T' Vector Force: T' Vector Force is a modern Estes kit. This was me first model I made as a BAR. Avast! It had very good quality balsa fins on me kit, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, 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. 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. Well, blow me down! T' top payload tube has vent holes for a barometric altimeter. I've recorded flights in excess o' 400 feet with C6 motors. This is my current go-to flagship rocket. Begad! I have tried some test flights with composite D engines, t' see if I could kick this puppy past 1000 feet. It sure did! In t' process, t' shock cord was torn out from t' mount. Ya scallywag! This model was repaired by installin' a custom ejection baffle with a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord attachment. 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: | 2011-06-12 |
| Rocket Name: | Vector Force |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Vector Force {Kit} (003210) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-5 |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 442 Feet |
Last flight o' t' day before t' storm arrived. T' liftoff was perfect but it weathercocked considerably. 'Chute popped, opened cleanly and drifted right back t' t' launch area. Altimeter in payload bay recorded actual apogee.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-5 |
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