| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Oatlander background history:
T' Oatlander was inspired by t' Oat cereal box rockets and
strongly influenced by t' original Marz Lander, me bucko, thus t' name.
Oat - Lander
T' rocket was built almost entirely from recycled or found parts with t' exception o' t' core body tubes and t' fin material. Arrr! Ya scallywag! A great amount o' design emphasis was placed on saving weight. Avast! Arrr! Some o' t' other oat box rockets have been on t' heavy side, for rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! T' single most significant weight savings was in me selection o' t' oat box its self. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Instead o' the conventional wound construction I was able t' find a box that was single layer o' fiber board. Carefully selectin' material can make a difference. Begad! Even though it's a fatroc, me hearties, it doesn't have t' be heavy.
As I said with t' exception o' t' core body tubes and the fin material all other materials were salvaged. Avast! Begad! T' Oatlander could be built usin' purchased materials o' course.
Other Sources:
- T' Wonderful Flight T' T' Mushroom Planet
- My Doctor, me hearties, for puttin' me on a cholesterol reduction diet.
Parts List:
Construction:
All construction was done usin' basic
construction techniques. Ahoy! This is really nay an advanced rocket, it just
took some time t' build.
T' design uses a core structure o' three BT-20 tubes around a central BT-50 tube. This gives structural integrity and allows flexibility in engine use. Blimey! Blimey! T' core structure is then attached t' three bulk heads cut from 1/8" foam board t' fit t' inside diameter o' t' oat meal box. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Positioned one each at t' top and bottom and one approximately 3" from t' bottom t' add support where t' fins will anchor. Ya scallywag! T' foam board was salvaged from an old poster.
T' oat meal box is then attached t' t' bulk heads. Aye aye! Double check alignment before applyin' glue. Ya scallywag! Begad! Locate t' launch lug holes adjacent t' t' core structure tubes.
A transition adaptor was cut from a discarded file folder. Begad! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! This sits on t' top o' t' sustainer and matches a circle cut from 3/32" balsa that is glued in place on t' core structure. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Insert t' launch lugs and trim off excess.
T' capsule is made from a foam ostrich egg. A stagin' coupler is glued into t' base o' t' egg t' fit into t' BT-50 and one for each o' t' surroundin' tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Be certain t' align t' tubes so that it will be easier t' fit everythin' together, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, especially t' couplers and t' capsule.
Use t' fin alignment wrap and index t' sustainer body with six equally spaced marks that run at least 4" up from t' bottom.
T' landin' gear, me bucko, that be t' longest fin, me bucko, is glued first and touches t' bottom o' t' sustainer. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Once t' landin' gear/fins have dried add t' buttresses, ya bilge rat, arrr, on each side o' t' landin' gear. Begad! T' buttresses are glued along t' root edge t' t' sustainer and t' t' side o' t' landin' gear. Arrr! Glue t' landin' gear feet t' t' ends o' each landin' gear leg. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' shish kabob skewers that represent hydraulics are next. Arrr! Each o' t' landin' gear feet gets one that goes up t' the
sustainer body. Begad! Begad! You can try t' measure out and cut t' correct miter on t' body end o' t' skewers, but what I did was t' make a small hole in t' sustainer body and stick in t' skewer with t' application o' a little glue. Avast! No measuring. T' skewers attach (enter) t' sustainer at 3" above t' bottom. Avast! They are positioned in betwixt t' paired buttresses above each o' t' landin' gear legs.
Finishing:
Seal. Sand. Begad! Paint and finish t' taste. Well, blow me down! I like cinnamon and brown sugar on me oat meal.
Flight Notes:
05/12/01: KCAR May launch at Shawnee Mission Park. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! D12-3. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Weather was perfect.
No clouds, little wind. Begad! Blimey! T' club had a record number o' launches.
T' Oatlander was prepared and inspected. Blimey! Blimey! I be usin' a borrowed nylon
chute which fit very snug in t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' launch went perfect. Avast! Blimey! Straight
up, me bucko, me hearties, no wobble. Ahoy! Blimey! Arced over at apogee and t' ejection charge blew t' motor
out t' back. No chute deployment. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Oatlander took a core
sample. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' damage was surprisingly slight. Arrr! Blimey! T' outer body detached from
the bulkheads and some damage t' t' nose capsule. Aye aye! Blimey! Good flight, bad
landing. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was advised that t' engine hook may have been too loose.
A single wrap o' tape would have made t' engine secure and might have prevented
this.
05/13/01: D12-3. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! After makin' quick repairs, we decided t' try again. Ahoy! This time I made t' engine secure and used a plastic parachute. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! T' fit was better in t' tube. Avast! Blimey! Most o' t' damage had been repaired with t' exception of t' circle at t' top o' t' transition section bein' broken. Avast, me proud beauty! The wind was higher than t' previous day, shiver me timbers, but it be just as hot. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! We launched a soundin' rocket t' test t' wind. Aye aye! Blimey! Good flight and recovery. Begad! Blimey!
We gave a countdown and launched t' Oatlander for t' second time. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! No hesitation from t' launch pad. Begad! She started t' arc slightly into t' wind but achieved about t' same altitude as t' day before. This time t' ejection charge blew t' chute out and we had good deployment. Begad! Blimey! She came down a little hot. Blimey! Hit t' ground on one side and cracked a landin' gear leg. Nothin' that a little glue won't fix. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!
Because o' its size, t' flight is really excitin' t' watch and easy to track.
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