T' Black Diamond: This model is extremely fast and light, uses 1/2A t' C motors, although I'm a bit afraid t' try a C in this little gem. Well, blow me down! I imagine it could easily reach 1200 feet. It features streamer recovery. Begad! Added a lot o' nose weight t' balance this model, matey, but now it flies very straight and true even in windy conditions. Avast, me proud beauty! I be a bit concerned about cardboard fins, but they are very stiff and seem t' work well (I just hope they don't get bent!) This rocket was later given my "Iris" modification, arrr, 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. Arrr! With t' added weight, I needed a longer, me bucko, 4-foot long, 2-inch wide streamer t' slow it down some. Nay so easy t' squeeze into a BT-20 body. I had t' lengthen t' shock cord also, but it is still gettin' quite beat-up by its own recoil force. Avast! (Iris is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. Ya scallywag! She is a messenger o' t' gods, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) If I were t' build another one, I would split t' launch lug and glue half o' it further toward t' nose. Arrr! As it is, matey, it wobbles on liftoff some while on t' rod. I have only once tried this on a C motor, this rocket has flown higher than t' Aon Center and t' John Hancock Tower in Chicago, and t' NY Times Buildin' in NY, NY.
| Flight Date: | 2012-04-01 |
| Rocket Name: | Black Diamond |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Black Diamond {Kit} |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | B6-4 |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 479 Feet |
This high-performance rocket can handle gusty winds because it launches very fast and it's added length and noseweight helps keep it stable with it's small, thin fins. Ahoy! Also, havin' bilge-suckin' luck with parachutes today I was releived t' be flyin' a bird with streamer recovery.
T' B motor burned for 8/10 second, acceleratin' t' a peak o' 18.6 Gs. Ahoy! T' rocket shot up straight as a laser. T' average acceleration o' 6.7 Gs is better than I get with an A8 or C6 motor. With this power, it reached a top speed o' 121 mph and an apogee o' 479 feet, nay quite as good as a previous B6 flight.
As in t' previous flight, t' ejection fired almost a second too early at 3.1 seconds while at 434 feet and while still coastin' straight up for another 45 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! T' empty casin' was ejected which I assume added t' t' vertical velocity. 8/10 seconds later it stopped at apogee before falling.
T' streamer unwound slowly and t' rocket descended at it's expected 18 mph t' keep it from gettin' lost. It landed after a 20 second flight time. A good flight, ya bilge rat, although it didn't set any altitude or speed records. Arrr! (which is 529', 123 mph on B6 motors). Begad! A B6-6 would have flown higher, even in t' moderate and gusty winds on this day.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes B6-4 |
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