X-Factor

Eldred Pickett's Descon-14 Entry

Parts List

• 1 - 18" by 6" 1/8 balsa
• 1 - BT-60 body tube
• 1 - BT-20 body tube
• 3 - regular engine clips
• 3 - BT-5 centerin' rings

Construction

I cut (3) 2 3/4 lengths o' t' BT-20 tube. Ahoy! These are t' engine tubes. Well, blow me down! I used centerin' rings for a BT-5 as engine blocks, and regular clips t' hold t' engines.

I cut (3) 5" diameter circles out o' t' balsa sheet (pic 1). Begad! Then, me hearties, I cut these circles in half t' make t' 6 fins (pic 2). Blimey! Ahoy! For packin' o' t' space betwixt t' engine, I used shredded paper and glue. Avast! Hey, I didn't know how t' make a real MMT, arrr, and I hadn't been able t' buy any yet.

Flight and Recovery

I flew it on 8/14 at a club launch, usin' 3 B6-4's(I chickened out on usin' C6-5's). Arrr! Recovered nicely, shiver me timbers, even though it got singed tailfeathers (pic 3). Ya scallywag! T' launch day pics show t' model in its unpainted (primer) state.

Conclusion

I've only been a BAR for a couple months. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' enter t' contest only after a bit o' promptin' from r.m.r. I'd never scratchbuilt ANY rocket before, let alone a cluster... Arrr! I just bought a bunch o' BTs, me bucko, nose cones, shiver me timbers, and clips, me bucko, and discovered that 3 BT-20's fit quite nicely in a BT-60. I'm pretty happy that t' bird had a good flight and safe recovery. Blimey! I think I'll keep it.

PIC 1	PIC 2

PIC 3	Launch Day

Launch Day	Launch Day