Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This is a blatant rip-off of
Art Applewhite's
Serve-N-Store Saucer usin' a cardboard cheese container.
Construction:
Here's a list o' t' materials you will need t' build and fly t' Cheese Wheel:
Construction is essentially t' same as for t' Serve-N-Store Saucer, but be slightly simplified because the cheese box has no outer flange t' cut off. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' cheese box naturally separates into two halves, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, a lid and a base. Arrr! After you've eaten all t' cheese (I recommend eatin' it with pepperoni on saltines), me hearties, me hearties, stand your motor casin' in t' center of t' base and trace its outline. Ahoy! T' dimensions are small enough and t' design is robust enough that simply eyeballin' t' center is fine. Cut out t' hole for t' motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Now use t' hole punch t' put a small hole 1/4" to 1/2" away from t' hole for t' motor. This will serve as a launch lug. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Once you have both holes in t' base, me bucko, ya bilge rat, set it on top o' t' lid and use it as a template t' trace identical holes onto t' lid. Begad! Begad! Cut t' holes in t' lid usin' a hobby knife for t' motor hole and a hole punch for t' launch lug hole.
Now you're ready t' glue it together. Avast! T' box is actually made o' three separate pieces of
cardboard: t' lid, me bucko, t' base, ya bilge rat, and a rin' inside t' base that actually butts up against t' cheese wedges. Aye aye! Begad! T' inner
rin' is usually loose, ya bilge rat, matey, so it's a good idea t' run a bead o' glue around t' inside o' t' base t' tack it down. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Test
fit t' lid on t' base t' make sure everythin' still fits and try t' get t' launch lug holes lined up ahead o' time.
T' inner rin' o' t' base forms a shoulder that fits up inside t' lid. Ya scallywag! I prefer t' put t' glue inside t' lid rather
than on t' shoulder o' t' base because it is less likely t' ooze out that way. Aye aye! Once you have t' glue on, me bucko, put t' lid
on t' base and rotate it so that t' launch lug holes are lined up.
PROs: Cheap, shiver me timbers, easy, and fast.
CONs: Nay challengin' at all.
Finishing:
T' Cheese Wheel is made o' cardboard with paper labels on t' top, bottom, shiver me timbers, and sides. Begad! It could be stripped and
painted, covered, painted, and so on, but I chose t' leave mine naked. You get more laughs at t' flight line that way.
PROs: Nothin' t' do unless you want to. T' naked rocket has some novelty value.
CONs: Ugly.
Flight:
T' motor stands in t' middle o' t' wheel. Avast, me proud beauty! Wrap a few turns o' maskin' tape around t' base o' t' motor t' make a
thrust ring. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I also like t' put a few turns around t' top o' t' motor t' ensure that it stays with t' saucer on the
way down. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' motor is unlikely t' come free but if it did it would be a real pain t' find. Begad! Once t' motor is
installed, put in an igniter as you would normally, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, slide t' launch lug holes over t' launch rod, me hearties, matey, clip it up, and
you're ready t' launch.
I have built t' Cheese Wheel in 18mm and 24mm versions. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only detectable difference in performance is that the 18mm version tops out at under 200 feet and t' 24mm version will go a little higher. Ya scallywag! In all o' me flights the boost has been straight. Ahoy! Begad! T' saucer may wobble rapidly from side t' side but these wobbles don't amount t' anything. T' Cheese Wheel is stable but poorly dampened, and any slight asymmetry in t' position o' t' holes or t' alignment of t' motor will cause it t' spin. Begad! Assumin' you use motors with ejection charges, me hearties, ejection happens harmlessly at apogee.
It is easy t' stack two Cheese Wheels for CHAD stagin' with a 24mm booster goin' t' an 18mm sustainer. Aye aye! T' prep this, I friction fit t' 18mm motor inside t' 24mm motor. Blimey! Arrr! Then wrap tape around t' exposed bottom o' t' 18mm motor to make a thrust rin' and wrap more tape around t' top o' t' 24mm motor t' make a retainer. Ahoy! Then I slid t' Cheese Wheels onto t' motor--the 18mm Wheel goes down onto its motor and t' 24mm wheel goes up onto its motor. Aye aye! Ahoy! Then add more tape t' both motors t' make a thrust rin' on t' 24mm motor and a retainer on t' 18mm motor and you're all set.
You can launch t' Cheese Wheel on any size motor you want, matey, but on As and Bs it doesn't really go anywhere. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend flyin' t' 18mm version on C6s. I have only used D12s on t' 24mm version.
Staged flights have t' same characteristics as unstaged flights, ya bilge rat, they just go higher. Begad! If anything, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, t' staged Cheese Wheels wobble a little less than t' solo fliers. T' only real downside o' stagin' is that both rockets may get a little scorched when t' sustainer lights. Avast! T' damage is merely cosmetic. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I think it looks cool, ya bilge rat, but if you want to protect t' finish o' your rocket you should either avoid stagin' or find some way t' protect t' facin' surfaces of the stacked saucers. Ya scallywag! I have also used t' 24mm Cheese Wheel as a booster for a more conventional 18mm 3FNC, with good results.
I have flown t' Cheese Wheel on fairly windy days and it has nay weathercocked at all nor be t' boost deflected downwind. Arrr! Arrr! It's a straight boost every time, ya bilge rat, me bucko, solo or staged.
PROs: Very straight and stable boosts. Well, blow me down! Hard t' imagine what could possibly go wrong (famous last words...)
CONs: Low and slow. CHAD stagin' may scorch both rockets.
Recovery:
After ejection, me bucko, t' rocket tumbles back t' earth. Begad! In contrast t' many other saucers it does nay usually come down as
an aeroshell. Begad! Rather, it flips rapidly end over end like a doubloon flipped into t' air. Avast, me proud beauty! If thar be any wind, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it can
"fly" surprisingly far this way. In a steady 10mph breeze it may land a couple o' hundred feet from t' pad.
And it pays t' watch it all t' way down. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' saucer is so small that it is pretty easy t' lose in grass o' almost any
height. I've never lost one for good yet, but I've had some that took me 15 minutes or more t' find, which seems
ridiculous for a rocket that will never break 300 feet.
PROs: Nothin' t' do. Aye aye! Rocket is apparently indestructible. Comes down gently.
CONSs: Rocket can drift a surprisin' distance on t' way down. Can be tough t' spot in grass.
Summary:
This is a fun, quick and easy build that will probably get you some laughs on t' flight line. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Impressive and
satisfyin' flights. Just try nay t' get frustrated chasin' it down or tryin' t' find it in t' grass.
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