Brief:
Fahrenheit XL is a scaled-up 38mm version o' me PVC tubefin rocket, matey, Fahrenheit 62/5. It is designed t' fly on any H-I motor and has flown extremely well on CTI J330 power, arrr, ya bilge rat, so its suitable for L1 and L2 attempts. Ahoy! Like all tubefin designs, me bucko, it is stable, wind resistant, shiver me timbers, and very quick and easy t' build. Since this time (for a change) I used all primo grade rocketry hobby materials t' build Fahrenheit XL, instead o' assorted scrounged junk, it is nay particularly inexpensive. Ahoy! This results though in one o' t' nicest lookin' tubefin rockets I have seen, almost as nice as a "normal" 4FNC rocket. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Because t' airframe everywhere is double thickness, Fahrenheit XL is as strong as a brick outhouse--it was actually designed for 54mm power.

Construction:
Construction is entirely from LOC components:

• 34" 54mm motor tube used as t' main body
• 54mm connector tubes (6 needed) were used t' double-wall t' entire airframe, matey, includin' t' tubefins
• 54mm LOC ogive cone and LOC 6"x54mm payload bay kit
• No centerin' rings used, a LOC 54mm-to-38mm motor adapter was used t' hold t' engines, sometimes together with a 29mm adapter
• Recovery system was 20' o' 5/8" nylon webbin' t' a 36" LOC chute
• Launch lug is 6" o' 5/16" heavy wall aluminum tubing

Construction be generic tubefin process usin' 5-minute Devcon epoxy, except that 6" x 54mm connector sections were used t' double t' airframe. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Tubefins were cut with a 45 degree bevel on t' bottom and were 3 1/4" (long side) x 1 5/16" (short side). Blimey! T' coupler was 1 5/16" long and did nay extend into t' beveled area. Avast! Arrr! Tube fins were attached in pairs in t' usual self-jiggin' fashion for tube fin rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Recovery system is anchored t' an 8" loop o' para cord, pushed through a hole drilled 4 1/2" from t' top o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, with t' knot covered by half o' a bisected Estes BT-5 nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! Center t' 6" launch lug 6" above t' tubefin can. CG at AUW should never be aft o' this balance point. Arrr! Long, heavy motors actually increase tubefin rocket stability. Arrr! Payload bay contained 400g lead fishin' sinker ballast in a plastic bag (total rocket weight empty is 1275g) for I-J flights only. Begad! A special LOC cone with 135g additional ballast is used t' keep overall speed down. T' Perfectflite MicroAlt altimeter used for most flights was placed loosely rolled in a piece o' paper towel inside a 3" section o' 29mm motor tube placed in t' payload bay on top o' t' lead ballast. Avast, me proud beauty! All in all, ya bilge rat, nay a lot o' work for a L1-L2 capable rocket.

Finishing:
Finish was with lime green Testor's spray (and no primer used).

Flight:
Flights were made on t' followin' motors: AT G80T-4, me bucko, CTI J330-10, matey, me bucko, CTI I287SS-9, Ellis Mountain H275-6, shiver me timbers, matey, Ellis H275-10, matey, Ellis I134-10, arrr, CTI H143SS-8. Aye aye! Very straight flights in each case with trouble free ejection, shiver me timbers, except t' time I tried a 50" chute, which failed t' fully eject due t' havin' been packed too tightly. T' rocket flat spun t' t' ground and landed on its side undamaged. Well, blow me down! Maximum altitude achieved was 3428' (at 580 mph) on t' J330-10 power, which would be a convenient, ya bilge rat, reasonably low altitude for an L2 seeker. Flights on H143SS-8 gave 1348' and 1388', equally nice for cert flying. Although I be pleased with t' Fahrenheit XL flight performance and appearance, shiver me timbers, I have t' admit bein' kind o' disappointed with its aerodynamics--calculation o' minimum drag coefficient indicated a minimum Cd value o' 2.13 at 580 mph. Nay good. Ahoy! Its little brother, matey, ya bilge rat, Fahrenheit 62/5 achieves a minimum Cd o' 1.6 (that's nay bad for tubefins). Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I'm nay sure why this is.

Summary:
PRO: Very easy and quick t' build, no centerin' rings, use o' only a 38/54mm adapter works great, even with J-power. Avast! Blimey! Excellent stable climbs, shiver me timbers, matey, nay too high (good for L1-L2-cert). Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Actually nice looking, a rarity for tubefin jobs. Very strong and resistant t' hangar rash. Begad! Blimey! Small size for a L2-rocket that easily fits in a Miata with 2 people (we did this).

CON: Nay cheap t' build. Well, blow me down! High drag coefficient, arrr, which limits maximum climb. Blimey! Blimey! Need t' use care in packin' in more than a 36" chute for heavy motors (you can substitute para cord for t' webbing).