Flight Log - 2012-06-10 - Rich DeAngelis's Striker AGM Iris

The Quest Striker AGM is a simulated military missile. My particular rocket was modified with a 3.5" payload that stretches it to over 30 inches long, and painted to an entirely different red-white-blue scheme featuring some gold trim lines. Another modification was started by the shipping company. The body tube was damaged in the center, so I wrapped it with a heavy paper shroud and then strengthened the body with eight basswood strakes that looks more like it was meant to be a design feature instead of a patch-job. To hide it in plain sight the strakes were painted gold. It looks like it was painted more for an air show and not like an AGM missile. I think with this model I have finally learned that models of this size and weight (30” and about 5 oz.) should have a 24mm mount. The 18mm motors that are affordable are just not powerful enough for satisfying altitudes. I can get about 300 feet on a C6-3 motor though, so it's high enough. This should be strong enough to fly with a composite D10 motor. This rocket has flown higher than the Washington National Cathedral and the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

Flight Date: 2012-06-10
Rocket Name: Striker AGM Iris
Kit Name: Quest - Striker AGM {Kit}
Flyer's Name: Rich DeAngelis
Motors: C6-3
Launch Site: Halifax, PA
Actual Altitude: 303.00 Feet

I needed to send this up one more time to finish initial test flights and to prove that the C6-3 is the best motor choice for this rocket. The weather was very warm and calm for this flight. In the past I have measured over 5 Gs of acceleration for this model, but today it left the pad only peaking 4.5 Gs, however the average acceleration for the 2 second burn was higher than usual at 1.7 Gs.  This particular motor was a slow & steady burner.
Striker reached its highest recorded speed of 73 mph and coasted for 2.9 seconds to an altitude of 298 feet where the ejection occurred just a tad early. The rocket then stopped at 303 feet - the highest recorded for this rocket. The entire flight and coast was very straight up with little rolling.
The parachute deployed fully and the rocket then descended at 10 mph to a grass landing about 50 feet from the pad for a total flight time of 25.3 seconds. This was a perfect flight to start a very good flying day.

StageMotor(s)
1Estes C6-3

 

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