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After crashing my Big
Bertha for the fourth time, I picked up a new one. And this time
I wanted to modify it into an Estes Ranger, a popular ancestor of the Bertha
which used a cluster of three 18mm motors, but I didn't want to give up
the option of flying it with a single motor.
What I came up with is a Better Big Bertha. This one has an array of
interchangeable motor mounts including a 2x18mm, a 3x18mm and a 1x24mm.
It can be flown on anything from a pair of A motors all the way up to E
power and beyond.
Download plans for the Better Bertha
A fourth motor mount was later added which includes 2x18mm tubes and 2x13mm tubes (at right in pic).
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This liftoff pic shows the newest motor mount with two B6-6's and two A10-PT's burning.
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The wind was blowing
pretty good the day of the launch, so even with a large parachute to
slow its descent rate, the rocket still hit the ground hard due to the
lateral speed. As a result, it broke a fin.
In the pic, craft sticks wrapped in foil are used to hold the fin
aligned while the glue sets. The foil guards against the sticks
becoming glued to the fin.
While there will be a scar as a result of the repair, it's part of the flying.
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12-26-2008 |