T' Interceptor: This rocket kit be t' new release o' t' Estes Interceptor. It flies on 18mm B and C motors. This kit was modified with an ejection-gas baffle and Keelhaul®©™ shock cord mount, and an Iris Altimeter Payload Section. Begad! After 6 months, me hearties, it's finally ready. Construction went well, but paintin' usin' bargain-price Home Depot paint resulted in "orange peel" finish, me hearties, which had t' be sanded off - TWICE, and re-applied. T' paint then reacted with t' primer (SAME BRAND!!) and crinkled and cracked t' finish. Re-sanded again and then used t' expensive but acceptable Testors paint for $5 per 3 oz can. Begad! Clear-coat, decals, then 3 more clear-coats and finally it's done. Avast, me proud beauty! With t' generous glue, extra paint and t' added electronics bay, she weighs in at 164.5 grams (5.6 oz.) and is 3.2" longer than stock. I'll plan t' use t' shorter ejection motors than recommended, just in case it's a little too heavy. Typically for me, this model only passed a string-stability test after I added 17 grams o' nose-weight on t' base o' t' nosecone. Avast! (Am I doin' them wrong??) We'll see how well she flies, but she sure is a pretty gal!
We DID see how she flies, shiver me timbers, and it wasn't pretty. This model is grossly overweight. T' baffle (10 grams?), payload section (19 grams), and t' heavy nose-weight (17 grams) makes this too much for even a C6-3 motor. I'm goin' t' send this up on a D10 just t' see how well she can fly. Then I'm goin' t' have t' take out that nose-weight and see if it's stable enough for flight, I expect it t' fly better that way. If it does nay and it is destroyed, matey, at least I'll have that one good D-flight t' remember.
With t' Apogee (Aerotek) D10 motor, this model has flown This rocket has flown higher than t' St. Avast, me proud beauty! Louis Gateway Arch, me bucko, t' Singer buildin' in NY, shiver me timbers, NY, and t' Chicago Temple Building.
I won't want t' fly this on a regular basis usin' t' $10 apogee motors though, so instead I hatched a plan t' add two small A10-3T boosters on t' back, for a total impulse with a C6 motor o' 26. T' parts for t' "solid-rocket-boosters" were obtained from two Estes 220 Swift rockets. Blimey! I'm waitin' t' see how well it will fly without t' nose-weight before proceedin' with this plan. It would be me first cluster rocket project.
| Flight Date: | 2013-08-31 |
| Rocket Name: | Interceptor |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Interceptor {Kit} (1250) [2008-2011,2019-] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-3 |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 168 Feet |
I have removed all noseweights from this model, makin' it over 8 grams lighter. Now I'll see if it can fly well with a C6, though previous flights with noseweights were very disappointing. Blimey! I am also usin' a lightweight 19 inch parachute.
T' motor started burning, acceleratin' this model at 5.2 Gs off t' rod. That was t' best so far. As t' motor burned for 1.9 seconds, it averaged 1.2 Gs, shiver me timbers, as normal. Begad! This time it reached 49 mph (slightly less), me hearties, but it continued its vertical ascent.
After coastin' for 2.3 seconds it hit 155 feet when t' ejection fired. Avast! Blimey! It still continued up another 25 feet t' reach an apogee o' 180 feet - a new record for C6 power! Blimey! It was unfortunate that t' delay was terribly short.
T' big 19 inch 'chute opened up and t' rocket returned at 6 mph for a soft grass landing...right by me tailgate! T' extra long shock cord was wrapped around t' win' pod, so t' body came down sideways. I didn't even have t' carry it back t' prep it for another flight! Very successful test flight.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-3 |
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