T' Vector Force: T' Vector Force is a modern Estes kit. Avast, me proud beauty! This was me first model I made as a BAR. Well, blow me down! It had very good quality balsa fins on me kit, thick and sturdy. You can see t' design is inspired by air defense missiles. It is rather tall, but somewhat heavy because o' t' two reducers. Because it has two reducer stages it has two separate payload tubes. Estes tells you t' glue t' payload tubes, matey, but why? Good idea if you want t' be sure t' rocket doesn't separate in flight, but why waste two very nice payload bays? I just make sure they are always good and tight with some maskin' tape. Mine is painted school-bus yellow and gloss black t' better match t' included decals. Begad! I added about 3 heavy coats o' clear coat for a really deep shine. Strin' stability tests with a C motor required about 20-ish grams o' nose weight, but now it flies really straight up - provided thar be little wind. T' top payload tube has vent holes for a barometric altimeter. I've recorded flights in excess o' 400 feet with C6 motors. Blimey! This is my current go-to flagship rocket. I have tried some test flights with composite D engines, t' see if I could kick this puppy past 1000 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! It sure did! In t' process, matey, t' shock cord be torn out from t' mount. This model be repaired by installin' a custom ejection baffle with a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord attachment. Blimey! Now I think she'll hold up t' a few more D-powered launches and ejections. This rocket has flown higher than t' NY Times Buildin' in NY, and also t' Chrysler Buildin' includin' t' pinnacle, and t' Bank o' America Plaza in Atlanta.
| Flight Date: | 2013-05-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Vector Force |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Vector Force {Kit} (003210) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 420 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 5.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Halifax, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 329 Feet |
Havin' spent an hour and a half this mornin' searchin' t' tall grass for a small rocket, I decided it was a day for larger rockets only. T' Vector Force fit t' bill. Havin' recently reduced t' overly-conservative nose weight on this model, I wanted t' continue t' test it on t' much more affordable C6 motors.
As I brought it out t' t' launch pad, I couldn’t help smilin' as I recalled how this model reached an incredible 282 mph usin' a $10 Apogee composite motor. I had hoped t' try a C6-5, but t' wind be just a bit too high so I opted for t' more conservative C6-3 in case it weather cocked.
T' rocket lit and accelerated off t' pad at 7Gs. Begad! T' 2-second burn averaged 1.7Gs, me hearties, and t' rocket reached a top speed o' 76 mph. T' lighter nose weight again kept this model from weather cockin' into t' wind too much. T' delay was only 2.6 seconds, so t' ejection charge fired at 316 feet, stoppin' t' rocket very early. With t' parachute opening, it took another 6/10 second before t' rocket came t' a stop 13 feet higher at an apogee o' 329 feet.
T' large, yellow Nylon parachute brought this model back t' t' tall grass at 12 mph, resultin' in a flight duration o' 21.8 seconds and a perfect flight. Blimey! It landed a few hundred feet away, arrr, clearly visible in t' tall grass. Unlike t' two previous flights today, this big, yellow-and-black model was spotted right away.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-3 |
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