Brief:
After a prang from 3000 feet o' me VB Extreme 29mm, t' only survivin' parts were t' fin section, 2 launch lugs, nose cone and bulkhead/eyebolt. Well, blow me down! A 24mm adapter be epoxied in, a clear fluorescent light tube cover was slipped over the fin tube and t' nose cone slid into t' other end, arrr, with a wrap o' tape around t' shoulder. Avast! Rear Ejection be t' final modification.

Modifications:
T' Fin section o' body tube be cut just at t' CP mark which was about 1 inch above t' G10 fins. Begad! T' 1 inch above t' G10 fins needed t' be unwrapped slightly t' slide into t' plastic light tube cover. Begad! Aye aye! There are 2 sizes of fluorescent light cover, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a wider tube and a narrower tube. Aye aye! I used t' narrow one.

Into t' forward end o' t' fin section, shiver me timbers, a small piece o' stainless steel scrubber be secured t' act as a baffle. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' distance betwixt t' baffle in the fin section, arrr, and t' bulkhead in t' clear tube section was about 5 inches. This 5 inches held 2 feet o' shock cord and a 6 inch nylon parachute very tightly wrapped.

T' entire body above t' fins is crystal clear and t' shock cord hangs down.

As many as 3 Cyalume light sticks can be taped t' t' long section o' shock cord (that attaches t' nose cone). Begad! Begad! At ejection, matey, t' fin section blows back and pulls out t' parachute. Ahoy! T' design has flown on D12-5 and E9-6 motors with great stability.

T' same 3 fins that came with t' original kit were used. Well, blow me down! Begad! On initial assembly, t' fins were epoxied canted 10 degrees off line which resulted in a rapid spin upon ascent.

T' plywood bulkhead was epoxied into t' clear plastic fluorescent light tube cover with t' eyebolt facin' forward. Avast! Approx. Well, blow me down! 40 inches o' 1/4 inch elastic were connected after curing, t' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' nose cone required a wrap o' maskin' tape t' sit snug in t' end o' t' plastic tube.

T' rocket is nay especially sturdy, ya bilge rat, t' fluorescent light tube cover is somewhat flexible. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' design, me hearties, for night flights would probably withstand Composite E motors. This worked out especially well because I had been looking for a Night Flight design. All t' parts fit perfectly.

Flight:
Nice recovery on 2 flights, D12-5 and E9-6. Arrr! Arrr! Recovery appears sloppy because the forward section is 50 inches and t' aft section is only 10. It's meant to recover at night, so that aspect wouldn't be visible.

Summary:
T' VB-29 has a strong potential for recovery failure because o' t' minimum diameter tube and t' size o' t' included parachute. T' 'chute can easily wind up bein' "Stuffed."

T' parts recovered are great and can be used easily.