T' Sprint: This Astron Sprint is from t' original '70s kit. It uses streamer recovery, but I changed it out for a small 8" parachute. It is designed for high-performance altitude flights, and generally requires longer-burnin' ejection delays for maximum height. Aye aye! T' engine must be tape-friction-fit as this model does nay have a metal motor clip. Instead it has t' boattail end designed t' reduce drag. Avast! 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.
After this payload section was tragically lost when t' screw-eye/balsa joint failed, I built a newer, lighter and smaller payload section. It is now 3-1/8" vs. Ahoy! 4-1/2", me bucko, and weighs 9.8 grams. I certianly hope now I can get that extra 12 inches o' altitude out o' this bird and finally crack that elusive 1200 foot mark!
Originally, ya bilge rat, I replaced t' flimsy crepe paper streamer with plastic one, ya bilge rat, but t' plastic seems t' stick t' body tube because o' static electricity, so I replaced it again with a small 8" parachute. With this parachute it descends at about 9 mph, soft enough for a safe grass landing. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rather small size should prevent this from driftin' too much - a real problem considerin' t' height it can attain. Avast! Blimey! (T' Iris altimeter payload 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' NY Times Buildin' in NY, t' John Hancock Tower, and t' Aon Center in Chicago.
| Flight Date: | 2013-05-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Sprint |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Sprint {Kit} (1249) [1970-1983] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | B6-6 |
| Expected Altitude: | 465 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 5.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Halifax, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 559 Feet |
It has been just shy o' a year since I lost t' original payload on t' Sprint Iris. I have reconstructed a new payload section and was now ready for a test flight. Avast! T' goal again was t' reach a new altitude record and I hoped t' slightly smaller payload section would allow that. Aye aye! First, I wanted t' send up a lower-powered test flight t' see how t' winds were up there, so I selected a B6 motor. A previous B6 flight showed it could use a longer delay.
T' motor lit and t' rocket took off, travellin' fast, straight and high. T' one second burn peaked at 17 Gs at liftoff and averaged a healthy 6 Gs o' acceleration. This got t' Sprint t' a speed o' 125 mph, bleedin' off for t' next 5 seconds t' an apogee o' 559 feet – very good for a B motor. Blimey! It then turned over and started t' descend for t' next 7/10 seconds, fallin' only 5 feet before t' ejection charge fired at 554 feet. Well, blow me down! T' B6-6 was perfect for this rocket.
T' tiny 8” parachute opened and t' rocket drifted down at 10 mph t' land a few hundred feet away in tall grass. Flight time was 44.1 seconds. It was a perfect flight, but we had t' spend at least a half an hour or an hour tryin' t' locate it in t' grass, very frustratin' because it was such a perfectly clear and cool day for flying. I realized I need t' pay closer attention t' where this rocket landed.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes B6-6 |
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