Son o' t' Grand Whazoo

Brief
This update provides a description o' how I rebuilt me Grand Whazoo after its second fateful flight. Ya scallywag! T' top o' t' original Grand Whazoo be *completely* destroyed. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! However, ya bilge rat, t' aft section, me bucko, includin' t' boat tail and fins, was intact. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I decided t' take a different approach t' t' rebuild. Ahoy! T' minimize the volume that had t' be pressurized, I decided t' use an inner 4" diameter tube extendin' through t' body. Ya scallywag! Begad! After some pondering, I also decided to eliminate t' large nose cone in favor o' a smaller one that would mate t' this 4" tube. Avast! I be hopin' this design would still stay within t' 3.3 lb. limit. Begad!

Reconstruction
I first performed some surgery, adaptin' a 4" mailin' tube t' the survivin' tail section. Arrr! I then added foam rings and poster board t' form the body (includin' transitions). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I made t' small (4") conical nose cone from fiberglassed poster board salvaged from t' original rocket. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! A small foam board rin' and a chunk o' 32mm tubin' completed t' nose cone assembly. Ya scallywag! This assembly mates with t' dowel/eyebolt from t' original nose cone. Ahoy!

On me old scale, t' finished rocket weighed in at 51oz with a G80 installed. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' 60" chute that I used with t' original Grand Whazoo pushed the weight over 3.3 lb. Blimey! Ahoy! limit. Arrr! Arrr! T' use this chute or a smaller one? Ahh, that is the question.. Begad! Begad!

Finishing
I wanted a bit more decoration on this version so I decided on a pattern similar t' a real V2. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I looked in ROTW and came up with a hybrid marking scheme. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' tail section has a black and white roll pattern, me bucko, t' nose cone is red, matey, and t' transition section directly below t' nose is painted silver (Krylon hammered silver). Aye aye! Blimey! Since most o' t' rocket is poster material, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, I decided t' mark t' fins usin' a large permanent black marker. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Finally, me bucko, I added some text and graphics from me ink jet printer. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Inspired by t' early V2's fired from White Sands, me hearties, I created a 'cheesecake' style graphic o' a Lassie-Lucy riding a V2. And, in a feeble attempt at humor, I also added two labels written in German. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! One identifies t' bar code sticker, arrr, me hearties, which unintentionally remained on the body (oops), ya bilge rat, and t' other tells t' launch technician where t' install the launch rail.

Launch
Since t' rocket was potentially over t' 3.3 lb. limit, arrr, I took it t' an HPR launch, with t' intent o' usin' t' 60" chute. Avast! Avast! Well, at t' last minute, I opted for a very light 48" chute, arrr, hopin' it would come in under 3.3 lb, and recover without significant damage. Blimey! Avast! Well, on t' highly calibrated scale at the RSO table, it weighted in at 3 lb. Well, blow me down! even. Arrr! It can also fly at t' NARHAMS V2-themed launch later this year!

Once again, everyone was surprised that this big a rocket weighs so little, and thar were cheers when it boosted under G80 power. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' 4-second delay was just a tad long but t' chute deployed nicely. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' decent was still fairly slow, shiver me timbers, and t' only 'damage' be a crease in one fin. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! No rework required. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Conclusion
Usin' an inner 4" stuffer tube with t' smaller nose cone seems t' be the way t' go. Begad! It be easier t' construct, and I think recovery should be more reliable (100% true based on a statistical sample o' one :-) ). Ahoy! I'm glad it is still classified as a large model rocket!