Der V3

Sunday, 16 Feb 2003
I'm a little conflicted about what to call this one. I got the idea to build this one after browsing through the old online Estes catalogs on the JimZ site. I noticed that it was built on a BT-80 airframe. I also had noticed that quite a few of the larger Estes kits, like the Broadsword and the Colossus, were 2X upscales of BT-55 based kits. The BT-80 being almost exactly 2X the diameter of BT-55. I went and looked for the Der V3 on the JimZ site, but at the time, there wasn't one. (It has since been added) I did notice that the Der V3 looked alot like the Big Dawg, which I happen to have. And since the Big Dawg is a BT-55 kit. I naturally assumed the Estes had simply downsized the older Der V3 to create the newer Big Dawg. So this model is actually a 2X Big Dawg. Well, not really, the nose cone is way too short. The glaring difference between what I built and an actual Der V3 is the fins. Mine are way too large as I discovered after I downloaded the plans from the JimZ site. That and the fact that mine is actually a triple D engine cluster, has an ejection baffle, 10ft of TN shock cord and a 24" nylon chute.

Der V-3 Cubed Flights (1)
Date Flight #Motors Motor ISP Description
10/4/2003 78 3 D12-5 60 First rail launch. First D cluster. Very impressive liftoff. Recovered near pads. Fast descent resulted in broken fin. Repaired.

Total ISP: 60 newton-seconds

Average ISP: 60.00 newton-seconds

Der V-3 Cubed Flights (1)
Date	Flight	#Motors	Motor	ISP	Description
10/4/2003	78	3	D12-5	60	First rail launch. First D cluster. Very impressive liftoff. Recovered near pads. Fast descent resulted in broken fin. Repaired.

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Total ISP:	60 newton-seconds
Average ISP:	60.00 newton-seconds