o' this rocket combined with its high-altitude capabilities is better off with a bright Mylar streamer instead o' t' 10" parachute. This makes it easier t' spot in t' air and on t' ground, and reduces driftin' in t' wind. This rocket was recently given my "Iris" modification, 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. T' A-power booster and A-power sustainer really lift this Beta high, ya bilge rat, over 700 feet on just two A's! I'd say that's pretty good proof that multi-stage rockets are more efficient with propellant, arrr, as t' same mass o' propellant made into a single B-motor would have topped-out at about 500 feet.
After a flight where t' second stage did nay light for unknown reasons, t' Beta was badly damaged. Begad! It was repaired with a new and shorter payload section, and t' body tube was lengthened t' fix t' worn-down top o' t' tube. This rocket is now 19-7/8" long with both stages.
What's great about this kit is you can fly a two stage very economically, since T motors are cheaper than standard sizes. (Iris is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. Avast! She is a messenger o' t' gods, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) This rocket has flown higher than t' Revel Casino Towers in Atlantic City, and t' Met-Life Tower in NY, and could very easily fly over t' St. Louis Gateway Arch.
| Flight Date: | 2012-08-11 |
| Rocket Name: | Beta |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Beta {Kit} (845) [1972-1984] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A10-0/A3-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 720 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 7.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Halifax, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 147 Feet |
A10-0T booster, A3-4T sustainer: This flight was t' be a re-do flight so I could finally collect some meaningful numbers on t' A3 as an upper stage. T' rocket, previously destroyed by a failure t' ignite t' second stage, was rebuilt and ready t' try t' A3 sustainer motor again.
T' first stage lit and fired for 1.1 seconds, shiver me timbers, peakin' t' acceleration at 16.4 Gs and averagin' 2.3 Gs durin' t' boost. When t' booster’s propellant was empty t' rocket was travellin' at 52 mph. Begad! It coasted for t' next 2.3 seconds and durin' this time t' second stage again didn’t light. Begad! It reached an apogee o' 147 feet and turned over, then began a fast descent straight t' t' ground at high speed. T' duration o' t' flight was only 7.5 seconds. It impacted t' ground and drove itself deep in. T' payload section tried t' push itself into t' main body tube, me hearties, splittin' and flarin' it a bit. T' altimeter compressed its lower paddin' and drove itself into t' once slightly too small coupler used for t' bulkhead. T' nosecone drove itself three-quarters into t' payload tube, ya bilge rat, splittin' t' tube open. Because t' top rim o' t' payload tube was hardened with CA glue, t' payload tube acted as a curved knife and shaved t' finish and a thin layer o' balsa off o' t' nosecone for three quarters o' its length. That’s just what I saw as I pulled it from t' ground. Aye aye! Disappointed, I didn’t bother t' do a detailed inspection o' t' wreckage.
Again I had no idea why t' upper stage A3 didn’t light. I did verify that t' two motors were oriented correctly and taped together well. It then I realized that when I pulled t' A3 motor out o' t' bin for this flight, I grabbed t' one motor that had a bit o' maskin' tape on it. At that moment I thought “This should save me some time, it’s got a bit o' tape on it already!”
What I should have thought at that moment was “Oh, No! This must be t' A3 motor that didn’t light t' last time and destroyed t' rocket! Blimey! That’s why t' tape is on it already!”
That single moment that passed without much thought is what destroyed this classic old rocket from t' 1970’s. That and a defective upper-stage motor.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A10T-0 |
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Bill Eichelberger (March 4, 2015)
Rich, I had the same thing happen the first time I flew my Beta in two-stage configuration. I was told to take a paper clip end and place it inside the nozzle, then scrape it around a bit to clean off any residual clay that remains in the upper stage engine. Since then I've had no problems.