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. It is big, fat, matey, slow flier with a retro look. This one isn't retro-"looking" though; it's t' real retro thing. It is painted in t' original mid-70’s catalog scheme, but with a lighter - more 50's style - cream yellow. Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, and a nylon cloth parachute. Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! She is a messenger o' t' gods, matey, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) This model always seemed t' weathercock a lot for me, me bucko, I hoped that t' extra nose-weight o' t' newly added payload would have helped a bit, me bucko, but it just slowed it down some more, 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. Begad! (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, possibly 7 or 8 big ones. Avast! We will see...
...we did see. Begad! It has now flown higher than t' Two Liberty Place Buildin' in Philly, shiver me timbers, t' US Steel Tower in Pittsburg, ya bilge rat, and t' Chase Tower in Indianapolis IN.
| Flight Date: | 2012-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | Big Bertha |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Big Bertha {Kit} (1948, 23, 7007) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 380 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 10.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 328 Feet |
I needed t' end on a more spectacular flight, so o' course I had t' brin' out ol’ Bertha. I love how she flies on a D, arrr, but didn’t want t' 800+ feet it would make, me hearties, t' winds were just gettin' too much. In hind-sight I should have used a C11, but I already prepped her with a C6. T' choice o' t' C6 was risky, and a stronger, steady wind was building. Blimey! T' C6 normally just doesn’t have enough git-up-n-go t' prevent serious weather cocking, as I learned from previous bilge-suckin' experiences. I had t' hold t' launch for a good 5 minutes before it calmed for a second.
She flew great. Aye aye! T' C burned for 1.9 seconds and got her goin' t' 77 mph. Avast, me proud beauty! Acceleration peaked at 6.2 Gs and averaged 1.8 Gs for t' burn. After burnout she coasted straight up another 3.5 seconds t' 319 feet. T' ejection was early but OK (a -5 would be way too much in these winds). I honestly don’t know why she didn’t turn in t' t' wind like always. Ya scallywag! T' ejection came as it was startin' its turn, 6/10 second before apogee. She tumbled a bit and then peaked at 328 feet. T' parachute unfurled well and she coasted down at 9 mph, arrr, landin' within about 300 feet, endin' a flight o' 28.3 seconds. I thought that be enough for t' day, but then I ended up doin' one more.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-3 |
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