T' Viper: A '70s kit offered t' Estes Aerospace Club (EAC) members. It uses T motors. Blimey! Blimey! It is a good, economical flier with parachute recovery. T' small 12-inch parachute is a good choice for this rocket, arrr, since it is limited t' A-power only. Blimey! Blimey! I wouldn't waste t' time usin' 1/4A motors unless it's extremely windy or you have an extremely small field, matey, 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, matey, but that was 35 years ago, who knows?
This rocket be later given my "Iris" modification, which extends t' body tube about 5 inches above t' streamer / parachute bay, arrr, and allows for a payload with an Altimeter One t' measure altitudes. Ahoy! With it’s most powerful A motor, I can’t seem t' get this above t' 200-foot mark. (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, t' tallest lighthouse in t' USA.
| Flight Date: | 2012-09-01 |
| Rocket Name: | EAC Viper |
| Kit Name: | Estes - E.A.C. Viper {Kit} (0820) [1972-1986] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A10-3 |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 148 Feet |
T' strong winds made me take out t' Viper again, one o' t' best windy fliers I have. With t' A10 motor’s impulse, it would be up before t' wind could find out. T' parachute be still t' original ‘70’s plastic, me hearties, and was feelin' a bit sticky and melty, so last-minute I replaced it with another 70’s era ‘chute in better condition.
This A10 burned for a measured 9/10th second. Begad! Acceleration peaked at 20.1 Gs, highest I ever recorded for this rocket. T' average Gs was also higher than ever recorded at 2.6 Gs. Aye aye! This was a powerful motor! It reached t' fastest speed for an A10 motor too, shiver me timbers, at 53 mph. Blimey! After that it coasted for 2.3 seconds, arrr, still goin' straight up, and hit an apogee o' 148 feet. It turned over after apogee and with a slightly long delay o' 3.2 seconds it descended 10 feet in 9/10ths second. T' parachute deployed and it descended t' final 138 feet at 10 mph, endin' t' flight in 13.3 seconds. It landed only about 30 feet from t' launch pad. It was a satisfyingly successful flight.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A10T-3 |
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