| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This is a darin' single stage rocket designed t' go supersonic and yet hold together. Ahoy! It also will go quite high, shiver me timbers, so do check your waiver!
Construction:
It's quite easy t' build. T' fin set is a 38mm Acme fin canister obtained through Northern Hobbies on ROL auctions. Arrr! T' body tube is a standard 36 inch length o' 38mm flexible phenolic tubing. Well, blow me down! T' fin canister is epoxied onto one end o' this tube with a generous amount o' 12 minute epoxy.
T' launch lug in t' mark 1 version was a 6-inch length o' 13mm body tubin' gotten from Rogue Aerospace. It was epoxied with t' same glue startin' at six inches above t' top o' t' fin canister. Ahoy! T' nose cone is a PML solid urethane conical model. Arrr! Aye aye! It gives t' rocket a long lean mean look. Begad! Ahoy! This nose cone comes with a screweye embedded into its base, so thar be an easy attachment for t' 10 feet o' 1000 lb. Arrr! Ahoy! Keelhaul®©™® cordin' and 20 inch parachute. T' cordin' came from Recovery Technologies. Aye aye! They can be found on ROL. T' parachute is made o' rip stop nylon and I made it myself. Begad! T' shock cord is anchored aftward via a small screweye that goes through t' forwardmost centerin' rin' on t' motor mount, which is 12 inches o' 29mm flexible phenolic tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! This tubin' and t' three centerin' rings used came from Space Modelin' Solutions. They can be found on ROL.
Decoration be via fuelproof green polyurethane spray paint and self-adhesive lens paper. Well, blow me down! T' latter came from American Science and Surplus, and they have a site on ROL. Aye aye! T' resultin' rocket is strong, simple, shiver me timbers, sleek, arrr, and sharp looking, me hearties, literally.
Flight:
I use Rocksim 3.0 and 4.0 from Apogee Components t' choose motors and delays. T' program predicts apogee ejection with t' long delays for t' 29mm motors. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! First flight was with a G40-10W. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! It went nearly out o' sight. Recovery was perfect, matey, but I had a bit o' a walk. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Then I don't know what possessed me this past Saturday, ya bilge rat, matey, buy I flew it with a new Aerotech I 200-W long delay. T' rocket seemed t' pause for t' merest second after I pressed t' almighty button, me hearties, then a little fire appeared, matey, then t' rocket screamed upward on a flame trail that seemed t' be ongoin' even as t' rocket reached t' clouds. Ahoy! Blimey! Mind you, t' clouds were said t' be 6500 feet up. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket pierced these clouds. Blimey! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Only an onlooker with binoculars could help me sight in on me bird up thar with a bright red parachute, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which landed a mile downrange. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I had t' shimmy under two barbed wire fences and got stickers in me hair t' get me prize back!! Blimey! As it went up, me hearties, me bucko, I heard someone say t' Lord's name, me hearties, then t' announcer said that t' waiver was broken. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Do bear this in mind if you try this yourself.
It be a dandy flight, but I'm never proud t' break any rules. Ya scallywag! My husband said that at Max Q, t' shape o' t' smoke trail suddenly changed. Begad! Well, blow me down! Maybe it reached mach.
T' motor was retained with two loops o' piano wire that were epoxied through t' aftmost centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! These loops bend over t' thrust rin' but do nay extend over t' nozzle. Begad! Aye aye! A redundant mechanism o' retention is an automotive hose clamp that closes over t' wires and t' thrust ring.
Summary:
A real performer and easy t' build. Begad! Possibly a certification rocket for a cooler motor like an H128. Begad! But be prepared t' walk. Blimey! T' mark 2 version uses two lower drag Acme conformal launch lugs, gotten via ROL auction from Northern Hobbies Online. Aye aye! Rocksim does nay yet acknowledge t' fin canisters as parts on t' database, so me simulation be at best an approximation. Ya scallywag! I don't think t' rocket be too expensive for its performance. Blimey! T' fins and lugs ran me about $24, shiver me timbers, t' body tube $5, matey, t' nose cone $12, me hearties, and t' centerin' rings $2.
Other:
Obey your waivers. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! And see if thar are any single use motors for this one. Ahoy! Blimey! I nearly lost me 29/360 hardware. My husband nearly called me search off, shiver me timbers, but I was too stubbornly determined t' get this back.
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