NARAM 60 Wednesday, August 8, Helicopter Duration and B Cluster Altitude

Today was a slower schedule for me. I had the Estes Mini A Heli ready with some A10-3t engines.
John Boren (the designer) was at the return table. He jokingly said: "You changed the fin design, I can't guarantee the flight results!" Well, he might have been right.

The first launch boost was straight, but at ejection it was helicoptering upside down with the nose cone at the bottom! I brought it back in with 53 second duration. It was prepped again and the thread tied off.
The second launch was good, flipped over and spun correctly with the fins down. It drifted far over the road and into the brush.
I looked around for a good 20 minutes and gave it up for lost, settling for the first qualifying flight.

Back at the return table I asked to see the second flight time - 58 seconds. There were some helicopter flights of over four minutes!
Helicopter duration is always interesting. Blades shread, don't deploy or fall off at ejection.
I couldn't get any launch pictures. The A10-3t engines move too fast off the pad.

This was interesting.
Here's George Gassaway and Chan Stevens talking flight strategy.
Notice the blue ball on the tripod. It's a toy bubble blowing machine. George uses it to check wind direction and find thermals!



There were many different helicopter designs with internal and external blades.
I didn't enter the other B engine cluster event. If a contestant got all five engines to ignite, the flights were fast and high. I was told the five B combination was equivalent to a small E engine.