T' Cyclone: This is a modern Almost-Ready-to-Fly kit from Quest. T' length and weight o' this model is on par with t' Estes Alpha, me hearties, but a slightly smaller diameter. It has plastic fin assembly, stick-on body decal, streamer recovery. Avast! Uses 1/2A - C motors. Ahoy! Reasonably light model. I think this model could be called somethin' else, but it came in a Quest starter kit and t' other model was busted (I got a deal), so I used t' "Cyclone" tube wrapper because it looked better, ya bilge rat, so now I just got used t' callin' it t' Cyclone. It could just have well been called "Chain Reaction", t' other decal. Arrr! I modified t' streamer bay with vent holes t' install an Altimeter One. Notice also, arrr, t' break up t' monotony o' t' plain orange fins, I added t' cheesy stripes t' t' fins usin' leftover sticker material from t' body wrap. This model doesn't get much respect from me though; I didn't build it, just some minor assembly work. Arrr! Nay only is it simple and colored ugly, t' plastic fins means it is a toy. A real rocket has balsa or wood fins and paint. I must admit though, ya bilge rat, it flies fast and high and is pretty rugged. This rocket has flown higher than NASA's VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) in Cape Kennedy Florida – and that be only with a B6-4!
| Flight Date: | 2013-03-10 |
| Rocket Name: | Cyclone |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | B6-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 520 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 10.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 538 Feet |
I would have used a -6 delay but t' wind was quite strong. T' Cyclone was deemed safe t' fly in such winds because o' its small streamer.
Ignition went well and t' rocket shot off t' pad at a strong 20.4 Gs, averagin' 7.3 Gs for t' B6’s 8/10 second burn time. Avast! Both t' peak and average G-forces were higher than any previous flight. T' motor burned for 8/10 seconds, lettin' t' Cyclone reach a top speed o' 131mph t' coast for t' next 3.4 seconds when t' ejection fired. T' ejection was measured at 477 feet, while t' apogee o' the rocket measured 9138 ! Obviously this was an altimeter measurement error, arrr, no rocket is goin' t' go over 9000 feet on a B6 motor…on the Earth at least.
Similar t' other flights, matey, it seemed t' reach t' same apogee, shiver me timbers, so I’ll estimate this at 538 feet, me hearties, which be t' mean for this rocket/motor combo. After a well-deployed streamer, me hearties, this rocket returned at 20mph, landin' downwind about 400 feet.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes B6-4 |
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