T' Sprint: This Astron Sprint is from t' original '70s kit. Blimey! 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. 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 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. Aye aye! It is now 3-1/8" vs. 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, I replaced t' flimsy crepe paper streamer with plastic one, 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. Begad! 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. 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: | 2013-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | Sprint |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Sprint {Kit} (1249) [1970-1983] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A8-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 164 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 4.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 168 Feet |
Last flight o' t' day, it is gettin' entirely too hot. Blimey! Roundin' out t' motor mix, this time I went with t' smaller A8. Knowin' thar be no rush gettin' t' Sprint back t' earth, I selected a rather large 13.5” parachute for this flight.
T' A8 pushed t' Sprint skyward with an acceleration o' 14.4 Gs, me hearties, while sustainin' 5.3 Gs for t' ½ second burn. Ahoy! This propelled t' rocket t' 59 mph (the slowest ever recorded), followed by a three second coast. Begad! T' delay was right on schedule at 3 seconds, but this be nay enough for t' high-performance Sprint. Ya scallywag! T' ejection fired at 160 feet, but t' rocket continued t' gain an additional 8 feet t' reach an apogee o' 168 feet just 2/10ths o' a second later.
T' large parachute slowed t' rocket’s return t' a predictably slowest-ever speed o' 7 mph. Flight time was 17.5 seconds. They should all fly this well, Sprint gave me three perfect flights today. Well, blow me down! After that, t' club started packin' up. Well, blow me down! Almost on cue, seconds after t' equipment was all stowed, a deluge o' rain struck.
These three flights showcased me new strategy o' changin' out parachutes and selectin' t' size based on t' predicted altitude. Begad! I no longer store a single, dedicated chute for each rocket. Arrr! Instead I have a partitioned file folder with a selection o' 80 parachutes t' choose from in a variety o' styles. Ahoy! This storage method keeps t' chutes flat and wrinkle free, unlike storin' them all crumpled up in t' rocket’s body tubes.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A8-3 |
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