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#1
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Q-Jets at NARAM-60
Gary Rosenfield brought some of the new Quest Q-Jet C12 and D16 motors to NARAM-60 to demo fly.
I brought with me a Quest Astra III and Qwik-Q model to fly with the motors (These models are on the Q-Jet motor packaging so I thought it best to so that these models can fly on the Q-Jet motors). A D16-8 was installed in the Qwik-Q while the Astra III received a C12-8. The Qwick-Q was the first to launch. Instant ignition and climb out. Ho...LE...Cow! Did that model get some altitude! I should have used a six second delay as the parachute ejected well past apogee but the chute opened without a problem. Ejection charge (.25 g) seemed just right.
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Bob S.A.M. # 0014 |
#2
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Next up was the Astra III with a C12-8 Q-Jet motor.
Again, instant ignition and a fast, high climbout. Ejection past apogee (Needed a -6) but the parachute opened without issue.
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Bob S.A.M. # 0014 |
#3
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Post Flight
The two models landed far away either near or in the dreaded canyon.
I was lucky. I found the Astra III just before the tree line where the canyon began. Expecting the Qwik-Q to have gone even farther out I went into the canyon to search. After thirty minutes and no luck I decided to go back as it was hot and I was getting worn out. As I exited out of the canyon back towards the rangehead, a fluttering red-yellow piece of plastic caught my attention. It was the Qwik-Q. I gathered up the Qwik-Q and headed back to the tent area where Gary Rosenfield was sitting. We twisted off the motor rings and each extracted a perfectly intact motor casing. No deformation, blistering or charring. These motors were made with the new smaller diameter casing. The plastic motor retaining rings on each model were not deformed or melted. I think Quest has turned the corner on the initial issues which affected these motors.
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Bob S.A.M. # 0014 |
#4
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I flew the D16 4 in a stock Estes Mercury Redstone. Folks at the club have had a little trouble with these on a C6 3, so it was a good choice to see if the new Quest D motor would save the day. A hand full of dog barf and out to the pad. Plenty of thrust off the pad, ejection at apogee, but oh no! The chute is not out, an ice cream cone on the way down. Bigger tube volme, heavier cone with a bit narrower shoulder will need more ejection punch in the shorter delay motors.
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#5
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My Rocket Buddy Scott found the Alpha just off the rim of the first canyon.
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#6
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Quote:
Do the new smallified ejection charges not at least equal what you'd get from a C6? I know I heard they were reduced from .5g to .3g, but I don't know what the equivalent would be in an Estes motor. Makes me slightly worried about flying them on larger LPR models with 24mm mounts (where I was mainly interested in Q-Jet C, what with the demise of the C11. |
#7
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Quote:
That happens more often with dog barf than classic Estes tissue wadding. When you use the appropriate amount of tissue style, it acts a bit like a piston and helps push the chute out. Dog barf does nothing for ejection so the NC has to have enough inertia to jerk the chute out. When I had to fall back on dog barf, I made sure I packed the chute small enough that would just fall out when I turned the rocket upside down. When I had vertical ejections, considerably more than half the dog barf stayed in the BT, so it sure didn't help with getting the laundry out.
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I love sanding. Last edited by tbzep : 08-07-2018 at 08:56 PM. |
#8
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FYI, pre-orders now enabled on the Quest website for the C-12 and D-16 Q-Jets.
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