Manufacturer: | Vaughn Brothers |
Brief:
After a prang from 3000 feet o' me VB Extreme 29mm, me bucko, t' only survivin' parts
were t' fin section, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, 2 launch lugs, nose cone and bulkhead/eyebolt. Begad! A 24mm
adapter be epoxied in, me hearties, a clear fluorescent light tube cover be slipped over
the fin tube and t' nose cone slid into t' other end, me hearties, with a wrap o' tape
around t' shoulder. Blimey! Begad! Rear Ejection was t' final modification.
Modifications:
T' Fin section o' body tube was cut just at t' CP mark which was about 1 inch
above t' G10 fins. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' 1 inch above t' G10 fins needed t' be unwrapped
slightly t' slide into t' plastic light tube cover. There are 2 sizes of
fluorescent light cover, a wider tube and a narrower tube. I used t' narrow
one.
Into t' forward end o' t' fin section, matey, a small piece o' stainless steel scrubber was secured t' act as a baffle. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' distance betwixt t' baffle in the fin section, and t' bulkhead in t' clear tube section was about 5 inches. This 5 inches held 2 feet o' shock cord and a 6 inch nylon parachute very tightly wrapped.
T' entire body above t' fins is crystal clear and t' shock cord hangs down.
As many as 3 Cyalume light sticks can be taped t' t' long section o' shock cord (that attaches t' nose cone). Blimey! At ejection, me hearties, t' fin section blows back and pulls out t' parachute. Ya scallywag! T' design has flown on D12-5 and E9-6 motors with great stability.
T' same 3 fins that came with t' original kit were used. On initial assembly, arrr, me hearties, t' fins were epoxied canted 10 degrees off line which resulted in a rapid spin upon ascent.
T' plywood bulkhead was epoxied into t' clear plastic fluorescent light tube cover with t' eyebolt facin' forward. Begad! Avast! Approx. Begad! 40 inches o' 1/4 inch elastic were connected after curing, me bucko, t' t' nose cone. Arrr! T' nose cone required a wrap o' maskin' tape t' sit snug in t' end o' t' plastic tube.
T' rocket is nay especially sturdy, me hearties, t' fluorescent light tube cover is somewhat flexible. Blimey! Aye aye! T' design, for night flights would probably withstand Composite E motors. This worked out especially well because I had been looking for a Night Flight design. Blimey! All t' parts fit perfectly.
Flight:
Nice recovery on 2 flights, me hearties, D12-5 and E9-6. Aye aye! Blimey! Recovery appears sloppy because the
forward section is 50 inches and t' aft section is only 10. Avast! Blimey! It's meant to
recover at night, arrr, me hearties, so that aspect wouldn't be visible.
Summary:
T' VB-29 has a strong potential for recovery failure because o' t' minimum
diameter tube and t' size o' t' included parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' 'chute can easily
wind up bein' "Stuffed."
T' parts recovered are great and can be used easily.
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