T' Big Bertha: Is a very old model built in t' 1970s by me brother. Very popular model, you probably have this or one o' its many derivatives yourself. This rocket be t' classic '70s kit. Blimey! It is big, matey, fat, slow flier with a retro look. Begad! This one isn't retro-"looking" though; it's t' real retro thing. It is painted in t' original mid-70’s catalog scheme, me bucko, but with a lighter - more 50's style - cream yellow. I would prefer t' newer all-black look Estes is showin' now, or maybe some red/white/blue patriotic scheme.
It sure eats a lot o' waddin' with that big BT60 tube! I installed a Nomex cloth so it will never need waddin' again, and a nylon cloth parachute. I have modified this rocket with me "Iris" altimeter bay, which adds another 2.88 inches in length and 14.6 grams o' weight. (Iris is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. Well, blow me down! She is a messenger o' t' gods, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) This model always seemed t' weathercock a lot for me, I hoped that t' extra nose-weight o' t' newly added payload would have helped a bit, but it just slowed it down some more, ya bilge rat, t' Nomex and heavier Nylon cloth didn't help either, I just made Big Bertha into Big & Heavy Bertha. With a C6 motor his rocket has flown higher than the t' Saturn V Apollo spacecraft, and t' famous Spire o' Dublin. But with t' extra weight and drag I added, this slow flier seems t' always be sensitive t' t' wind.
A late ejection on a B6-4 (I should have used a -2), damaged t' engine mount in a high-speed impact with t' mud, so this was re-built with a larger motor mount so she can fly again with D12 power. Ahoy! (T' original stuffer-tube was removed.) T' added impulse should get her up in a hurry and t' longer burn time should produce some really high flights, I would expect more than 600 feet at least, matey, possibly 7 or 8 big ones. Avast! We will see...
...we did see. Avast, me proud beauty! It has now flown higher than t' Two Liberty Place Buildin' in Philly, t' US Steel Tower in Pittsburg, and t' Chase Tower in Indianapolis IN.
| Flight Date: | 2013-05-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Big Bertha |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Big Bertha {Kit} (1948, 23, 7007) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | D12-7 |
| Expected Altitude: | 852 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 8.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Halifax, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 777 Feet |
I have only sent Bertha up on a D12 once before since it had its new motor mount installed, shiver me timbers, and it be a spectacular flight reachin' over 850 feet. Today I was about t' try again but use an even longer delay charge since a -5 was nay enough. This be flight number 199 since I was a born-again rocketeer, arrr, and I be plannin' a big launch for #200 t' follow.
T' rocket took off well and travelled fast and straight up for a beautiful high flight. T' bright yellow Nylon ‘chute opened well and t' rocket floated for about a minute in t' sky. As it came down, arrr, it drifted West and be caught in t' very top o' a tall tree, arrr, about 50 feet high. T' club’s longest recovery pole only reaches about 35 feet, ya bilge rat, so thar was plenty o' space betwixt t' tip o' t' pole and t' rocket, with no hope o' recoverin' it.
Big Bertha is now on permanent display 50 feet up on t' 7th tree from t' entrance on t' West side o' t' field. Havin' a Nylon parachute with extra thick shrouds, a Keelhaul®©™ “screw eye” holdin' t' paper and wood payload compartment, matey, it is nay likely t' rot and fall anytime soon. Best I can hope for be t' high-quality shock cord t' eventually rot and t' body might fall t' its death or recovery.
T' $70 Altimeter Two may easily survive for years before it falls inside its thick plastic paddin' wrapped in painted cardboard and covered with a plastic nosecone and plywood bulkhead. If it ever does fall, I should be able t' recover t' flight data if a lawnmower doesn't get it first. Arrr! For now though, after about 17 flights and many adventures, Rest in Space Big Bertha Iris, you will be missed.
Heartbroken, I abandoned me plans t' execute flight #200, me bucko, which be t' be t' Estes Interceptor on a Apogee D12-5 composite motor.
Three weeks later, shiver me timbers, after many rainstorms, I devised a plan t' retrieve t' rocket or at least t' payload. T' rocket body was nay in t' tree, t' shock cord rubber broke and t' body was nowhere t' be found after a substantial search. T' parachute was severely wrapped around a branch and so was t' Keelhaul®©™ leader t' t' payload, obviously from many windy days.
T' altimeter was intact but t' battery be dead, after chargin' I could retrieve t' data. Aye aye! T' burn be 1.8 seconds long, peakin' t' Gs at 14 and averagin' 3.8 for t' whole burn. It coasted for 5.5 seconds after reachin' a top speed o' 149 mph, apogee was 777 feet. Then it dropped 32 feet in t' last 1.3 seconds and t' ejection fired 2/10 seconds too short at 745 feet. It descended at 10 mph before hittin' t' tree at about 80-90 feet. Arrr! Flight time was 56.3 seconds – or arguably 504 hours and, me bucko, 56.3 seconds.
I shot a fishin' sinker over t' offendin' branch usin' a slin' shot. Attached was a few hundred feet o' 60 lb. fishin' line. T' fishin' line was used t' haul a heavy rope up and over t' branch. Shakin' and tuggin' would nay shake loose t' parachute/payload, me bucko, but eventually t' branch broke and it fell t' t' ground with t' payload and parachute.
T' payload section be obviously soaked durin' a few rainstorms, but t' plastic nosecone and plywood bulkhead kept t' altimeter intact and t' plastic paddin' seemed t' keep it dry. T' Nylon parachute is definitely useable. Someday I may rebuild t' rest o' t' rocket usin' t' original nose cone, but that might have t' wait until I complete another 25 kits in me to-build box.
Much thanks goes t' me wife who helped me every step o' t' way. This terse description makes it sound simple, me bucko, but it took about four hours t' complete this rescue as we had unforeseen problems with every step.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes D12-7 |
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