Kerry's Ptery

From t' first time I saw a Pterodactyl Jr. kit, I knew I wanted t' build one. My local hobby store owner told me thar was a shipment of new PML kits comin' in and I wanted t' see t' kits up close before I bought one. Ahoy! T' shipment day arrived and I ran down t' t' store only t' find a fellow member o' our rocketry club had beat me t' it. Aye aye! Begad! I still ended up buyin' t' PML Small Endeavor kit. Arrr! At our next launch, Brian shows up with t' Pterodactyl Jr. rocket all built and I decided I still wanted one after seein' his close-up. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! A few days later I was gettin' ready t' run over t' Hobby Town and place me order when me girlfriend tells me that she wants a Pterodactyl Jr. Ahoy! kit. Begad! So I did the only honorable thing, me hearties, I ordered two.

T' current Pterodactyl Jr. Begad! kit uses t' new Quantum tubes, ya bilge rat, which are a plastic polymer. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It’s a little heavier than Phenolic but it significantly stronger. Avast! T' kit contains: (Fig. Aye aye! 1)

Pre-slotted 4” airframe Nose Cone G10 Fiberglass fins Piston ejection system 36” parachute 38mm motor mount Plywood centerin' rings Tubular nylon shock cord 2 3/8” Brass launch lugs Instruction sheet Pterodactyl decal

After checkin' t' make sure all t' parts were included in t' kit, matey, I checked t' fit o' t' parts. Avast! Two o' t' fins needed a little filin' down t' fit into t' pre-slotted airframe. Aye aye!

I am amazed that virtually no manufacturer o' high power rocket kits included any form o' positive motor retention. Aye aye! I placed a call to Ed at Giant Leap Rocketry and ordered up a couple o' his motor retention systems. Aye aye! Avast! I do need t' give PML credit for supplyin' RockSim 4.0 data on their website. Nay only do they have t' design o' t' Pterodactyl Jr., they also have an alternate design that incorporates a 29mm motor adapter. This is great for runnin' simulations before headin' out t' t' range. Aye aye!

T' Pterodactyl Jr. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! assembly instructions are clear, easy-to-read, me bucko, me hearties, and nicely illustrated. Avast! Ya scallywag! There are even nice instruction tips to make sure your construction goes well. As obvious as it may be t' some people, their first tip is t' “Be sure t' scuff all parts t' be bonded using medium sandpaper”. Arrr! Ahoy! These types o' tips are great for people new to buildin' high power rockets. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

First step is t' put together t' motor mount. Aye aye! T' piston ejection system is connected directly t' t' motor mount with a nylon strap. Aye aye! In order t' save wear and tear on t' nylon strap from t' ejection charges, ya bilge rat, I have added a 4” Nomex® protector (again from Giant Leap Rocketry).

T' only departure from t' instructions here was a quick wrap o' Keelhaul®©™® strin' around t' motor mount and strap (Fig. Begad! 2). Blimey! This isn’t an attempt at greater strength, it was simply t' keep t' strap tight t' t' tube while t' epoxy cures. Blimey! Notice also, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, two small pieces of maskin' tape t' keep t' corners o' t' strap down. Ya scallywag! After t' epoxy dried, all the strin' nay epoxied into t' strap was removed so t' fins would fit flush to t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions recommend 5-minute or 15-minute epoxy, instead I used West Systems’ 105 epoxy resin and 205 fast hardener. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! The described combination should yield a dry-time o' about 2 hours. Avast! T' added strength o' t' connection should be worth t' extra wait. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' epoxy that was left over be used t' assemble t' piston and brush t' inside o' t' piston with a liberal amount o' epoxy. Arrr! Puttin' a coat o' epoxy inside t' piston should help protect it from t' heat o' t' ejection charges.

Since I had some time t' kill while t' motor mount was drying, I decided t' be constructive with me time and start preppin' some other parts. Begad! Aye aye! Usin' medium grit sandpaper, me hearties, arrr, I scuffed up t' inside o' t' airframe where t' centerin' rings and fins will attach. Arrr! I also scuffed up along the outside o' t' airframe along t' fin slots and up t' airframe where t' long fins attach t' t' airframe. Begad! Next I took t' a little more sandin' and roughed up t' places on t' fins where t' epoxy will be put. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' nosecone got a nice hot soapy wash in t' scuttle with a rubber kitchen scrubber t' remove any excess mold release agent. This can wreck havoc with your attempts t' get primer and paint t' stick t' t' nose.

	T' nosecone got sanded down usin' a small electric hand sander with a fine grit paper. I just did enough t' remove t' seam lines and mold marks as well as a little more scuffin' t' be ready for t' primer. Arrr! A mix of two hour epoxy be poured into t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, then an eyebolt was screwed in. This was all left t' dry with t' nose standin' up so t' epoxy would run back down and seal t' eye bolt in place.
Usin' a shock cord tip from Ed at Giant Leap, the piston strap was wrapped with Keelhaul®©™® strin' and epoxied into place. Aye aye! Before doin' this, me bucko, matey, I slipped a Nomex® shock cord protector over t' piston strap to minimize ejection charge damage.
	Finally, a set o' motor retainers (also from Giant Leap) were put into t' aft centerin' ring. A small bit of epoxy will ensure they aren't comin' out. Avast! Then t' aft centerin' rin' was epoxied into place. Avast! As you can see, me bucko, some paintin' has been done. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' first coat of yellow went on and now needs t' be sanded over. However, shiver me timbers, it is ready t' fly. Hopefully it will go up this weekend.