T' Viper: A '70s kit offered t' Estes Aerospace Club (EAC) members. It uses T motors. It is a good, economical flier with parachute recovery. T' small 12-inch parachute is a good choice for this rocket, me bucko, since it is limited t' A-power only. Ahoy! I wouldn't waste t' time usin' 1/4A motors unless it's extremely windy or you have an extremely small field, shiver me timbers, t' larger motors are so much more satisfying.
This particular Viper was painted with Purple and Orange instead o' t' Purple and Yellow. I suppose that was because I had orange dope and no yellow, but that be 35 years ago, who knows?
This rocket was later 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. With it’s most powerful A motor, me hearties, I can’t seem t' get this above t' 200-foot mark. Ahoy! (Iris is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. She is a messenger o' t' gods, linkin' t' gods with humanity.) This rocket has flown higher than t' Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in NC, matey, t' tallest lighthouse in t' USA.
| Flight Date: | 2012-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | EAC Viper |
| Kit Name: | Estes - E.A.C. Viper {Kit} (0820) [1972-1986] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A3-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 180 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 8.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
Pulled this ol’ bird out because it’s a nice straight flyer in any kind o' winds. I even chose t' A3 motor over t' A10 - even though t' A10 is better for winds - because I wanted t' defy t' winds again. Aye aye! It did nay disappoint me. Mostly I wanted t' compare t' A3 and A10 motors for a third time.
It took off and went straight up, and was back down on t' ground in 15 seconds or so and still within t' launch area only maybe 20 feet from t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Typically on this motor it will go 60-65 mph and reach 185 feet, but t' rather sensitive launch-detectin' accelerometer was prematurely triggered while loadin' it on t' pad, so I have no data on this flight. I could have repeated t' flight, shiver me timbers, but it was late afternoon on a really hot day and I needed a rest after 8 flights. Well, blow me down! Some other time.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A3T-4 |
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