Custom modded Estes Outlander. Original was said to be underpowered and have unstable/unpredictable flight. Since I thought it was an awesomely cool "definitely not 3FNC" design, I went about fixing the said deficiencies. First I started with a 24mm Motor mount so that I can fly this heavyweight on D12s. Next I noticed that the "fins" (lander legs) were designed so that they can actually flop around! Can you imagine a rocket with 4 floppy fins? I fixed that with added "bushing" spacers using balsa shims and I also notched the end stop a bit so that the fins stay in place on lift off. Seems to have worked well since first flight was a very good one. I also added 1oz of clay to the nose since I was flying on Ds.
| Flight Date: | 2015-03-09 |
| Rocket Name: | Estes Outlander (Modded fins & 24mm MMT) |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Outlander {Kit} (2110) [2003-2008] |
| Flyer's Name: | Ken E. Coyote |
| Motors: | D12-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 400.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 5.00 mph |
| Actual Altitude: | 500.00 Feet |
Nice launch up for the Outlander. Started flying near the trees behind me; however upon ejection, the winds carried it back to the field. Got quite high! Good chute (used dog barf this time) and descent was straight, but still a tad faster than comfortable. Landing was a bit hard and lander fell over after touching down. Post-flight inspection reveals one of the lander legs broke at the flexible tubing connector (always felt this was a weak point...what a wobbly/flexy connection!). I'll next try inserting dowels to use as pivot points for the legs...should then fix all the weak points on this beauty.
Side note is that there is a lot of ejection residue on the top of the lander...happened on the last flight as well. Likely due to the large cone shape of the nose which is flying right into the charge residue.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes D12-3 |
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