The Alpha: What can I say? Ask anybody, they probably have one or two. This was built from the original 1974 kit, bundled with the starter kit / launcher for about $14 and some change. I ordered it when I was 13 yrs. directly from Estes mail order, sending bills and change in an envelope without telling my parents because I was too afraid they would say I couldn't get it. It's always easier to get forgiveness than permission! It was a rugged, good flyer. It has since been moth-balled, the shock cord is rotted. I restored it to flying contidion one day when I was bored. It received a new Kevlar shock cord mount and a better plastic parachute with longer shroud lines. I also added a small payload section to the top, making this rocket 2-1/4" taller and 5 grams (0.176 oz) heavier. I flew it with an A8 on a windy day, and I was suprised how straight it flew, reaching 210 feet apogee and going up to 71 mph (104 ft/sec.). Can't wait to try this on a B or C this weekend!
| Flight Date: | 2014-05-24 |
| Rocket Name: | Alpha |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Alpha {Kit} (25) [1966-] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | B6-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 488 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 8.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 488 Feet |
Another B6 test flight for the Alpha. Last time I was distracted and forgot to record the data from the altimeter before clearing it, so this is a repeat test flight. As the light rocket took off fast and high, I couldn’t keep it in sight for the camera, and missed all of the apogee and ejection phases.
She took off with a 19.5 G peak acceleration, burned for 8/10 seconds and averaged 7.3 Gs the entire time. At burnout it was going 122 mph, and then coasted up for another 3.8 seconds. A slightly early ejection popped the chute at 468 feet, slowing the rocket in the next 9/10 seconds to an apogee of 488 feet.
A good 10.5” chute opened up and let it return at a somewhat slow 6 mph, even with a 10% spill hole. The shroud lines were ½ twisted, but the 1.5X shroud length was able to accommodate that easily, so we had a nice parachute for the slow descent. Falling from almost 500 feet, it took 54 seconds for the flight to complete – a record for the Alpha Iris.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Quest B6-4 |
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