The Beta: I love this little gem, but I haven't been able to get T sized booster motors any more.
UPDATE: Estes is now making them again - I have some due to arrive shortly! Yea!!!!!
I think the small size of this rocket combined with its high-altitude capabilities is better off with a bright Mylar streamer instead of the 10" parachute. This makes it easier to spot in the air and on the ground, and reduces drifting in the wind. This rocket was recently given my "Iris" modification, which extends the body tube about 5 inches above the streamer/parachute bay, and allows for a payload with an Altimeter One to measure altitudes. The A-power booster and A-power sustainer really lift this Beta high, over 700 feet on just two A's! I'd say that's pretty good proof that multi-stage rockets are more efficient with propellant, as the same mass of propellant made into a single B-motor would have topped-out at about 500 feet.
After a flight where the second stage did not light for unknown reasons, the Beta was badly damaged. It was repaired with a new and shorter payload section, and the body tube was lengthened to fix the worn-down top of the tube. This rocket is now 19-7/8" long with both stages.
What's great about this kit is you can fly a two stage very economically, since T motors are cheaper than standard sizes. (Iris is named after the Greek god of the rainbow. She is a messenger of the gods, linking the gods with humanity.) This rocket has flown higher than the Revel Casino Towers in Atlantic City, and the Met-Life Tower in NY, and could very easily fly over the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
| Flight Date: | 2012-08-11 |
| Rocket Name: | Beta |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Beta {Kit} (845) [1972-1984] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A10-0/A3-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 720.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 7.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Halifax, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 147.00 Feet |
A10-0T booster, A3-4T sustainer: This flight was to be a re-do flight so I could finally collect some meaningful numbers on the A3 as an upper stage. The rocket, previously destroyed by a failure to ignite the second stage, was rebuilt and ready to try the A3 sustainer motor again.
The first stage lit and fired for 1.1 seconds, peaking the acceleration at 16.4 Gs and averaging 2.3 Gs during the boost. When the booster’s propellant was empty the rocket was travelling at 52 mph. It coasted for the next 2.3 seconds and during this time the second stage again didn’t light. It reached an apogee of 147 feet and turned over, then began a fast descent straight to the ground at high speed. The duration of the flight was only 7.5 seconds. It impacted the ground and drove itself deep in. The payload section tried to push itself into the main body tube, splitting and flaring it a bit. The altimeter compressed its lower padding and drove itself into the once slightly too small coupler used for the bulkhead. The nosecone drove itself three-quarters into the payload tube, splitting the tube open. Because the top rim of the payload tube was hardened with CA glue, the payload tube acted as a curved knife and shaved the finish and a thin layer of balsa off of the nosecone for three quarters of its length. That’s just what I saw as I pulled it from the ground. Disappointed, I didn’t bother to do a detailed inspection of the wreckage.
Again I had no idea why the upper stage A3 didn’t light. I did verify that the two motors were oriented correctly and taped together well. It then I realized that when I pulled the A3 motor out of the bin for this flight, I grabbed the one motor that had a bit of masking tape on it. At that moment I thought “This should save me some time, it’s got a bit of tape on it already!”
What I should have thought at that moment was “Oh, No! This must be the A3 motor that didn’t light the last time and destroyed the rocket! That’s why the tape is on it already!”
That single moment that passed without much thought is what destroyed this classic old rocket from the 1970’s. That and a defective upper-stage motor.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A10T-0 |
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Bill Eichelberger (March 4, 2015)
Rich, I had the same thing happen the first time I flew my Beta in two-stage configuration. I was told to take a paper clip end and place it inside the nozzle, then scrape it around a bit to clean off any residual clay that remains in the upper stage engine. Since then I've had no problems.