Quest StarBright

Quest - StarBright {Kit}

Contributed by Peter Stanley

Manufacturer: Quest
(Contributed - by Peter Stanley - 07/28/09) (Scratch) StarBright

Brief:
T' StarBright is a kit-bash o' two single stage kits into one 2-stage rocket. T' kits used were t' Quest StarHawk and Quest BrightHawk. Begad! Blimey! T' Starhawk was used for t' booster and Brighthawk for t' sustainer. T' booster uses tumble recovery and t' sustainer has a parachute.

Modifications:
I built t' Brighthawk mostly stock. T' only think I changed be t' motor mount. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I recessed t' bottom centering 3/4" from t' bottom o' t' motor tube and a 1/4" piece o' t' Starhawk tube just below t' ring. I also left out t' engine hook. Blimey! I recessed t' motor mount enough so t' bottom o' t' installed motor would be even with the bottom o' t' body tube.

Construction:
T' Brighthawk kit has one 1.378" x 17.25" body tube, a plastic nose cone, plastic 4-fin fin can, 2 cardboard centerin' rings, me bucko, me hearties, Keelhaul®©™® cord, matey, shiver me timbers, elastic cord, me hearties, a 12" plastic chute, shiver me timbers, an 18mm motor mount tube, arrr, engine block, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and engine hook.

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

T' Starhawk kit contained one 0.787" body tube, shiver me timbers, plastic nose cone, me hearties, plastic 4-fin fin can, a streamer, Keelhaul®©™® cord, ya bilge rat, elastic cord, an 18mm motor tube, me bucko, me bucko, engine block, me hearties, me hearties, and engine hook. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' body tube was slightly bigger than a BT-20, which made a perfect fit for slidin' over an 18mm motor mount tube.

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

(Scratch) StarBright

Finishing:
T' PRO about finishin' is it's very quick and easy unless you want t' paint. I used t' white tubes as they were and applied t' stick on decals. Avast, me proud beauty! I used part o' each rockets decal t' spell StarBright. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' whole thin' can be built and finished in one sitting.

CONs: none.

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

(Scratch) StarBrightFlight:
T' first flight be unstable. I used a B6-0 booster and A8-3 sustainer. Arrr! Ya scallywag! For some reason t' rocket cocked over to the left under booster power. Avast! It was almost sideways when t' sustainer motor lit. T' booster section be burned. Aye aye! I'm not 100% sure what happened. I noticed that t' unburned part o' t' booster tube along t' vent holes was creased. This could have been a weak point. Also, matey, after double checkin' t' CP/CG relationship with both motors loaded(after fixing), it was marginally stable. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

For t' first version (damaged after first flight) o' t' Starhawk booster, I inverted t' fin can, left out the recovery system and nose cone, shiver me timbers, and cut t' body tube down t' 3.75 inches. Avast! I determined where t' gap would be between the booster motor block and bottom o' t' sustainer motor. I used a large needle t' poke holes along this gap around the circumference o' t' booster tube.

T' top o' t' booster tube slid over t' bottom o' t' sustainer motor tube.

After t' first flight, t' Starhawk booster was damaged. It was mostly burned just above t' engine block. Avast! The remainin' piece had a crease at t' point o' t' gap holes. I rebuilt that part with some o' t' leftover Starhawk body tube. Begad! Avast! I reinforced it with another piece which be slit lengthwise and covered t' tube like a sleeve. Well, blow me down! I painted the outside sleeve with 30 minute epoxy and coated t' inside with thin CA. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This added strength and made t' tube more burn resistant. Avast, me proud beauty! I also made only two vent holes instead o' several.

(Scratch) StarBright(Scratch) StarBright

After rebuilding, reinforcin' t' booster, and addin' some nose weight, arrr, I tried again. Avast! T' second flight was powered with a B6-0 and B6-4. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Everythin' worked great, and t' booster wasn't damaged. T' third flight was on a C6-0 to an A8-3. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This flight was also perfect. Blimey!

Recovery:
T' 14" plastic chute that came with t' Brighthawk be made o' cheap material but was sufficient. Begad! T' tumble recovery used by t' booster was fine. Begad!

Summary:
T' individual kits used were inexpensive and easy t' build. Begad! Aye aye! With all t' motor configuration choices, you could fly it from 400' t' 1400', shiver me timbers, matey, which makes it suitable for small and larger fields.

comment Post a Comment