Brief:

I'd been readin' about spool rockets & decided t' build one for myself. Avast! After me Estes Stormcaster lawndarted itself into destruction, I decided t' salvage what I could. Aye aye! I'd forgotten that thar be a rather long MMT tube in thar & it proved t' be a perfect fit for what I had in mind... Begad! A spool rocket looks like such an incomplete rocket that I had t' give it an unusual name. Ahoy! Avast! I decided upon "T' Emperor's New Rocket" (TENR) because much like t' emperor's new clothes, it looked only like t' ugly insides o' what should have been a nice outfit.

Construction:

A spool rocket looks like a MMT tube with centerin' rings & that's it! No fins, no nose cone, & no body tube.

I used parts I had layin' around:

• A6 3/8" piece o' BT-50 MMT tubing
• 2 CDs that I no longer had a need for (AOL CDs work great except I believe in t' higher cause o' sendin' me AOL CDs here: http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/)
• A carefully sliced 1/4" thick piece sliced off a used Estes D12 motor casin' t' act as a thrust rin' (there is no motor retainer clip so that I can use t' longer Estes E9s or run into any problems with Aerotech SU E15s or F21s!)
• A 1" paddle drill bit
• A5/32" standard drill bit
• 5 or 12 minute epoxy

1. Draw a single line runnin' t' length o' t' BT-50. Avast, me proud beauty! This it t' aid in linin' up t' launch rod holes.
2. I strongly recommend t' assistance o' another person or some clamps t' hold t' CDs against a scrap piece o' wood. Ya scallywag! (Havin' access t' a drill press would make this even easier.) Use t' 1" paddle bit t' widen t' hole in t' center o' t' disc. Well, blow me down! Or you can be like me & waste 7 or 8 CDs before gettin' two that look decent...
3. Use a knife t' score t' discs with a point 1/4" from t' newly widened inside edge. Aye aye! Blimey! Now with t' 5/32" drill bit, drill a single hole in each disc. This should leave less than 1/8" from t' edge o' t' center hole t' t' edge o' t' launch rod hole.
4. Mix up some epoxy & attach one disc at one end o' t' BT-50 (this is now t' "top". Arrr! Arrr! Attach t' other disc 3/8-1/2" from t' other end, matey, aka t' "bottom". Begad! BE SURE TO LINE UP THE LAUNCH ROD HOLES!! Add fillets too.
5. Use a popcicle stick or chopstick t' put a small rin' o' epoxy about 2" inside t' BT-50 from t' bottom. Ya scallywag! Put t' thrust rin' inside t' tube & push t' rin' inside with an empty D12 casin' until ~1/4" o' t' casin' is stickin' out. Arrr! Begad! Quickly remove t' empty casing.

I chose epoxy because I figure I'd rather have too much strength holdin' t' CDs on than too little. Avast, me proud beauty! With so little materials, weight was nay an issue.

Paintin' is completely optional...I considered it downright unnecessary in this case & chose t' leave everythin' 'au naturale'.

Flight:

With this bein' an atypical design & me first real scratchbuilt rocket o' any kind, matey, I chose t' fly this in an open field by myself...away from any potential ridicule should thar happen t' be any failure in t' launch o' this rocket, nay t' mention for safety reasons.

I loaded it up with a D12-3 & let 'er rip! Much like me Art Applewhite Delta Saucers, matey, it provided a draggy flight t' about 300ft straight up before beginnin' its glide back down. Arrr! It didn't really tumble but t' CDs caused it t' drift maybe 50ft from t' pad, matey, landin' softly in t' surroundin' grass. Avast, me proud beauty! T' ejection charge went off about 25ft from t' ground.

Thankfully I had another D12-3 with me & had it loaded up in no time flat. It zipped right up again! Similar height & trajectory, this time however it began t' smartly spin end over end on recovery. Blimey! Flutterin' t' t' ground like a butterfly, matey, it landed a few feet closer t' t' pad & even softer than t' first flight

Summary:

There really aren't any CONs t' this rocket. Blimey! Begad! I was resourceful in usin' parts that I already had (so it was done with a negligible cost t' me) & found it t' be an enjoyable experiment if nothin' else. Well, blow me down! I'd like t' put it up with an Estes E9 or even Aerotech SU E15W or F21W. I found that a spool rocket while draggy, fun t' watch & easy recovery o' a saucer, it doesn't have t' violent takeoff I like. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! (I still get weak in t' knees when I think o' me Art Applewhite 7.5"/29mm Delta Saucer rippin' off t' pad with a G35w!!) This design could be easily scaled up or down but will always be a small field flier thanks t' it's oh-so-non-aerodynamic design!