Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Inspiration:
I guess I'm hooked! My wife says I am addicted, everywhere I turn, me hearties, I see
rockets! As I was inspectin' a HP 750 color plotter at work, I saw that the
paper came on really nice and light plastic tubes! Hmm, MUST be a rocket!
Parts List:
Airframe - HP part # C1861A- HP Bright White Injet Paper (you'll have to pitch t' paper I guess)
Motor retention - Estes D Engine mount kit.I played with toilet paper tubes, but they didn't seem safe..silly me
Shock Cord - Fibre Optic Zip cord, arrr, with t' fibre bein' removed, leavin' a rubber coated Keelhaul®©™ cord(6')
Chutes - Two chutes, ya bilge rat, one made from a shoe cover(so t' floor doesn't get dirty in t' board room), t' other from a piece o' a black garbage bag
Nose Cone - A toy I scammed from t' kids toy box, some space thin' from McD's, me bucko, ya bilge rat, as well as a bottle cover from Jake's bottle (ah, matey, he is too old for a bottle anyway!)
Fins - Balsa off o' t' floor(3/32)
Keepin' it all Together - Devcon 5 minute epoxy
Construction:
Secured motor mount with balsa centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, and epoxied it in t' tube.
Attached 6 fins t' t' airframe with epoxy. Ahoy! Epoxied t' shock cord t' t' motor
system, arrr, arrr, as well as t' t' nose cone. Tied t' chutes t' t' shock cord. Ready
to go!
Launch:
Prior t' launch, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, I weighed t' rocket with a yard stick, ya bilge rat, and two boxes o' Kraft
Dinner..then a box o' Kraft Dinner, ya bilge rat, and some noodles. Begad! Blimey! T' weight was somewhere
aroung 380 grams, good enough for me. Then i swung it aroung t' livin' room on
a string..flew straight, good enough for me! Blimey! First launch went great, as did
the second. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Chutes were deployed just after apogee, me bucko, landed softly within 50
feet o' t' launch pad. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A great day with almost no wind again! Blimey! Third launch
went very badly, matey, if launch be t' best word for it! Blimey! It never left t' pad, The
engine ignited, then Pop! Blimey! It blew! The
nose cone and t' chutes, shock cord still attached shot out, ya bilge rat, and were badly
burnt. Ahoy! So that's why we stand so far back, is it!
Recovery:
Pulled it off o' t' launch rod, me bucko, shiver me timbers, arrr, admired t' huge dent in t' blast plate,
swore a couple o' times, me bucko, me bucko, and called Estes..Very friendly people.. Ahoy! Blimey!
Repaired:
I had t' drill some holes in t' airframe, re-attach t' motor clip, install a
new shock cord(nylon from disposable ear plugs), and cut up another garbage bag
for a chute..but it's all fixed! First "Phoenix" launch Delayed due
to sick kid : (