Normally I steer clear of "E2X" "Ready to Fly" and other such easily assembled models that take about 10 minutes of gluing, but it seems all launch pads now come with an included rocket these days, so I picked out the "Helicat"(http://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/launch-sets/001465-helicattm) model. Having previously built a helicopter-recovery Estes Skywinder(http://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7079&d=1244516204) model for 8th grade science class and enjoyed it, it was more intriguing than the other launchpad kits I saw. So here we go.
Basic Overview: Unlike the Skywinder, which has its helicopter fins mounted on the body and whose fins spin on a crude bearing around the body for recovery, the Helicat uses the blades to recover only the nosecone, with a standard parachute being used to recover the rest of the body.
Construction:
As with most E2X models, the construction was pretty straightforward and foolproof. It came with a snap-and-glue together engine block, plastic snap-and-glue fins, a body tube coupler, and a nosecone with mounts for the helicopter blades. The blades are then snapped into the nosecone and a rubber band is used to deploy when the nosecone ejects. In all, about a 10 minute or less start-to-finish job which requires no finishing other than stick-on decals.
Flight:
For the first flight of the Helicat, I used a standard B6-4 engine and it performed very well, going straight up and deploying both the helicopter nosecone and parachute without incident. The "Helicopter" nosecone portion did not really rotate about like you would have expected so much as just simply tumbled about until it hit the ground. For the second flight, I decided to move up to a C6-3 and decided to tightly pack the parachute inbetween the helicopter blades for what I believed to be a more efficient deployment as well as to prevent the minor scorching that had occurred the previous flight. For this reason, the parachute and blades were packed too tightly in and the charge failed to deploy the nosecone, resulting in an impressive javelin straight into the ground with the nose cone impaling a good 1" or so, I repaired the extensive body damage but it has not been flown since.
Conclusion:
For an included E2X rocket, the Helicat is a cool gimmick that stands out over some of the other packages for being different. That being said, the helicopter recovery is just kind of a lame gimmick and does not really add much to the flight. I give it credit that it's a cheap, quick and dirty way to do something different, but I would not buy one again.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
First Rocket Review - Satellite Interceptor
After deciding to get back into rocketry, I set off on a quest to get myself a nice classic-style model that looked cool and was easy to build. I began my search at Micheal's, where back in the day my dad would cut out a 40% off any item coupon and we would go get a new rocket or some engines with that. I was annoyed to find out that Micheals now only carries pre-made or Easy-To-Assemble versions, something that dissapoints me as I believe construction is a vital part of understanding the process. So I took my search down the road to Great Lakes Hobby & Train, which I have since returned to many times for new products and supplies. It was there I came upon the Satellite Interceptor, one of Estes' "Classic Series" models. It caught my eye for it's 1960s/1970s style "Spaceship Fighter" look and seemed to be a fun build. So for ease of reading I'll split the review into several parts:
http://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/kits/skill-2/003027-satellite-interceptortm
Construction:
Since it had been several years, construction proved to be more of a challenge than I remembered, most specifically when it came to gluing the fins on. Since the model has "Wing" fins in the middle of the fueselage and stabilzer fins on the back, as well as ventral and dorsal stabilzer fins, keeping them properly aligned while the glue dried proved to be a challenge. It was also not until the model was complete that I remembered with Elmer's glue that "Less is More" in that a very minimal amount of glue will secure the fin and prevent it from falling off or moving until the glue dries, where you would then put fillets in to secure it further. Aside from that, the rest of the construction went well and the decals and fin accessories really made the model stand out well. Reflecting back, I would rate construction about 3/5 on a difficulty scale due to the difficulties in fin alignment.
Flight:
For the first flight, I used a B6-4 engine and set it off. Despite the wind being somewhat stronger than what I would call ideal, it went up and came back down in the recovery area without major problems. I then did a follow-up flight with a C6-5, which caused the rocket to really haul and reach it's advertised ceiling of 1300 feet, which despite compensation for the wind direction wound up in a nearby yard with a broken tail fin. After re-gluing the fin and allowing time for it to set, I launched it a final time that night with another C6-5, launching it the highest yet with the landing zone inside somebody's gated yard and the loss of some fin accessories which were later recovered. The final flight took place a week later with a C6-5 onboard, which sent it about 20-30 feet up before the problems started. During takeoff, a tail fin again came dislodged, causing the rocket to pitch over 90 degrees and launch horizontally at my friend and fellow rocketeer's nearby house at full thrust, missing our other unsuspecting friend working on his car by about 3 feet. A really amazing feat considering it only had a window of a few feet to go through a line of trees to nearly hit him. The damage was catastropic, causing some of the dowels and tubing on the fins to come off and the main tube to break nearly in two. Despite cutting off the damaged section and trying again, it was too unbalanced and could not fly right again.
Conclusion:
The Satellite Interceptor is an amazing looking and performing rocket that I intend to purchase and construct again with my increased knowledge and skills. In terms of Pros, It looks amazing and performs incredibly well when properly constructed. In terms of Cons, it is difficult to align the many fins properly and the dowels and tubes you attach to the fins for decoration seem to like to come off in flight. I did not use the stronger wood cement I use now in constructing this, so perhaps that would have prevented some of these problems. I would also recommend putting a hole in the center of the parachute when using C engines, as well as using a C6-5 or C6-7, it goes extremely high and can drift a long time with an intact parachute.
Current Status: Retired due to severe structural damage.
Well, this concludes my first rocket review, let me know what you think and follow if you like! I'll be posting more in the coming weeks as I review my current and previous models and get new ones.
http://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/kits/skill-2/003027-satellite-interceptortm
Construction:
Since it had been several years, construction proved to be more of a challenge than I remembered, most specifically when it came to gluing the fins on. Since the model has "Wing" fins in the middle of the fueselage and stabilzer fins on the back, as well as ventral and dorsal stabilzer fins, keeping them properly aligned while the glue dried proved to be a challenge. It was also not until the model was complete that I remembered with Elmer's glue that "Less is More" in that a very minimal amount of glue will secure the fin and prevent it from falling off or moving until the glue dries, where you would then put fillets in to secure it further. Aside from that, the rest of the construction went well and the decals and fin accessories really made the model stand out well. Reflecting back, I would rate construction about 3/5 on a difficulty scale due to the difficulties in fin alignment.
Flight:
For the first flight, I used a B6-4 engine and set it off. Despite the wind being somewhat stronger than what I would call ideal, it went up and came back down in the recovery area without major problems. I then did a follow-up flight with a C6-5, which caused the rocket to really haul and reach it's advertised ceiling of 1300 feet, which despite compensation for the wind direction wound up in a nearby yard with a broken tail fin. After re-gluing the fin and allowing time for it to set, I launched it a final time that night with another C6-5, launching it the highest yet with the landing zone inside somebody's gated yard and the loss of some fin accessories which were later recovered. The final flight took place a week later with a C6-5 onboard, which sent it about 20-30 feet up before the problems started. During takeoff, a tail fin again came dislodged, causing the rocket to pitch over 90 degrees and launch horizontally at my friend and fellow rocketeer's nearby house at full thrust, missing our other unsuspecting friend working on his car by about 3 feet. A really amazing feat considering it only had a window of a few feet to go through a line of trees to nearly hit him. The damage was catastropic, causing some of the dowels and tubing on the fins to come off and the main tube to break nearly in two. Despite cutting off the damaged section and trying again, it was too unbalanced and could not fly right again.
Conclusion:
The Satellite Interceptor is an amazing looking and performing rocket that I intend to purchase and construct again with my increased knowledge and skills. In terms of Pros, It looks amazing and performs incredibly well when properly constructed. In terms of Cons, it is difficult to align the many fins properly and the dowels and tubes you attach to the fins for decoration seem to like to come off in flight. I did not use the stronger wood cement I use now in constructing this, so perhaps that would have prevented some of these problems. I would also recommend putting a hole in the center of the parachute when using C engines, as well as using a C6-5 or C6-7, it goes extremely high and can drift a long time with an intact parachute.
Current Status: Retired due to severe structural damage.
Well, this concludes my first rocket review, let me know what you think and follow if you like! I'll be posting more in the coming weeks as I review my current and previous models and get new ones.
Brief recap of previous shenanigans and plans for the future.
So as a bit of a background to this blog, I'll recap my rocketry history and recent flights and experiences I've had.
I've basically been involved in rocketry since I was a little kid launching them with my dad before we both lost interest around middle school with the last rocket I built was a helicopter-recovery model in 8th grade. Recently, with nothing else to do, I decided to get back into them and start doing crazy stuff again. Within the last month or two I've built maybe 5-6 new models, as well as re-used some old ones from my house. Some have met with success, others failure. I'll be elaborating more on individual flights when I review the rockets more in depth. Right now I plan on getting a new model to fly every week or two and then do a review of the construction process and performance. My current master rocketry goal as of now is to construct and successfully fly the most realistic Saturn V possible in terms of performance, something I have not really seen done by major model manufacturers.
I've basically been involved in rocketry since I was a little kid launching them with my dad before we both lost interest around middle school with the last rocket I built was a helicopter-recovery model in 8th grade. Recently, with nothing else to do, I decided to get back into them and start doing crazy stuff again. Within the last month or two I've built maybe 5-6 new models, as well as re-used some old ones from my house. Some have met with success, others failure. I'll be elaborating more on individual flights when I review the rockets more in depth. Right now I plan on getting a new model to fly every week or two and then do a review of the construction process and performance. My current master rocketry goal as of now is to construct and successfully fly the most realistic Saturn V possible in terms of performance, something I have not really seen done by major model manufacturers.
First Post
So here's the first post just to get things moving. As of now I plan on re-capping some past rocketry shenanigans, showing current rockets I'm building, show pictures of finished products and reviewing designs I've flown. I'll probably talk about some book reviews and videogame reviews as well. I hope you'll enjoy my rantings and decide to follow if you like it!
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