The 10th model rocket in my budding early collection of 1974 was an Estes Big Bertha. Not just any garden-variety Big Bertha. This one was built for a very special purpose.
At that time I was a nerdy high school senior, attending
a school that placed a lot of emphasis on sports. Because I was a nerd, and not a jock, I had
to find outlets other than sports to express myself in this particular social
environment. In the early 70s, nerds were
not held in very high esteem like they are in this day and age.
Anyway, since I didn’t play football, I found a unique
way to participate in the school’s upcoming Homecoming activities.
I would fly a model rocket from the field during
half-time of the Homecoming football game!
I floated the idea to the student council, and to the
school administration, and was given the green light.
It was determined that the perfect rocket for such a demo
flight would be the Big Bertha, so I purchased a kit, built it carefully, and
painted it in the school colors: dark green and white, with some silver
Monokote trim.
On the Big Day, I had the model on the sideline of the
football field - prepped, mounted on the launcher, and ready to go. I was so nervous that I didn’t even pay much
attention to the football game in progress.
When the whistle blew marking the end of the contest’s
first half, I quickly gathered up the rocket, launcher, and controller, and ran
to the center of the field. It was only
a matter of a minute or so until the ignitor leads were hooked up and a
continuity check made. I signaled to the
PA announcer that all was go.
He started a countdown from 10 with the crowd of
onlookers enthusiastically joining in.
“5….4…3…2…”
“Please don’t let there be a burn out!” I said to myself…
“1…..”
Holding my breath, I pushed the button.
“WHOOOSH”, the model took off, straight up with the
classic slow Big Bertha liftoff. The
B6-4 engine took it to apogee, then “POP” the parachute ejected and blossomed
out.
The spectators cheered as the bird floated down under an
18” chute and landed on the field.
Phew! Mission
accomplished!
Sadly, the successful flight of the Bertha painted in
school colors was the only bright spot of that Homecoming afternoon.
The Jocks lost the football game….53 to zip !
Following this initial flight, the Bertha was flown many more times at Skywatchers/ROMAR sport meets and public demonstration events. It became the fleet workhorse for lofting all of my experimental parasite gliders.
During one of its flights, the motor mount broke loose and was shoved forward, causing the model to prang and crumple the top three inches of the body tube. The damaged portion was merely cut off, and the model flew many more times in a 'short' version. All told, the old Big Bertha logged sixteen flights before it was ultimately sold with the rest of my fleet in 1985.
Here are a couple of pics. I don't have any photos of the model in its original full-length condition.
