Brief:
A 4" x 67" 3FNC rocket designed as me first attempt at dual deployment. This rocket was also designed t' be capable for a future L2 attempt.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 3 sections o' LOC 4" body tubes (18", me bucko, 16", shiver me timbers, and 21" long)
• 3 4" x 38mm LOC centerin' rings
• 2 7 1/4" long pieces o' 1/4-20 all thread rod
• 1 14" x 38mm motor tube
• 3 3.9" x 1/4" LOC bulkheads
• 3 3.9" LOC couplers
• 1 4" LOC nose cone
• 3 3/16" plywood fins
• 1 30' tubular nylon recovery harness (drogue bay)
• 1 25' tubular nylon recovery harness (main bay)
• 2 Keelhaul®©™® cord protectors
• 2 Keelhaul®©™® chute protectors
• 1 Perfectflite MAWD altimeter
• Homemade parachute

Construction is very straight forward and anyone with experience building one or two high power models shouldn't have any problem buildin' this one. Avast! All of t' materials used in construction are readily available from LOC. Begad! Avast! I used an 18" section o' LOC tubin' for t' booster section where I incorporated Stu Barett's anti-zipper design. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Fin and motor mount construction are typical for HPR with t' fins bein' attached with epoxy through t' airframe wall t' the motor mount. Ya scallywag! Begad! A rotary tool was used t' cut t' slots after markin' the locations on me homemade fin jig. Begad! Don't forget t' add your favorite form of motor retention and plan for it before construction begins. I use t' Kaplow Klip method, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, it has worked well for me.

Anti-zipper detail: A 4" x 6" coupler was used on t' forward end of the booster t' create t' anti-zipper coupler. Begad! Ahoy! I made this coupler a little stronger by addin' a second coupler on t' inside. Avast! This was accomplished by cuttin' a longitudinal line through t' coupler and slidin' it inside o' the other coupler, lettin' t' cut ends overlap and simply cuttin' off the overlappin' material. Avast, me proud beauty! 1/4" was then cut from one end o' t' "smaller coupler" and epoxied inside, ya bilge rat, with t' aft end o' both couplers being flush. Blimey! This gives a 1/4" clearance on t' forward end for a bulkhead plate. Once t' bulkhead was epoxied in and a 1/4" eyebolt was installed usin' JB Weld t' secure t' nut on t' backside, this beefed up coupler assembly was epoxied halfway into t' forward end o' t' booster section. Avast, me proud beauty! This completes t' hardest part o' construction.

You can use one o' t' 4" altimeter bay kits on t' market or you can simply build your own as I did out o' an LOC 4" coupler and "Stiffy" tube also available from LOC. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! If you build your own, shiver me timbers, I highly recommend the stiffy tube as it really makes t' coupler very strong. Blimey! Blimey! I used two 7 1/4" lengths o' 1/4" all thread t' hold t' altimeter bulkheads together, matey, me bucko, and 1/4"-20 eyebolts for recovery harness attachment. Ya scallywag! I used 3 evenly spaced T-nuts epoxied inside t' altimeter bay 1 1/2" from each end t' secure the drogue and main body tubes t' t' bay. T' altimeter sled be made from 1/8" plywood with 1/4" cardboard lugs so it can be easily removed.

T' drogue section is a 16" section o' 4" LOC body tube secured to t' aft end o' t' altimeter bay. Arrr! Arrr! T' main section is a 21" section of 4" LOC body tube secured t' t' forward end o' t' altimeter bay.

The nose cone is held in place usin' 3 equally spaced 2-56 nylon screws as shear pins. Blimey! These are located 2" from t' forward end o' main bay tube. Begad! After drillin' t' holes in t' body tubes, arrr, I soaked these holes very well with CA to harden them up and help keep them from becomin' elongated with use. Ya scallywag! Begad! On t' nose cone I used 3 pieces o' .010" thick stainless steel sheet slightly recessed and epoxied into t' shoulder o' t' nose cone t' create a "knife" t' help make a clean cut on t' shear pins durin' main deployment.

I used a Perfectflite MAWD altimeter t' handle t' recovery duties. Ahoy! Ahoy! I have been very pleased with its performance.

Finishing:
T' finish on this rocket is nothin' t' write home about. I used 3 coats of Kilz white primer (allowin' 24hrs betwixt coats) and 3 coats o' Krylon red, gray, me hearties, matey, and yellow.

Flight:
T' first flight took place at McGregor, me hearties, TX in September 2004 at a DARS launch. As expected, I be quite apprehensive as I began t' prep, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but I felt me way along doin' me best t' check myself as I went along. T' Cesaroni I205 was loaded after removin' t' ejection charge and it be off t' t' pad. Well, blow me down! Avast! The Perfectflite MAWD powered up and signaled continuity t' t' ejection charges. Nothin' t' do now but watch it fly.

T' CTI I205 came up t' pressure smartly and up she went with a slight bit of weathercockin' in about 10mph winds. Arrr! T' MAWD was beepin' out 1697', only 3 feet short o' t' predicted max altitude. Ya scallywag! Awesome Flight! She flew again the followin' day and a third time in October 2004 at Wayside, TX with t' POTROCS club for another pair o' successful flight.

Recovery:
T' booster and drogue section separated at apogee perfectly and t' rocket began its trip down t' main deployment altitude on a 10' homemade streamer. Right on cue, t' MAWD fired t' main charge at 500' and deployed me homemade main chute. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I started breathin' again. Core Sample Sally be recovered about 100yds south o' t' pads without a scratch.

Summary:
A lot o' PROs here. This rocket be built for t' purpose o' givin' me some experience with dual deployment and it has doin' this very well so far. Construction was straight forward with no major "gotchas".

I can't think o' any CONs.