Overview
A cardstock flyin' saucer that can be built t' fly on 18mm or 24mm engines.

Kit Specifications

• Diameter - 6 inches (15cm)
• Height - 2.75 inches (7cm)
• Weight - 0.5 oz (12gm)

Background:
Art Applewhite specializes in finless rockets that can be built from cardstock and foamboard. Arrr! He sells a kit called t' Delta Flyin' Saucer that is built from cardstock with a foam-board disk in t' center for structural rigidity. T' new Ultra Delta uses a nifty cardstock foldin' technique t' eliminate t' foam disk. This reduces t' weight, increases t' performance, and eliminates the hardest step in t' Delta construction, me bucko, which be cuttin' t' foam disk at a precise angle.

Since I have experience with his other kits, Art invited me t' be a beta tester for t' Ultra Delta. Begad! Blimey! He sent me a six-pack o' kits in a rainbow of fluorescent colors. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! All o' Art's kits are shipped in USPS Priority Mail boxes with air-filled plastic pouches for protection. Begad! Blimey! I have never received a damaged part on any o' his kits.

Parts List

• Two 8.5x11-inch sheets o' printed cardstock
• Instructions

T' instruction manual is printed on three 8.5x11-inch pages. Aye aye! T' directions are very detailed and photo illustrations are plentiful.

CONSTRUCTION

Before construction begins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' builder must decide which configuration to build. Begad! T' printed cardstock contains markings for either 18mm or 24mm engines. T' 24mm version can be built with a motor block for C11 or D12 engines, shiver me timbers, or the block can be omitted for use with longer E9 and F21 motors.

I built all three variants. First I built a yellow 18mm version. Avast, me proud beauty! Based on my feedback from that build session, Art made some minor tweaks t' the instructions and t' t' printed pattern. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I used those revised directions to build a green 24mm short version and a hot pink 24mm long version.

Elmer's Glue-All was used for most construction. Ya scallywag! For t' fillets, I used Aleene's Thick Designer Tacky Glue. Arrr! It goes on thick, me hearties, stays in place, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, dries clear, ya bilge rat, and has minimal shrinkage. Yellow (wood) glue is specifically NOT recommended because it shrinks too much when it dries. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

T' first few steps consist o' cuttin' out t' motor mount, wrappin' it around a used engine, and gluin' t' overlappin' tab. Ya scallywag! A narrow band of cardstock is wrapped around t' outside o' t' motor mount t' form a thrust rin' that will press against t' upper body o' t' saucer. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! An optional motor block is then installed on t' inside o' t' motor mount.

T' upper body is formed by cuttin' out t' upper body, then rollin' it into a shallow funnel shape and gluin' t' overlappin' tabs.

T' lower body is a tiny bit more involved. Begad! Before gluin' t' tabs together, a seam must be scored around t' outside edge and bent backwards to create a matin' surface t' join t' two body halves. Begad! Hard t' describe, shiver me timbers, but easy to do. Begad! Ya scallywag! This little trick is what allows t' elimination o' t' foam-board disk that was used in t' original Delta Flyin' Saucer.

After t' body halves are dry, t' motor mount is glued t' upper body, then filleted.

T' lower body is then glued t' t' upper body along t' matin' surface on the rim. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

I ran into a minor hiccup on this step when t' glue grabbed on one edge before I had t' other edge completely aligned. It was only off by less than 1/8 inch, arrr, so I just trimmed off t' edge and it's no longer noticeable. Begad! On later builds I was more careful with t' initial alignment and did nay have this problem.

After applyin' a fillet where t' motor mount touches t' lower body, matey, matey, the build is done.

Finishing:
T' only finishin' that is recommended is a layer o' clear-coat spray to protect t' cardstock from moisture. Arrr! Begad! I used Rustoleum Gloss Clear on t' pink 24mm model, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and Rustoleum Painters Choice Gloss Clear on t' other two. Aye aye! The pink one turned out much shinier. Blimey!

No decals are provided, matey, matey, but I don't think they are necessary.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

FLIGHT/RECOVERY

Recommended Motors

As this table shows, just about any engine will work in an Ultra Delta. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The only ones that should be avoided are long-delay upper stage motors because the saucer will be back on t' ground when t' ejection charge fires.

Test Flights

Flight preparation consists o' friction-fittin' an engine and installin' the igniter. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I don't usually trust friction-fits, shiver me timbers, but since t' front end is open there is no pressure buildup t' blow t' engine out t' rear.

On t' 24mm long version, a tape thrust rin' must be installed around the bottom o' t' motor.

Havin' such similar rocket just begs for a drag race. Avast! T' first race was between an 18mm C6-3 and a 24mm C11-3. T' person pushin' t' button on t' C11 was a bit slower so t' C6 got a good head-start. Begad! With its higher thrust, arrr, the C11 caught up smartly and they both reached apogee at about t' same time and altititude. Well, blow me down! They both tipped over and descended slowly for soft landings about 35 feet from t' pad.

For t' second race we loaded up t' largest Estes engine that would fit in each size: C6-3, D12-3, and E9-4. Ya scallywag! I had recently rewired me launcher t' handle clusters, so I be able t' connect all three saucers t' a single launch button.

After an initial delay, all three lit nearly simultaneously. Blimey! T' 18 mm on the C6-3 was fastest off t' pad, but was smartly passed by t' 24mm D12. Ahoy! With its long burn, me hearties, t' 24mm E9 kept goin' long after t' others had burned out. Ahoy! Avast! The E9 saucer was corkscrewin' durin' boost, shiver me timbers, which made an tight spiral smoke trail and an interestin' sound. Avast! I have nay reflown it t' determine o' this was a fluke or a feature.

T' C6 and E9 both gently aero-shelled down, me bucko, while t' D12 fluttered t' its landing. All were recovered with no damage, within 25 feet o' t' pad.

A video o' this flight is available here on Art Applewhite's web site.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

OVERALL:
Another great addition t' t' Applewhite saucer fleet. Avast, me proud beauty! If you've never built a saucer before, matey, this would be a great kit t' start with. Begad! Even if you have built saucers before, ya bilge rat, this would still be a great kit t' flywith t' larger engines. Avast, me proud beauty!

PROS:

• Simple yet sturdy design.
  
• Like all saucers, it flies well in small fields.
• Capable o' usin' wide variety o' motors.

CONS:

• None

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5