Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Published: | 2014-04-23 |
Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
Length: | 26.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Odd-Roc |
I be thrilled when Estes brought out t' Skywriter, nay because o' an affinity for pencil rockets, arrr, shiver me timbers, but because I could buy them and clone all t' Satellite Interceptors, Mavericks and Black Brant IIIs that I wanted. I would have continued t' think o' t' Skywriter as a donor kit had I nay been in t' mood t' fly somethin' different at a planned launch at B6-4 Field t' followin' day. I had laid in a pretty nice stock o' Skywriter kits and had used them as nose cone donors as I had originally planned, me hearties, but t' fact that I could guarantee that I could build one that Saturday night and have it ready for t' launch t' next day made me pull a kit out and start on it after dinner.
Most o' t' construction, arrr, almost all, matey, in fact, me bucko, is centered around t' motor mount. T' two body tubes must be glued together, makin' sure t' join t' yellow sections and nay t' pre-printed "eraser" section, which goes at t' bottom. When t' motor mount was dry, which be fairly quick bein' that I used Elmer's Wood Glue and as little as possible o' that, I slid it through t' fin can and attached it t' t' "eraser" end o' t' body tubes with more wood glue. T' fin can/engine mount butts up t' t' bottom o' t' body tube and once dry, nothin' is goin' anywhere because t' forward centerin' rin' and t' inside o' t' body tube are sealed together with t' wood glue. In t' interest o' simplifyin' recovery I added a length o' Keelhaul®©™ that I tied behind t' forward centerin' ring, but nothin' about this kit suggests that it would be badly served by t' traditional Estes tri-fold mount.
Two things bear mentioning, ya bilge rat, each one fairly obvious. Be sure t' join yellow t' yellow when gluin' t' body tubes together, arrr, and be sure that t' aforementioned "eraser" section is placed at t' bottom o' t' rocket.
First flight came at t' aforementioned launch at B6-4 field in November o' 2013. Except for t' overcast, arrr, ya bilge rat, it was a perfect day t' be flying. T' field was dry, the winds were almost non-existent, ya bilge rat, and me wife be out o' town for t' day. T' Skywriter was t' third flight o' sixteen on t' day. Since I had very little emotional investment in t' rocket and conditions were perfect, I decided that it would fly on a B6-4 on B6-4 Field. No worries about losin' it because I still had four o' them in t' basement. I loaded everything, me bucko, put it on t' pad, ya bilge rat, and readied t' camera for t' liftoff shot.
Got a little more than I bargained for. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
T' rocket had barely cleared t' rod when t' B6-4 detonated. Parts and pieces flew everywhere. T' motor casin' ejected straight back and rogered t' blast deflector, me hearties, breakin' t' standoff. T' nose cone and parachute continued skyward, eventually landin' gently out in short-center. T' body tube cartwheeled t' a landin' near t' nose cone, me bucko, while t' fin can landed in deeper center. I gathered me wits about me and started gatherin' parts for t' post-mortem. T' nose cone and parachute were undamaged, arrr, as be the elastic shock cord. T' body tube be a mess. Everythin' inside was as I expected it t' be, completely charred. T' tube just in front o' t' coupler is burned away so completely that all that is left be t' yellow paper covering. T' sticker decal is blistered. There is a plug o' Keelhaul®©™, elastic, shiver me timbers, me bucko, dog barf and t' engine block at this point. Everythin' is fused into a tight ball. T' centerin' ring/engine block, sewin' elastic and Keelhaul®©™ just crumble t' t' touch. T' lower section is more o' t' same. T' motor tube is charred through 3/4 o' its diameter. Ya scallywag! Begad! I found t' motor hook just before I left t' field. T' top o' t' hook was almost straightened out.
Flight #2 was also a little more than I bargained for, but I had no one t' blame but myself. Begad! Blimey! On a night when darkness was closin' fast, shiver me timbers, I decided t' try Sky Writer #2 on a C6-5. Not sure what I was thinking, but it likely had somethin' t' with t' almost complete absence o' a breeze. Avast! Blimey! T' Sky Writer left t' pad with authority and I found myself shocked at how high it already was when t' flame disappeared. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! I watched t' overcast sky in t' general vicinity o' where I'd last seen it, countin' t' five and listenin' for t' telltale blast o' t' ejection charge. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I heard nothing. Ya scallywag! I waited a couple o' seconds more and started watchin' t' skies t' t' north, me hearties, arrr, which was how t' extremely light breeze was moving. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Still nothing. I kept lookin' well past any reasonable possibility o' t' rocket still bein' in t' air. Arrr! T' chute was reefed fairly heavily, so it had t' be down, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, and I eventually began loadin' another rocket. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! That one would be an A8-3 flight.
Pros: Simple construction. No finishing. T' perfect rocket for an overnight build t' night before a launch.
Cons: Apparently me motor selection.
A 26-inch long rocket designed to look like a pencil. Made by Estes. An E2X model that is powered by standard engines (B6-4, C6-5, ect.). Components 2 main body tube sections Engine moun tbuilding components plastic nose cone 4 inter-connected plastic fins rubber shock cord 12 inch preassembled parachute /h2 Very easy to build, ...
The 'Sky Writer #2' rocket kit is a unique and fast building Skill Level 1 model from the Estes product line. It's a #2 pencil rocket that comes pre-painted with a white plastic 4-fin can and parachute recovery and flies on the 18mm Estes motor family to include the A8-3, B4-4, B6-4 and C6-5. At just over 26" long, this is a hearty sized model and a good looker. The kit came in a colorful bag ...
New E2X series rocket from Estes that looks like a standard yellow wooden No.2 pencil. It flies on A-C motors and uses a 12 inch parachute for recovery. The kit came in a plastic bag with a header card. I was impressed with the packing of this kit. The main body tube with the eraser decal and nose cone came in their own individual wrappers. The kit came with the motor mount tube, hook, and ...
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