Albert Stevens III Build Pictures
August 2010 - February 2011


Memorial Build and Launch Sponsored by:

Wildman of Kentucky

1
Dennis Stevens (Albert's Brother) holding up plywood fin sheet.
 2
Dennis cutting fins from plywood.
 3
Darryl Hankes helping cut fins from plywood stock.
 4
Darryl sanding motor tube.
 5
Dennis taking his turn at sanding motor tube.
 6
Sustainer Stage Motor Tube Assembly (3 x 75mm).
7
Plywood bulk heads ready for installation.
 8
Dennis rounding leading edge of plywood fins
 9
Heres Dennis rounding opposite edge of plywood fins.
 10
Slot in sustainer stage for the fins.
 11
Preparing to Glass the Upper Sustainer.
 12
Fins attached to Sustainer.
13
Slots in the booster stage.
 14
First Stage in Middle, Sustainer on Left and additions to 1st and Sustainer on Right.
 15
Darryl produces interfillets for booster fin reinforcement.
 16
Interfillets for upper stage fin reinforcement.
 17
Close up of area where interfillets were produced in sustainer.
 18
Booster external fillets.
19
Sustainer external fillets.
20
Epoxy/glass applied over the joint.
 21
Booster Stage Glass reinforcement of joints.
 22
Application of Glassing to Sustainer Stage.
 23
View of Booster Glassing.
 24
Close up view of interstage tube coupler.
25
Inside look of interstage tube coupler.
 26
Electronics Bay.
 27
Booster Stage Assembled.
 28
Upper Stage Section.
 29
Upper Stage with payload section attached.
 30
Where glassed tube will be cut for air start electronics access.
31
Cut out for air start electronics area.
 32
Air start electronics area.
 33
Another view of air start electronics area.
 34
Almost ready for the cover.
 35
Covering the air start electronics access area.
 36
Darryl holding the first stage on the left and the upper stage on the right.
37
Darryl holding assembled rocket.
 38
Nose Cone with Primer.
 39
Finished Nose Cone .
 40
Second Stage Finished Payload Section.
 41
Second Stage Primer Coated Sustainer Section.
 42
Second Stage Sustainer Section Start of Blue Fin Paint.
43
Second Stage Sustainer Painting of Blue Fin.
 44
Second Stage Sustainer Painted Blue Fin.
 45
Second Stage Sustainer Section Painting Finished.
 46
First Stage Booster Section with Primer.
 41
First Stage Booster Section.
 48
First Stage Booster Section.
49
First Stage Booster Section Painting Finished.
 50
Booster Section Aft View (98mm Motor Tube).		 51
Another Booster Aft View.		 52
Booster Section Aft.		 53
Sustainer Section Aft View (3 x 75mm Motor Tube).		 54
Sustainer Aft View.
55
Another Sustainer Aft View.
 56
Indoor View of All Sections Painted by Drew Connners & C.J. Kendrick.		 57
Another Indoor View of Painted Sections.		 58
Indoor View of Painted Sections.		 59
Painted Sections.		 60
Painted Sections Partially Assembled.
61
Another View of partially Assembled Sections.
 62
Closer View of Painted and Partially Assembled Sections.		 63
Another View farther away.		 64
Painted Albert Stevens III.		 65
Another View of the Assembled Rocket.		 66
Painted Red Nose Cone.
67
Dennis & Sons Posing with ABSIII.
 68
Dennis & Sons Posing with ABSIII.		 69
Darryl Getting Ready to Climb Tower.		 70
Dennis Posing with Albert Stevens III.		 71
Preparing Altimeters for Launch.		 72
Preparing Altimeters for Launch.
73
Preparing Altimeters for Launch.
 74
Almost Done.		 75
Finishing up Launch Prep.		 76
Identification tags on Fins.		 77
Waiting for Launch.		 78
Waiting to Launch.
79
Waiting on Launch Tower.
 80
Waiting on Launch Tower		 81
Waiting on Launch Tower		 82
Waiting on Launch Tower		 83
Waiting on Launch Tower		 84
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, - Ignition.
85
Ignition
 86
ABSIII Clears the Launch Tower.		 87
ABSIII in Flight.		 88
ABSIII in Flight.		 88
ABSIII in Flight.		 89
ABSIII in Flight.
90
ABSIII in Flight.
 91
ABSIII in Flight.		 92
RockSim Drawing of ABSIII.		      

Additional Build information

  1. Albert Stevens III started the build as an L3 project.
  2. Dennis Stevens (Albert's little brother) wanted to honor Albert by completing the build and launching it. He did not know how to continue the build and asked Darryl for assistance.
  3. With Darryl's help and assistance from Drew and CJ the build was continued.
  4. Length - 18 feet.
  5. Diameter - 7.5 inches.
  6. Rocket Weight - 80 pounds without motors and motor hardware.
  7. Motor Weight - 70 pounds motors and motor hardware.
  8. Lower Section Thrust - One CTI Pro98 N5800 C-Star Motor (98mm 6 grain XL)(3.86" x 48.78").
  9. Sustainer Section Thrust - Three CTI Pro75 M1300 I-Max/Dual Thrust Motors (75mm 5 grain)(2.95" x 29.80").
  10. Booster Average Thrust - estimated to be 1299 pounds.
  11. Sustainer Average Thrust - estimated to be 942 pounds.
  12. Alitude - estimated to be 15,000 feet.
  13. Thrust/Weight ratio - Booster 9:1.
  14. Thrust/Weight ratio - Sustainer 10:1.
  15. Dual Ejection - R-DAS Flight Computer for Main Separation.
  16. Air Start - Raven Altimeter with deployment connections
  17. Altimeter - Perfect Flight Hi-Alt 45.
  18. Tracking - Separate Booster & Sustainer systems.
  19. Fins - Booster: 3/8" Plywood 30" long X 10" span.
  20. Fins - Sustainer: 3/8" Plywood 24" long X 9" span.
  21. Body Tubes - Phenolic reinforced with epoxy/glass socks
  22. Backup Deployment - Xavien XFiST 5 stage pyro / event controller
  23. Paint Scheme