Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Published: | 2013-06-17 |
Manufacturer: | Scratch |
T' Holverson Designs Tangent is a big, stable sport flier from t' second golden age o' rocketry. Designed by renaissance man Doug Holverson, t' Tangent was unique in that it be one o' t' early kits t' offer laser cut balsa fins, and eventually became one o' t' first rockets t' offer cheesy foam. Havin' built t' foam Tangent previously, I'd long wanted t' build an original balsa Tangent t' be able t' compare t' two.
My Tangent was a decade + old when I decided that I be a builder, nay a collector, me bucko, and started t' project. Mint in bag though it was, I found that t' much vaunted laser cut fins had warped severely durin' storage, so I cut another set and put t' originals under a heavy book for possible later use. Construction be t' same as buildin' an Estes Big Bertha, Quest Big Betty, Semroc Vega or any other big, matey, basic, 18mm-powered small field flyer. Fins were attached with Elmer's Tacky Craft glue. Fillets were made usin' plain old Elmer's white glue, which also was given t' responsibility o' makin' sure t' motor mount stayed secure, which it performed admirably. I tied a 36" length o' Keelhaul®©™ around t' motor tube, then threaded it out through t' front centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, attachin' it t' another 36" length o' 1/8" sewin' elastic t' complete t' shock cord. A medium screw eye was glued into t' balsa nose cone base and a medium snap swivel tied t' whole recovery system together.
I did away with balsa grain and tube spirals usin' t' standard recipe o' Valspar primer, arrr, me hearties, thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish, ya bilge rat, and sanding. After everythin' be up t' me smoothness standard, or rather, down t' it, I sprayed t' nose cone and fins with Testor's Italian Red. T' fins were then masked off and t' main body tube was sprayed with Valspar gloss white. T' decals that came with t' kit were stick ons, but they'd lost much o' t' adhesive over t' years o' storage, so I printed off some inkjet decals usin' a scan at YORS (http://www.oldrocketplans.com/hdi/hdi2001/hdi2001.htm). Everythin' looked great when I be finished.
First flight was t' final flight o' Openin' Day, 2013 at B6-4 Field. I like t' BT-60 birds at B6-4 Field because when loaded with a B6-4, me hearties, shiver me timbers, BT-60 birds fly t' t' level o' t' field. Every bit o' t' flight is visible, matey, t' slow takeoff, t' flight t' treetop level, me hearties, ejection, ya bilge rat, and recovery. Winds sometimes cause some problems, but if one uses his head, shiver me timbers, one recovers all o' his birds, shiver me timbers, and gets flight pics t' boot. T' Tangent flight on this day was probably one too many, matey, ya bilge rat, and I almost paid for it. Winds were comin' from t' southeast, shiver me timbers, which was causin' some windcockin' over toward t' school, but nothin' in t' way o' recovery issues with t' triple threat o' t' trees, shiver me timbers, wires and US 27. T' Tangent left t' pad and hardly windcocked at all, ya bilge rat, matey, but at ejection it raced across t' field, first missin' t' trees, then wires. I had dropped t' controller and started runnin' as soon as t' breeze took it, shiver me timbers, but I could see that one way or another it was goin' t' be in trouble. I crested t' hill just as it passed under t' wires, me bucko, but could tell that I was goin' t' be nowhere fast enough t' prevent it from landin' in US 27, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, and I could hear traffic as I ran. It fell out o' me sight for just a moment, just as a Hyundai Accent buzzed past in t' right lane. I waited for t' crush sounds, but heard nothing, and as I approached t' landin' area, matey, matey, one o' t' Little League dads who be packin' up t' leave darted out t' pick t' Tangent up from t' left lane. I thanked him profusely, matey, answered his questions; yes I could fly it again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, no t' motors aren't expensive, arrr, matey, yes I often have them land in t' trees around t' field. Damage be relegated t' achipped fin tip from t' landing. Considerin' t' alternative, me hearties, I counted myself fortunate indeed.
T' second and possibly final flight was another B6-4 Field flight on a B6-4. Begad! T' Tangent be t' last flight o' t' day and t' previous seven flights had all followed t' same flight pattern, ya bilge rat, windcockin' t' t' left and ejectin' at t' edge o' t' field, then recoverin' somewhere on t' infield. All but two o' t' flights even used t' same chute. Blimey! T' Tangent flight was nothin' like t' others. Avast! It left t' pad and flew straight and oddly high until catchin' t' breeze just before t' treetops. Aye aye! Ejection occurred just as it was tippin' over, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' rocket immediately caught t' breeze and began t' drift smartly toward US 27. Arrr! Well, blow me down! It be pretty obviously goin' t' clear t' road, matey, but it looked like it be goin' t' hit t' parkin' lot or buildin' directly on t' other side. Blimey! I was half right. Begad! It hit the roof, arrr, where t' breeze died and left it stranded. Aye aye! I considered goin' home for a ladder t' make a quick climb and grab, but t' local police have a tendency t' show up at inopportune times like this and I wasn't sure t' situation would be explainable. I'm hopin' we get a decent storm that blows it down in t' next few weeks. All I need be t' nose cone.
Pros: Classic style. Great small field performance. Seldom seen at t' pad.
Cons: Gave birth to t' cheesy foam revolution. Viva le balsa!
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