LAUNCH! July 26, 2011, Schoolyard Soccer Field

Only three flights early this morning, but all were new fliers.

Even though the blog build continues, I have finished the Quest AS-1 ESCORT kit.
Today was the first flight using the recommended Quest A6-4 engine.

I opened and re-packed the 14" Quest parachute, they are known for being a little stiff.
After it cleared the rod, it went into target mode (away from vertical) and flew to the West.

Enlarge the picture and you can see the glowing igniter falling away.


The four second delay is one second too long, it was nosing in fast when the parachute blew. An A8-3 would be a better choice.

I was expecting the worst when I heard it hit the playground fence, but there was no damage.



Here's a recent build and a future blog entry.
This design came from an old Centuri American Rocketeer magazine, the FINLESS.
It's long and lean with a 3" long conical shroud at the bottom for stability.

It was VERY stable with a 13mm A10-3t engine in an adapter. There is .40 oz. of clay weight in the nose for stability so the altitude wasn't stellar.
Still, a great first flight with 12" parachute recovery. It should be good to go with B6-4 and C6-5 engines.


Last up could be my new, small field favorite -
The SPOOL
This was a scratch build, one of those "guess and cross your fingers" odd-ball models.
Two CDs, two 2050 centering rings and a 3" length of ST-7 tubing.

With a Estes C6-3, it was stable! Good altitude for a spool, I'd guess it peaked at 300'.
Recovery was a tight, fast spin that landed close by.