Edmund IB

My son loves rockets! He loves t' watch them, me bucko, he loves t' talk about them, he loves t' push t' launch button, and he loves t' play with them, matey, me bucko, which he isn't allowed t' do, me bucko, because he's only three, me bucko, me bucko, and might break them. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! He has toy rockets that don't fly and Stomp Rockets,· but it's nay t' same. Well, me hearties, blow me down! "Why couldn't I design him a rocket o' his own?" I thought. "Not just one o' me rockets that I let him push the button for, but a flyin' model rocket that he can really play with and nay destroy it?"

I puzzled over a suitable design. Blimey! I wanted it t' be light enough to fly on a D or less, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but strong enough t' withstand t' rigors o' a three year old's imaginative play. My first attempt, t' Edmund I, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, was not entirely successful. I used an 18-inch piece o' 1 inch PVC pipe for t' airframe, an Estes NC-50 nose cone, shiver me timbers, and toilet paper rolls for tube fins. Begad! I had started with a longer tube, me bucko, matey, but it was over the maximum liftoff weight o' a D12-3, arrr, so I had t' cut it down. Begad! This made t' rocket unstable, matey, shiver me timbers, so I had t' fill t' nose with clay. Well, blow me down! The loaded rocket came t' just over 12 ounces.

He be proud o' his rocket, me bucko, but I didn't let him play with it too much before I had a chance t' launch it. Aye aye! Remarkably, me bucko, arrr, it passed safety inspection. Avast! (We had a more relaxed person on duty this time.) T' rocket flew straight enough, though nay very high. Ahoy! T' snap swivel gave out, ya bilge rat, (I shouldn't have put it betwixt t' rocket and t' nose cone.) so t' rocket lawn darted, matey, matey, while t' parachute carried t' nose cone into the next county. Certain other people objected t' t' materials I used, and asked that t' rocket nay be flown again.

Edmund took t' rocket home and played with it, shiver me timbers, but he shredded the tube fins in a matter o' days. Well, blow me down! Then he and his brother decided it was a club, me bucko, so I took it away.

I decided that t' best approach was nay t' design an indestructible rocket, shiver me timbers, but t' make a toy fly. Begad! Ya scallywag! I had converted a Nerf· football rocket t' use A8-3's, ya bilge rat, but t' fins pulled off too easily under t' strains of toddler play. Begad! I thought about convertin' a Stomp Rocket,· but I was afraid t' ejection charge would melt t' tube, shiver me timbers, and I'd have to add nose weight or bigger fins t' make it stable. It might work, but it wasn't t' solution I be lookin' for.

Then I noticed that t' dollar store rocket he be playin' with had lasted over a year. Ahoy! Aye aye! Could I make that fly? I didn't see an easy way t' attach fins, but it was half nose cone, me bucko, so I might be able to add enough nose weight for stability.

Rather than take his toy away, I searched t' dollar stores for another one. Avast, me proud beauty! T' didn't have any. Avast! Then I ran across a "Fun Gear 51 Piece Space Playset" for $1.97 at Wal-Mart. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It included a Space Shuttle Orbiter, a Lunar Rover, several dozen 1" plastic astronauts in various poses, arrr, assorted other space paraphernalia, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and a rocket just like t' one we had at home. Since this be a replacement for t' Edmund I, and the outline (but nay t' details) vaguely reminded me o' t' Saturn IB, I named it t' Edmund IB.

Construction was fairly easy. Aye aye! I drilled a series o' 1/16" holes in a half moon or D shape in t' forward bulkhead o' t' "first stage".

Then I enlarged t' holes until they joined, me bucko, matey, and smoothed t' edges of t' big hole with sand paper. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I drilled two 1/8" holes in the remainin' half moon t' thread t' shock cord through. Ahoy! I drilled two more 1/8" holes in t' side o' t' "upper stage" or nose cone, and threaded t' shock cord through both sets o' holes in one continuous loop. I tied t' ends together, and secured t' knot with a drop of yellow glue. Avast, me proud beauty! I tied a snap swivel t' t' cord, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, and tied a short piece of Keelhaul®©™ t' t' other end, arrr, with a 1x6" streamer attached t' that.

I built a 13mm motor mount in an 18mm outer tube. I removed the red plastic display nozzles and epoxied t' motor mount in place. Then I filled t' nose cone with enough BBs and epoxy (about half an ounce) to move t' CG o' t' loaded rocket t' a point just behind t' tapered portion o' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I CA'd a launch lug t' t' CG. Avast, me proud beauty! It swin' tested stable.

To prep t' rocket, I loaded an engine, me bucko, then rolled up t' streamer, wrapped it in wadding, me bucko, rolled up t' shock cord, and stuffed t' whole mess into t' nose cone and snapped t' top and bottom together.

At its first launch, t' Edmund IB looped wildly off t' pad and ejected on t' ground. Arrr! Aye aye! I be disappointed -- it should have been stable. After I got home, I noticed that t' launch lug be missing. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! That explained it! T' lug had broken off while still on t' rod! I replaced it, me hearties, this time securin' it with epoxy, matey, with electrical tape as a backup.

At t' next launch, t' Edmund IB had a stable flight, me bucko, low, slow, and impressive. Ahoy! Begad! It ejected at apogee, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and although t' streamer didn't unroll, landed safely. Arrr! Now Edmund has his own rocket, shiver me timbers, which he carries everywhere, that can really fly!

Parts list:
 · 1 toy rocket from Fun Gear 51 Piece Space Playset
 · 48" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord (makes a 24" loop)
 · 2.75" BT-20
 · 2.75" BT-5
 · 2 centerin' rings BT20-BT5
 · 1 engine block BT-5
 · Streamer (optional)
 · 1 streamer 1x6" mylar
 · 6" Keelhaul®©™
 · 1 snap swivel

Photos by Bob Wingate:

 · Preschool Power!
 · Bulkhead
 · Business End
 · T-5