Federated Transport and Delivery

Click on ANY picture t' enlarge!

This rocket was conceived from a picture that was part o' a contest that Nick o' EMRR came up with in mid 2006. Arrr! Begad! There was a group o' six pictures he found on t' net and decided t' give us a chance t' design, build and fly one of t' rockets in t' pictures. Since I have had little t' no trouble with clustering, up t' this point, I decided t' take a shot at t' rocket you see in this write up. Blimey! Ahoy! However, me bucko, keep in mind, if you are goin' t' attempt t' build one of these yourself, arrr, ya bilge rat, that lightin' four engines together is a risky endeavor by itself and havin' them spaced so far apart is even riskier.

T' basic rocket is very easy t' construct, with t' most time and labor bein' t' finishing. This is a two-tone paint job with multiple maskin' and remaskin' required t' achieve it. Avast!

T' parts list is as follows:

• One 12" long BT-80 main body tube
• One standard Estes short BT-80 PNC
• Four BT-50 tubes 8.5" long for t' motor/outer fin tubes
• Four BT-20 tubes 2.75" long for t' motor mounts
• Eight CR2050 rings
• Four 18mm engine blocks
• Two pieces o' 3/8" balsa 3.25" square for t' main body tube lower end cap
• Two 36" lengths o' #150 Keelhaul®©™
• Two 10" lengths o' #150 Keelhaul®©™
• Two 36" lengths o' 1/8" elastic
• Two 18" chutes o' your choice
• Four 1" wooden balls
• Four 1" wood half spheres
• Four small wood half-robin eggs
• Four small eyehooks
• Four ¼" wood half spheres
• Small piece o' metal screen patchin' material
• 3/32" balsa for t' fins
• 8 t' 10 oz. Ya scallywag! o' fishin' weights
• Rattle can o' gray/white auto trunk splatter paint
• Rattle can o' Dupli-color DS GM 302 light blue
• Three fin guides from VPC; one for four fins, ya bilge rat, one for eight fins and one for ten fins
• You will also need wood glue (Titebond II), arrr, me bucko, thin CA, matey, and some 5 min. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! epoxy and four different sizes o' maskin' tape plus a lot o' BB’s or clay.

All o' t' small trim and detail pieces can be found at your local crafts store. Avast! I picked up mine at t' local Michaels. Ahoy! I used solid wood pieces because the Rocksim that was made for this rocket showed that a very large amount of nose weight was goin' t' be needed for stability. Ahoy! Begad! By makin' t' trim pieces heavy t' begin with meant that a little less nose weight would be need later on. Ahoy! At least that be t' theory.

Construction is best done on this one in groups o' similar parts. First thin' is t' cut out t' fins. Ya scallywag! Usin' t' fin guide carefully cut out t' four forward and four aft fins makin' sure t' grain direction is followed. Begad! Try to use t' heaviest, dense balsa you can find because these fins are goin' to carry t' thrust load from t' engines for flight. Begad! Arrr! Because o' t' amount of weight in t' nose and t' fact that t' engines are away from t' centerline of t' main body tube, t' motors are goin' t' place more load on t' fins than is usually found on most rockets. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Make these as strong as you can without excessive weight! T' fins have a very short tab on them for TTW mountin' but they do nay go into t' body tube far. Arrr! Aye aye! There is nothin' for them t' bottom out on. Begad! You will see what t' do as construction continues. Well, blow me down! After all are cut and sanded t' even out all t' edges, shiver me timbers, round t' leadin' edge o' each. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Put t' first thin coatin' o' wood glue on t' root edge and t' outside edge for t' double glue joint t' be used later and place all t' fins aside t' dry.

Next subassemblies are t' motor mounts. Ya scallywag! These are standard Estes type mounts without t' engine hooks. Avast! T' motors will be friction fit t' eliminate the excess weight o' t' hooks. Take one o' t' long pieces o' Keelhaul®©™ and slide it through one o' t' rings and then slide t' rin' onto t' motor tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Tie the Keelhaul®©™ around t' motor tube and pull it up t' t' bottom o' t' ring. Blimey! This is the upper motor rin' and is glued t' t' motor tube so that t' rin' is flush with t' end o' t' tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Use a generous glue fillet t' hold t' rin' in place and t' Keelhaul®©™ at t' same time. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! Wood glue be used for this but t' thin CA may be better for a little less weight. Begad! Do nay get glue on t' outside edge of any o' these rings. Arrr! This be t' standard Quest style o' shock cord mounting. Repeat this with t' other long and t' two shorter Keelhaul®©™ cords on t' other motor tubes. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! T' lower rin' is glued onto t' motor tube 3/8" up from the bottom on each o' t' motor tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Put some glue into t' upper end o' the motor tube and usin' an old motor as a guide push t' engine block in from t' bottom so that about ¼" o' t' motor is stickin' out o' t' bottom o' t' mount. Pull t' motor out as soon as the engine block is in position. Begad! Blimey! Set these assemblies aside t' dry.

Take t' four wood balls and drill a small hole in t' center o' each just large enough and deep enough t' screw t' screw deadlights into. Thread each screw eye in and then remove. Use some CA or epoxy in t' hole and put t' screw eye back in. Ya scallywag! These will be t' "nose cones".

Take t' half robin cackle fruit and sand a flat into t' large end. Begad! Do t' same with t' half spheres that is about t' same size as t' flat on t' half eggs. Usin' epoxy, matey, joint t' two together. Avast, me proud beauty! Do this on some wax paper so t' pieces don’t stick t' whatever they are on. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Try t' build a nice fillet between the two so that they appear t' be one piece when finished. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Do this on all four and set aside t' dry.

Next up be t' bottom plug for t' BT-80 main body tube. Begad! Blimey! Take t' two 3/8" pieces o' balsa and glue them together on top o' each other with the grain goin' "cross pattern". Ya scallywag! When this has dried, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, check t' alignment of t' BT-80 tube on t' flat side o' this piece. Aye aye! T' wood must completely cover t' bottom o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! If this aligns ok, run a bead o' glue around the end o' t' tube and place it onto t' balsa. Arrr! If not, ya bilge rat, center it as best you can and use wood filler t' close t' gaps later. Ahoy! Arrr! Keep t' glue t' a minimum on the outside. Aye aye! Keep this upright as t' glue dries. Once this has set up, turn the tube over and usin' a long piece o' dowel, run a glue fillet around t' inside joint. After this has dried, sand t' balsa t' form a low dome on t' end of the tube. Keep most o' t' center flat and round t' edge over t' t' diameter of t' body tube.

T' motor mounts can now be glued into t' outer tubes. Well, blow me down! Take t' Keelhaul®©™ cord and thread it back through t' motor mount t' get it out o' t' way. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Test fit t' motor mounts into t' tubes and sand t' rings lightly if too tight. T' fit should be snug. Begad! Either place some wood glue into t' tube and then insert t' motor mount or insert t' mount and then use some thin CA t' glue it into place. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' motor tube should be about ¼" out from t' bottom of the outer tube. Ahoy! Repeat for t' other mounts and set them aside t' dry.

Use t' four-fin guide from VPC on t' main body tube t' mark t' fin positions and usin' a doorframe or a piece o' angle aluminum, arrr, ya bilge rat, extend t' lines the full length o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' trailin' edge o' t' fin will be flush with the bottom o' t' main body. Place t' main body upright on a flat surface and align t' trailin' edge o' a fin on t' same surface. Begad! Blimey! Slide t' fin as close to the tube as possible and mark t' ends o' t' fin tab on t' fin line. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Measure out t' proper amount o' tab width on t' fin line and use a sharp Xacto knife to make t' fin slot. Do this with each o' t' fins and make sure you mark which fin goes into which slot. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' trailin' edge o' t' smaller fin is 7" up from t' bottom. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Use t' same procedure t' align t' small fin trailin' edge with t' mark you made and then mark t' ends o' t' fin tabs on t' fin line again. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Measure and cut t' slots for these fins t' same as you did for the large fins. Arrr! Blimey! Be careful that t' two fin slots align straight with each other and straight along t' tube. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! (If you are nay good with makin' these slots, matey, you can use t' glue rivet method t' hold t' fins on) Once t' slots are complete and t' fins fit into them snuggly, you can start t' glue t' fins on. Arrr! Blimey! Start with a large fin and apply some glue along t' edge that will sit flush on the tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Glue is nay needed on t' tab at this time. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Make sure t' fin is all the way into t' slot and perpendicular t' t' body tube. Avast! Blimey! Once this one has set up do t' next fin opposite this one. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Once it is in place use two small wooden rulers or flat paint sticks with some clothespins t' hold t' fins parallel to each other. Blimey! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Place t' rulers over t' bottom edge o' t' fins and use t' pins to hold t' rulers in place. Aye aye! Blimey! Once this is dry repeat t' same thin' with the other two fins. Ahoy! Blimey!

T' small fins can now be glued in place. Again glue only t' tube edge of the fin and use t' rulers and pins t' hold t' small fin in alignment with the large one. Avast! Place t' rulers over t' large fin extendin' out t' t' smaller ones. Usin' t' pins, clamp t' two rulers over both sides o' t' fins t' hold the smaller one in place. Avast! Once dry, shiver me timbers, repeat one at a time with t' other small fins. This should keep all t' fins straight with each other and t' main body tube.

After all o' this has dried, me bucko, you will want t' add a generous amount o' glue to t' fin tabs from t' inside o' t' main body tube. Arrr! Usin' a long dowel again, shiver me timbers, me bucko, lay a line o' glue along each o' t' tabs t' make a small but strong internal fillet. Again, me hearties, easy with t' amount o' glue t' keep t' weight down but coat t' tab well for strength. Well, blow me down! Blimey! These fins are goin' t' take t' full motor thrust at launch! Blimey! Let all this dry.

That’s it for t' subassemblies, ya bilge rat, now on t' t' fun part! T' half sphere and robins egg that you glued together, now needs t' be shaped t' the main body tube. This has t' be sanded with a piece o' 150 grit paper wrapped around a piece o' ½" or so dowel so that t' pieces will lay as flat as possible onto t' outside o' t' main body tube. These pieces are o' hard wood that will require quite a lot o' sandin' t' shape. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! If you have any type of electric or air powered sander, you may want t' use that. Avast! Blimey! A sandin' drum in a Dremel tool is also great t' use. Avast! Just watch your fingers holdin' onto the piece and sandin' at t' same time. Arrr! T' small ¼" half spheres need to be sanded as well. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Otherwise just glue these pieces on as is and use some filler t' close t' gap on t' sides. Arrr! Don’t glue these on yet, me bucko, however. Begad! Well, blow me down!

Some o' t' finishin' has t' be done at this point which will make it much easier overall. First up is t' place some tape on all t' fin outer edges t' keep t' paint off. Arrr! Ahoy! Use a thin line o' tape so that t' paint will cover all o' t' fins. Begad! Use your favorite primer (mine is Wallyworld gray) and prime and sand t' main body with t' nose cone in place till you have the smoothness you wish. Begad! Begad! Do t' same t' each o' t' outer tubes with a 1/8" line o' tape runnin' t' full length o' t' tube t' protect t' glue area from any paint. Ahoy! There is no particular position on t' outer tube t' run t' tape, just make t' line straight and full length. T' glue will stick t' t' paint but nay hold t' pieces together with any kind o' strength so t' glue area needs t' be unpainted. Begad! Measure t' tape where t' fins will go and cut and remove t' centerpiece so it will be primed. Well, blow me down! Place all o' t' other detail pieces on a flat surface and prime those as well. Aye aye! Arrr! At this point, matey, all parts should be primed and sanded smooth t' your liking. Arrr!

Now for some o' t' more difficult work! Please refer t' t' pictures if I get this next step a little unclear. Ya scallywag! T' middle band betwixt t' fins is 1" wide and t' other two bands are ½" wide. Take some 1" wide tape and wrap it around t' main body tube with one edge right at the trailin' edge o' t' small fin. Avast! This and t' other tape strips are goin' t' be guide strips so they do nay have t' be pressed down hard onto t' tube. Just get them on straight and even all t' way around. Blimey! T' first small band starts ¼" in front o' t' small fin leadin' edge. I used some ¼" tape t' guide t' ½" tape. Arrr! When t' first stripe is in position, place a 3/8" band o' tape in front o' it. Aye aye! Aye aye! Then another ½" piece of tape is wrapped around t' main tube in front o' t' last piece. Ahoy! T' bottom of t' rocket has t' splatter paint on it, matey, arrr, as do t' fins so now t' real work begins! Usin' whatever tape suits you; you need t' mask all t' areas that will have t' finished color but nay t' splatter paint. This will take a bit of patience and a very sharp Xacto blade t' get right but be t' only way t' do it. I used low tack painter’s tape and spent almost four hours on this first masking! When this is complete, take t' 1" and t' ½" tape strips back off. Avast! Use a fingernail or blunt object t' burnish t' tape edges down t' minimize t' amount o' paint that gets under t' masking. Arrr! Avast! This will leave t' fins, ya bilge rat, bottom o' t' rocket and t' stripes ready for t' trunk paint.

However, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' get a proper glue joint and fillet on t' outer tube t' fin line, you have t' glue t' outer tubes onto t' fins at this point! Blimey! T' forward ends o' t' tubes are even with t' leadin' edge o' t' small fins. Ya scallywag! Remove the lines o' tape you used t' protect t' glue line and glue each tube t' t' fins makin' sure they are in line with t' main body tube and straight up on the fins. Do one at a time, arrr, bracin' t' rocket so t' tubes stay in proper place. When they are all in place and set up, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, place generous glue fillets on all sides at t' joint line. Begad! Blimey! Keep them fairly thin but slightly spread out t' get maximum strength at each joint. Arrr! Let dry.

Once all t' outer tubes are in place and dry, matey, shiver me timbers, mask them completely off for the first paint color. Make especially sure no trunk paint gets into t' front or t' back o' t' outer tubes! Don’t worry about nay havin' any primer on the fin fillet, me hearties, shiver me timbers, as t' trunk paint will stick t' t' fillet just fine.

T' trunk paint is very thick and will go on too heavy if you are not careful! Use very fast strokes and thin amounts o' spray t' just barely cover the areas you want it on. Arrr! You want a little o' t' texture and color but that is all. Complete coverage is also nay necessary since t' gray primer will blend in with t' paint color if it shows through anywhere. Too much will give a blotchy finish and will nay blend in well with t' finish color. Arrr! Arrr! Give this paint about one hour t' set up and very carefully remove all o' t' maskin' tape. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Wherever possible, peel t' tape off at an extreme angle so that you are actually cuttin' an edge into t' paint. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! Go very slowly or you will peel large chunks o' t' trunk paint off with t' tape. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Use the Xacto knife t' cut t' tape away from t' paint where necessary. This demasking can get very screwed up very smartly so please take lots o' time with it.

Also remember t' use this paint on t' half sphere/robins egg pieces. Place the parts on a flat piece o' cardboard t' spray on but use some folded over maskin' tape t' keep them in place. Begad! T' trunk paint comes out o' t' can with much more pressure than normal paint and will blow t' parts right off if they are nay held down! Give this paint at least one day t' completely dry, two would be better.

You’re goin' t' love this next!!!! All t' trunk paint now has t' be masked off for t' finish paint color!!! That’s right, you have t' do the whole thin' a second time, only this time t' maskin' has t' cover all the trunk paint! And t' outer tubes are now also in t' way! Make sure you use low stick tape or t' trunk paint can peel off later when you unmask it. Begad! Also make sure t' tape sticks somewhat t' t' paint as you are maskin' it. T' texture of t' paint leaves a ruff surface that t' tape will have a hard time sticking to in t' first place. Once t' trunk paint is masked off, touch up any areas that need some primer, sand those areas smooth and apply t' finish coat of color. Avast! Arrr! Don’t forget t' nose cone. Aye aye! Again remember t' cover t' front and rear o' t' outer tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 1" wood balls are a tight fit in t' outer tubes as is and any paint will only make it worse. Blimey! Same with t' engines.

Well, we are almost finished! When all t' paint is dry, remove all o' the maskin' tape again bein' very careful with t' trunk paint! It can and will peel off if you rip t' tape off! Now final assembly can begin.

First t' outer tubes. Test fit each o' t' 1" balls at t' front o' t' outer tubes for smooth slidin' in and out. Arrr! Blimey! These are t' "nose cones" for t' rocket. Sand t' inside o' t' tubes as necessary so that they will pop out when the ejection charges go off. Begad! Blimey! When you are happy with t' fit, matey, me bucko, feed t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' motor mount and out t' front o' t' outer tube. Two o' t' outer tubes will have chutes and t' other two will be "dummies". Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Each pair must be opposite each other. T' two with chutes get t' elastic added t' the end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' elastic tied off t' t' eyelet on t' ball. Ahoy! Blimey! T' other two just get t' Keelhaul®©™ tied t' t' eyelet without any elastic. Add t' chutes to t' eyelets with t' elastic. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Tuck everythin' away into each appropriate tube so we can now add t' detail pieces. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

Usin' an eight fin, fin guide from VPC, line up one o' t' guidelines with a fin line. Begad! Lightly mark all eight points around t' body tube close t' or at t' nose cone line. Ahoy! T' half sphere/robins egg piece will line up with t' mark betwixt t' fins and t' small half spheres will be inline with t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' egg piece is glued t' t' body tube with t' forward edge o' t' egg right at t' front edge o' t' body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Scrape some o' the paint that will be under these pieces off o' t' body tube t' give t' glue somethin' t' hold on to. Epoxy would be good t' use here. Avast! If you noticed in the parts picture, shiver me timbers, t' steel ball in t' bottom o' t' egg piece be added early on to get more misc. Avast! Aye aye! weight up t' t' nose. Well, matey, blow me down! As it turned out, me bucko, thar be so much weight that needed t' be added t' t' nose cone, arrr, arrr, arrr, t' time and effort needed to put t' balls into t' bottom o' t' piece verses t' amount it added, was a waste o' time. That is why I didn’t mention about doin' it in t' build write-up. Avast! T' small half spheres are glued t' t' body tube inline with the fins and slightly behind t' aft line o' t' egg pieces. Ahoy! Aye aye! When they are set up, use a brush and some silver paint on them.

T' last details are t' "ion collectors" on t' nose cone but to tell you t' truth, me hearties, it would take another page o' instructions on how I did those. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Just use a ten fin, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, fin guide from VPC t' make marks on t' nose cone about ½" in front o' t' egg pieces and add some ¼" x 3/8" black decals as on this model and forget t' screen pieces. Begad! Blimey! They were a royal pain in t' a.. Avast! Blimey! t' make and t' affix t' t' rocket. I used an orange Sharpe pen t' color t' nose cone balls and t' ends o' t' engine tubes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! The outer tube orange stripes are made out o' strips o' prism paper. They are ¼" wide, five inches long and centered on t' tubes, end-to-end and side-to-side. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Last but nay least t' rocket has t' be balanced and this is where the whole project almost came t' an end! I figured it was goin' t' be tail heavy and t' Rocksim showed this t' be as well. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn’t realize just how bad it be goin' t' be. Begad! T' CP was just about in t' middle o' t' small fin and to be stable, me hearties, t' CG needed t' be at least 2.5" in front o' that. Begad! T' CG point came out about at t' front edge o' t' forward trunk paint stripe and I tied a piece o' strin' t' t' rocket at that point. Begad! Ahoy! With four C6-5 engines in their mounts, me hearties, I tried t' lift t' rocket at t' proper balance point with the strin' and it went dead tail down fast. Arrr! Ok, matey, matey, add some nose weight. Avast, me proud beauty! T' sim said eight oz. Aye aye! and that was added t' t' rocket nose cone way up at t' front. Liftin' again by t' strin' still came up tail heavy! Ok, more weight! The total came out t' ten oz.!! This baby was way nose heavy but apparently in flight balance. Here be t' problem; t' rocket now weighed 18 oz. That was a lot o' weight for t' engines t' lift and that be if they all lit. Then when the thrust stopped t' rocket be sure t' start nose down fast with all that weigh up in t' front. At that point t' ejection charges were sure t' go off and if t' chutes came out properly, caught air and inflated, arrr, arrr, t' Keelhaul®©™ was sure t' zipper right through t' outer tubes!!!!! Nay much could be done at this point as it was gettin' close t' t' contest deadline and I still had to fly this bird. Oh well, me hearties, no guts, no glory. Well, blow me down! Or is that gory!!

8-16-2006

T' first flight was on a beautiful calm day. Ahoy! I wish I could say t' same for me! All t' tubes were loaded with three sheets o' Estes waddin' and about an inch o' "dog barf". Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' chutes were carefully packed and t' ball nose cones were placed about half their diameter into t' tube ends. Begad! All the tubes were loaded with Estes C5-3 engines via friction fit, thinkin' t' extra launch boost spike would help get some height out o' this fat bird. Avast! With a friend takin' t' video and one hand on t' camera and t' other on t' launch controller, I called it down and firmly pushed t' launch button. Ya scallywag! With the camera in me face I didn’t see it get off t' rod but instantly realized just from t' sound that somethin' be nay right. Lookin' up I caught a quick glance o' it doin' its third loop-de-loop as it impacted t' soft grass. I told my friend t' wait for it and soon enough we were rewarded with three quick pops as t' wooden balls, chutes and barf all came flyin' out o' t' end tubes. Arrr! Yes, just three! In all t' times I have fired off clusters, I have never had a problem till now! Figures, doesn’t it?

Pickin' up t' pieces, it be obvious that one o' t' engines didn’t light. My friend played back t' video and we could see where it started up ok with t' three engines goin' but smartly nosed over t' t' unlit side and just as smartly went unstable. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I checked t' igniters and three o' them were burned clean though but t' fourth be burned but nay completely. T' one still shot I got, was beautiful as well. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! One engine be burnin' and nothin' else be going yet! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Luckily, t' one be nay enough t' get it movin' until t' two others lit up as well. Great time t' have a weak igniter!!! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Anyway, ya bilge rat, t' rocket be in no shape t' fly again that day but t' damage turned out t' be nay too bad. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! One outer tube broke clean off at t' fin line and two other fin sets were showing joint cracks. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Some o' t' nose cone screens were bent and one was missing. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Both chutes were charred which was a small surprise. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There were some areas o' minor tube crease but nay much else. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' repairs were made rather smartly once I got it home but it ain’t so pretty anymore! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

If nothin' else, on t' next flight I plan t' fit t' nose cone onto the main body tube very loose so that when t' rocket starts nose down and the chutes pop out t' side tubes, arrr, shiver me timbers, I am hopin' t' nose cone will fall out pulling its own chute with it and nay allow t' side tubes t' possibly zipper. That is if I can get them all t' light. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! We will see!

8-23-06:

T' second flight was on two Estes C6-5 and two Estes C6-0 engines.

Time for another try! Made up a new clip whip with 12" leads and enough ends t' light four engines. Aye aye! Avast! Packed it up t' same as t' first try but t' nose cone is now on very loosely and it has its own 24" chute. Hopefully, matey, when the nose is down and t' ejection charges go off, t' whole thin' will slide out and land separately by itself. Well, blow me down! I double-checked everything, t' sky was clear and t' button was pushed. I had me small a/v camera with me and it was runnin' as t' motors came t' life. Avast! A split second after they all lit, ya bilge rat, me bucko, there was a good size pow with a lot more smoke than four engines liftin' t' rocket up should have had! At t' same time it appeared that somethin' was goin' up a lot faster than t' rocket and I realized that one o' t' motors had just CATO’ed and sent one o' t' chutes into its own orbit. Unbelievable!!! The rocket be now under power o' three engines again and it did actually manage to get some height fairly straight up when it again went unstable. This time it started a corkscrew got about halfway through that and then went horizontal. Begad! Aye aye! I hoped it was a short burn because now it was headed for t' front o' some houses across t' street from that end o' t' park! Sure enough it went to coast which o' course meant mostly down and landed in t' park about two hundred feet away with a loud thud. Arrr! Next was t' pop, me hearties, matey, pop, matey, pop o' t' ejection charges. Avast! When I got t' it, I could see two engine tubes broken clean off, a big tangle o' t' chute lines and t' other two nose balls with their lines and some damage t' t' nose. Blimey! Avast! After collectin' it all up and arrivin' home, the damage didn’t look too extensive and repairs again were made. Well, blow me down! T' bad motor had managed t' spit both t' ejection charge out and t' nozzle at the same time. Aye aye! About two hours later it be in good enough shape t' fly again but it took about two more hours o' massive gruntin' and pullin' t' get t' nose cone out o' t' main body tube! It had been pushed in a quarter o' an inch and totally jammed at that point. Ahoy! T' tube did nay split, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' me amazement but the upper part was now larger than t' shoulder diameter. Arrr! Well that would only make it a little looser so that t' nose should now have no trouble fallin' off on the next flight!

8-28-06

T' third flight was with four Estes C6-3 engines.

Well, be t' third time goin' t' be t' charm!! Man I hope so. Begad! Ya scallywag! I don’t think this thin' can take any more o' those "landings". Avast! Blimey! This time I had t' still camera with me and was hopin' t' get multiple shots as it went up and came down. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' camera be set for sequential shots, matey, everythin' was checked again and I let it rip. Ahoy! WOW, all four came t' life and up it went!! Straight and true!!! I just kept t' camera goin' and aimed it as best I could, me hearties, as I wanted t' see this one go. Aye aye! Up and up t' about 400’+ just like t' sim. said it would and over it went. Begad! A split second later I heard t' ejection charges go off and again it looked like one o' t' chutes was spit out and separated! Then t' rocket just kept headin' down and t' second chute was nowhere t' be seen. There be no nose separation either! I knew this one was goin' t' be fatal and another loud thud came as it hit. Blimey! Begad! Man, me bucko, I was bummed! As I got t' it, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it was obvious that it be finished. Avast, me proud beauty! Two engine tubes were again broken off and t' nose cone was about two inches into t' soft dirt with the chute under it. Well, blow me down! T' chute came out but managed t' get impaled on t' nose cone and that be that. T' main body, this time, had exploded open in t' front and the back and thar was no way I was goin' t' fix that. Avast, me proud beauty! At least it is nicely preserved in t' pictures I have o' it.

Overall this be a very challengin' project with less than stellar results. I was so fixated on t' contest outline o' rules and t' actual picture that I really didn’t think this one through as thoroughly as I should have. Well, blow me down! Now it is obvious that I should have at least added a central engine or two t' add to t' takeoff thrust and t' get t' main body tube nose cone off o' t' rocket at apogee t' get rid o' t' excess nose weight t' reduce t' chance o' any zippers. Aye aye! I now have a few other ideas and based on t' response o' t' people that saw t' finished rocket, arrr, I might just make another that should work much better.

Thanks for your time for one o' me long-winded write ups and Nick, let's not do this again for a long time, me bucko, ok?