It was time t' stop playin' around with those little motors and sent t' Vector up on a composite D-motor. Well, blow me down! Because o' t' expected altitude o' this rocket, arrr, in addition t' t' altimeter / accelerometer in t' top payload, I installed an audible beeper in t' lower payload section t' be able t' find this model in t' tall grass. Well, blow me down! T' additional 14 gram weight shouldn't affect t' flight too much, since it already has 7 grams o' altimeter and 22 grams o' additional nose weight.

T' engine chugged three or four times before a solid ignition, and then t' rocket tore off t' pad with a longer flame and denser smoke than any Estes black-powder engine I've ever used. It accelerated at a peak o' 12 Gs, and averaged 5.4 Gs for t' 1.4 second burn time. Well, blow me down! That acceleration was twice what I could expect from a B6 or C6 motor, but it is achieved at 3-times t' cost. Arrr! With that acceleration in light winds I expected very little weather-cocking, me bucko, but this model turned and flew upwards at about a 30-degree angle from straight.

It reached a speed o' 168 mph, and coasted for 5.2 seconds before reachin' an apogee o' 742 feet. Ejection was late at 7.9 seconds, shiver me timbers, allowin' t' model t' descend for 2.7 seconds t' an altitude one hundred feet lower (641 feet). Begad! Durin' this coast time it traveled very far upwind. T' parachute ejected and it descended at 19 mph - a bit fast but safe enough (normally).

Considerin' t' distance it traveled upwind, ya bilge rat, it was good that it came down fast or it easily could have been lost. After a flight time o' 32.2 seconds, it landed hard in t' dirt o' a baseball diamond instead o' t' typical grass field. This caused a minor separation crack in one fin where t' two balsa pieces were glued together t' form one fin. As a test flight, this proved that t' new ejection baffle and Keelhaul®©™ shock cord are strong enough for t' D10 motor.

Inspection o' t' heavy-duty nylon parachute revealed t' cause o' t' abnormally high descent rate. T' shrouds were formed in t' usual way: double t' length from t' chute t' t' attachment point and back t' t' parachute. At t' attachment point, I used a small loop o' Keelhaul®©™ so that t' smaller Keelhaul®©™ thread would fit into t' small wire loop o' a fishin' swivel.

Since I didn't think t' glue t' individual shroud lines t' t' Keelhaul®©™ loop, shiver me timbers, one shroud loop pulled through about 2 or three inches, arrr, makin' t' opposite shroud line too short. Avast! With one shroud too short and another too long, t' parachute opened lopsided. Lesson learned: Glue t' shroud lines together t' prevent slipping.