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. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. This rocket be later given my "Iris" modification, which extends t' body tube about 5 inches above t' streamer/parachute bay, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! Blimey! It is now 3-1/8" vs. Ahoy! Blimey! 4-1/2", 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, I replaced t' flimsy crepe paper streamer with plastic one, but t' plastic seems t' stick t' body tube because o' static electricity, matey, so I replaced it again with a small 8" parachute. Well, blow me down! With this parachute it descends at about 9 mph, soft enough for a safe grass landing. Well, blow me down! T' rather small size should prevent this from driftin' too much - a real problem considerin' t' height it can attain. (T' Iris altimeter payload is named after t' Greek god o' t' rainbow. Ahoy! 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: | 2012-05-06 |
| Rocket Name: | Sprint |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Sprint {Kit} (1249) [1970-1983] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-7 |
| Expected Altitude: | 1,200 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 3.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 1,139 Feet |
This was t' 4th attempt for this rocket t' crack 1200 feet. Previously I've recorded 1198 and 1199 feet, shiver me timbers, so I'm really hungry for that 1200 and I know she can do it. Well, blow me down! T' winds were light when she lit up and accelerated at a peak o' 16.2Gs. Ahoy! Acceleration averaged 4.5Gs for t' 2.1 second burn. Arrr! It reached a record speed o' 202 mph for this model allowin' it t' coast for 6.3 seconds more t' a slightly disappointin' altitude o' "only" 1139 feet.
I suppose I was nay at me best when I felt t' need t' brag t' a fellow club member (who just launched a 3-stage Farside) that I went higher on a single motor than he did with three motors. Blimey! Anyway, after apogee t' Sprint only descended 23 feet in another 1.3 seconds before ejection at 1116 feet. T' tiny 8" chute opened and t' model descended at 11 mph t' touch down perhaps a good 600 feet downwind. Begad! T' total flight time was 74.5 seconds. Arrr! Nay only did this rocket break its own speed record, it set a new record for flight duration for any flight o' mine. That's me definition o' a successful flight.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | C6-7 |
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