T' Cyclone: This is a modern Almost-Ready-to-Fly kit from Quest. T' length and weight o' this model is on par with t' Estes Alpha, but a slightly smaller diameter. It has plastic fin assembly, stick-on body decal, streamer recovery. Uses 1/2A - C motors. Reasonably light model. Arrr! I think this model could be called somethin' else, but it came in a Quest starter kit and t' other model was busted (I got a deal), matey, so I used t' "Cyclone" tube wrapper because it looked better, so now I just got used t' callin' it t' Cyclone. It could just have well been called "Chain Reaction", t' other decal. I modified t' streamer bay with vent holes t' install an Altimeter One. Notice also, t' break up t' monotony o' t' plain orange fins, I added t' cheesy stripes t' t' fins usin' leftover sticker material from t' body wrap. This model doesn't get much respect from me though; I didn't build it, just some minor assembly work. Nay only is it simple and colored ugly, t' plastic fins means it is a toy. Avast, me proud beauty! A real rocket has balsa or wood fins and paint. Begad! I must admit though, me hearties, it flies fast and high and is pretty rugged. This rocket has flown higher than NASA's VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) in Cape Kennedy Florida – and that was only with a B6-4!
| Flight Date: | 2012-11-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Cyclone |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | B6-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 540 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 14.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 536 Feet |
Often with this rocket in t' cold air, shiver me timbers, t' thick plastic streamer gets stiff and doesn’t unfurl or gets stuck in t' tube, so this time I packed it very carefully, only satisfied on me third attempt t' squeeze it and t' shock cord and t' Altimeter Two into t' small body tube. This time I noticed t' wobble o' t' rocket on t' launch rail because t' molded plastic lug is too large, makin' a mental note to try a 3/16 rod next time. This is an odd lug size for such a small, me bucko, light rocket.
It lifted off well and smartly accelerated at a peak o' 20.1 Gs, averagin' 7.2 Gs for t' 0.9 second burn of t' motor. Ahoy! Very fast! It reached a speed o' 137 mph and coasted for 4.3 seconds while flyin' at a moderate angle into t' wind.
Ejection occurred at 503 feet and it came t' a peak o' 536 feet with t' streamer unrollin' completely this time. T' apogee was higher than any other rocket I have flown usin' t' B6 motor, arrr, although it did nay beat its own record o' 541 feet. Begad! It did set a new speed record for t' B6 motor though.
With t' short streamer it fell t' t' ground at 19 mph. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Durin' that time I watched t' strong winds carry it very far downwind. It landed about 350 feet downwind after a flight time o' 23.5 seconds. Absolute success.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes B6-4 |
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