by Chris Kiekens

I had purchased a couple o' Gemini DC kits t' enter in this DesCon, me bucko, but alas, me hearties, holidays, ya bilge rat, arrr, sick kids and work seemed to drain t' majority o' me time.. Aye aye!

I did have time t' bang this one out howevera

I worked on this rocket obsessively(accordin' t' t' wife), shiver me timbers, and was havin' a great love affair with ita

Parts List: 1-2.14. LOC Nose cone 1-13. Avast! 2.14. Aye aye! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Fiberglass tube 1-9. Blimey! 29mm LOC tube 3-2.14.-29mm Centerin' Rings (home made) 1/8. Aye aye! ply 1-pot scrubber(stainless) 2-3/16 eye bolts 2-machinein' threads w/ bolts 20 feet Pratt 500lb Keelhaul®©™ 1-LOC 18. Blimey! parachute 1-1/8. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Quick link

Construction:

Puttin' it all together be pretty basic, slap t' centerin' rings on t' motor mount, epoxy liberally.. Arrr! add another CR attached with t' eyebolts, and sandwich a piece o' steel mesh in t' space.

T' fin slots were cut usin' a miter saw, matey, t' allow TTW construction.

T' Keelhaul®©™ was attached t' both eyebolts, shiver me timbers, and epoxied with a nut into t' nose(after cuttin' off t' shoulder), both givin' a solid attachment, as well as addin' some weight t' t' nose.

T' parachute was attached with a 1/8. quick link, arrr, matey, t' allow it t' be transferred t' other toys..

Steel machine threads were epoxied into t' aft centerin' ring, t' be used with washers for motor retention.

Flight Report:

Maiden Flight was on an Aerotech G75-medium delay, it leapt off t' pad like a screamin' mother-in-law, t' an estimated 3561 feet, shiver me timbers, ejection was just after apogee, me bucko, and deployment o' t' recovery system(parachute) was normal.

Apparently t' chute be slightly oversized, me hearties, me hearties, matey, as we watched it float away for some time, and I looked for it for about two weeks after..

Conclusion:

I will build another, and will fly it in a larger field, with a smaller chutebut t' tube be free, matey, shiver me timbers, and I have lots more o' them, so I may build a 38mm version as well, because I can seem t' lose enough o' me rocket stuff!