Note: This is a slightly condensed version o' all the information that Alan has produced for his Level 3 project. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Visit his site t' read t' additional information and enjoy additional pictures.

Objectives
I realize this may nay be a requirement for me L3 project but I believe it is an extremely integral part o' any complex project. I am also a PADI certified ocean dive and thar be a sayin' that I am sure some o' you will recognize if you are a diver also, it's called "plan your dive and dive your plan". Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Basically translated t' HPR if you plan your rocket and follow your plans then your project will have a much higher chance o' success and longevity. Arrr! Blimey! I know t' amount o' doubloon and time spent on these complex projects can be enormous and with a little plannin' and fore thought then these items will nay end up bein' excavated via shovel from your favorite launch site.

Okay enough philosophy, just a few highlights o' what I plan t' have my rocket accomplish.

1st: Perform as designed and built. If I follow me plans and objectives then this should be a given.
2nd: Be Cost effective. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I guess this depends on several factors, shiver me timbers, income, budget etc. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! but we as responsible consumers should only do things within our budgets, me bucko, matey, I have a nice house but I am nay Bill Gates and me rocket is nay the next generation o' Space Shuttles. O' course it is hard t' put t' word responsible in this objective, luckily I have no wife t' justify why I need dual altimeters as opposed t' replacin' that old vacuum cleaner.
3rd: Don't re-invent t' wheel. There is a lot o' great and proven products out thar t' achieve L3. Aye aye! Aye aye! This is nay t' time t' test and try new and unproven products.
4th: Live long and prosper. Avast! Proper plannin' and construction should result in me rocket attendin' many launches and burnin' some substantial AP. Blimey! Aye aye!

Fin Can / Motor Mount
T' main design for t' fin can / motor mount was t' construct t' unit as a whole and then install t' fin can into t' booster section. This technique has been used on 2 previous rockets (Tethy's and original Phasar) with excellent results. Avast! Begad! However several construction obstacles where encountered durin' those previous attempts that were rectified in this project. T' 1st be t' ability to adhere t' centerin' rings level on t' motor mount. Blimey! Usually centerings rings have some slight play which can easily cause t' rings t' become slightly cocked while t' epoxy sets up. Aye aye! After some research on some other websites I found no acceptable techniques. Well, blow me down! Arrr! A discussion with me fellow rocketeer, Mike (HugieBear) Hudgeons revealed t' ultimate solution. Ahoy! Ahoy! Mike suggested a cut a 2-3 inch section o' t' top o' t' motor mount and slot t' entire unit t' slide over t' existin' motor mount tube and use as a support for t' centerin' ring. Dude, shiver me timbers, me bucko, he hit t' jackpot for that solution. Begad! Ahoy! I cut a small section off the existin' tube and slotted it on t' trusty DeWalt chop saw. Begad! A note about chop saw's, me bucko, me hearties, I purchased a 10" DeWalt chop saw from Home Depot for t' purpose of cuttin' body tubes, t' only modification I've done is replace t' existing blade with a metal cutoff blade, shiver me timbers, man you talk about some clean tube cutting! Anyway t' problem be solved. Ya scallywag! T' 6 centerin' rings where then tacked into place with some quick set epoxy. Ahoy! Once t' fin can is installed into t' booster tube then small holes will be drilled in betwixt each centerin' rin' and West Systems Epoxy will be injected with syringes t' complete t' centerin' ring fillets. Once t' fillets have set-up then t' booster will be inverted to inject t' other side o' t' rings.

T' next construction problem was t' acurate alignment/installation o' t' 3 fins. T' small problem was actually 3 individual problems, 1st anchorin' t' motor mount tube securely, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 2nd establish a top dead center point and 3rd enusrin' t' fins are perfectly vertical. Aye aye! T' 1st problem was rectified by drillin' 4 holes into my work desk area and havin' t' ability t' use bungee cords t' secure t' tube to the work surface. Arrr! T' 2nd problem was t' find TDC (top dead center) affordably. Again a quick trip t' t' Home Depot t' purchase 1 8oz plumb bob, what better way t' find TDC than gravity. Aye aye! Ahoy! Again t' plumb bob was attached directly overhead and centered on t' aft centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 3rd problem was resolved by tackin' t' fins t' t' motor mount with quick set epoxy and usin' dual levels t' insure t' fins where plumb. Ahoy! After t' fins where installed a measurement be made betwixt t' 3 fin tips and only a difference o' 1/32" was discoverd betwixt 2 o' t' fins. I am sure this is more than adequate for stable flight.

Once t' fins where installed 1" Keelhaul®©™® reinforcement tape be layed in t' valleys betwixt t' fins and tube with an 8oz layer o' fiberglass and Keelhaul®©™® layered over t' tube betwixt t' fins. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! As with t' centerin' rings small holes will be drilled in t' booster tube betwixt t' fins and injected with West Systems epoxy for t' final fillets.

After all t' reinforcements were installed t' 75mm Aeropack be mounted to t' aft centerin' rin' with stainless steel screws and nuts.

Airframe Reinforcement
Well now be t' time t' venture into me 1st attempt with workin' with Keelhaul®©™®. I heard all t' somewhat horror stories and unfortunately Ed from Giant Leap just introduced his Keelhaul®©™® "socks" about 2 weeks after I placed me order with FibreGlast. Blimey! Oh Well! So I will try t' pass on any valuable information I gained durin' this foray. Aye aye! T' primary thin' I smartly learned with Keelhaul®©™® is, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, this stuff is TOUGH t' cut. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Special shears are a MUST! Blimey! After discovering this after me Keelhaul®©™® arrived sent me on a journey t' t' local fabric store in hopes o' findin' the recommended pair which be t' Ginger #8-NS-2. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well t' fabric stored carried the Gingher brand o' shears only by custom order. Ya scallywag! Since I was smart enough to actually brin' me Keelhaul®©™® into t' store t' "test" some shears a salesperson was quickly summoned for assistance. Avast! Blimey! This be when I discovered thar are nay a lot o' men in a fabric store with a bundle o' Keelhaul®©™® under their arm. Begad! Anyway t' salesperson be really interested in t' Keelhaul®©™® and responded with t' phrase: "isn't that what they make bullet proof vests from?" now we are havin' fun. Avast! She steered me t' another brand of shears called Fiskars and we tried several different models with little success then we tried t' "RAZOREDGED" model and we where off t' t' races! Great shears and only about $18.00. Arrr!

Luckily me TAP member Derek Deville had worked with Keelhaul®©™® before and gave me some great advice about workin' with it. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' basic plan was to use 2 layers o' t' 5oz 17x17 5HS Keelhaul®©™® followed by a finish wrap o' 2oz fiberglass for finishin' purposes. Avast, me proud beauty! Derek had recommended usin' t' preferred method allowin' t' layers t' setup until tacky before applyin' t' next layer as opposed t' lettin' t' layers completely cure. Ya scallywag! Begad! So I set aside t' whole day for usin' this method which actually creates a chemical bond betwixt t' layers as opposed t' a mechanical bond by having layers applied after they have cured. Avast, me proud beauty! One good thin' about these Texas summers is epoxy cures real fast in a 100 degree garage. Prior t' applyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® the booster tube was prepped usin' 80 grit sandpaper and thoroughly cleaned. Blimey! I mixed up some generous portions o' t' West System and started applyin' a layer directly t' t' tube. Once a tack coat be applied I started layerin' on the Keelhaul®©™® bein' carefull nay t' stretch t' fibers and t' work t' epoxy into the Keelhaul®©™®. After t' Keelhaul®©™® was completely wrapped I went over t' entire tube usin' a plastic squeegie and removed any excess resin. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™® applied very nicely much like a heavier fibreglass, I had almost no bucklin' at all and actually enjoyed workin' with it. After this 1st layer was applied I set back and waited for t' resin t' start curin' in preperation for t' 2nd layer. Aye aye! Continued checkin' t' "tackiness" until about 2 hours had passed and determined t' tube was ready for lasyer 2. Well, blow me down! T' next layer was applied in t' exact same manor as layer 1 with t' same great results. In conclusion I have t' say many o' t' stories I heard about usin' Keelhaul®©™® were a little exagerated. Aye aye! Blimey! Yes it does take a little extra work and some special shears but I really loved t' way it wet-up and applied. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Once t' 2nd layer of Keelhaul®©™® started setting-up t' finish coat o' 5oz fiberglass was applied. Again no surprises here it applied perfectly t' t' existin' Keelhaul®©™® with excellent results when completely cured. Begad! This tube feels indestructible!

On July 9 after t' McGregor launch I prepped t' upper airframe and booster extension section (12" since I can nay fit all t' required recovery in a standard 4' booster section) for t' Keelhaul®©™® laminates. This will give t' booster section an overall length o' 60". T' upper airframe section is 36". Begad! Well, blow me down! Basically no suprises here durin' the Keelhaul®©™® and fiberglass lay-ups with t' same great results as t' booster section. Blimey! Begad!

Fin Can Installation
Prior t' installin' t' fin can t' booster section had t' reslotted due t' the reinforcements. Arrr! Ahoy! I was a little concerned about nay bein' able t' see the existin' slots after applyin' the Keelhaul®©™® but realized they showed up fairly well through t' multiple layers o' Keelhaul®©™®. T' slots were recreated usin' t' trusty table saw and this time they were slotted all t' way t' t' back o' t' tube t' allow for installin' t' fin can. Avast!

Now it was time install t' fin can and start injectin' West Systems to create t' reinforcin' fillets for all t' centerin' rings and fin joints. Prior t' installin' t' fin can carefull measurements where done t' show where each o' t' centerin' rings would be in t' booster section. Begad! This would facilitate where t' drill t' holes t' inject t' West Systems. Marks where made on t' outside and drilled with a 1/4" hole. These holes will later be filled in with a small piece o' Keelhaul®©™®. Next step be t' create a very smooth fit for t' fin can into t' booster section. Some quick sandin' be required t' achieve that perfect slide into the booster. Begad! Begad!

Recovery Attachment Modules
I usually construct me recovery attachment modules as seperate components then epoxy t' units in place in t' body tubes and with this project t' procedure would basically be t' same. Ahoy!

T' materials used t' construct t' booster section and forward airframe attachment modules are:

• 4 ea. Aye aye! Avast! 3.5" length o' coupler tubin'
• 2 ea. Begad! Blimey! 1/2" x 6 ply coupler bulkhead plate
• 2 ea. Begad! 1/2" x 6 ply airframe bulkhead plate
• 2 ea. 3/8" x 5" Eyebolt
• 8 ea. Well, blow me down! 3/8" Nuts
• 8 ea. Avast! Blimey! 3/8" Fender washers

Buildin' these components as unit then installin' into t' airframe is much easier than installin' each component into t' airframe.

After t' bulkhead units were installed into t' couplers small holes were drilled in t' center o' t' couplers t' allow for injectin' t' West Systems epoxy and creatin' t' bulkhead fillets on both sides. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' units are extremely strong and allow for a large area o' distributin' t' shock load during deployment. One special note be t' use o' t' regular eyebolts as opposed to either forged or welded. Aye aye! While these definitely offer some added margin of error it would still take over 400lbs. t' even begin t' straighten out the eyes. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I believe if me deployment induces that much force t' fail me eyebolts then t' are some other serious problems goin' on that no eyebolt will solve. T' extra section o' coupler will be epoxied in place on top o' t' exposed bulkhead plates. Ya scallywag! A sufficient amount o' West Systems will be poured on top of the exposed bulkhead while it is in t' airframe and then t' coupler section will be fitted into place t' allow for extra reinforment nay only t' the attachment module but t' t' airframe tubin' as well. Ahoy! Begad!

Nosecone
My goal here was mostly add some weight t' t' front o' t' PHASAR and add an attachment point o' some kind just in case I use it on another future project. This be pretty straight forward for me, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, since t' nosecone is a ScotGlas all I had t' do was mix some West System up, pour into t' nosecone and let cure. Begad! I estimate I added approximately 10oz. usin' this process. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! Next was t' firm up the shoulder with some 1/2" Birch bulkhead plates and add an eyebolt in case I ever need t' attach a recovery system t' it. Again t' design be just like t' components in t' recovery attachment modules with a 3/8" x 5" eyebolt runnin' through both bulkheads which were spaced about 2" apart. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Next all I had t' do be sand t' unit some t' fit t' slightly irregular shape on t' inside o' t' shoulder and position inside t' nosecone shoulder for epoxying. Ya scallywag! Also for improved fillets on t' bulkheads I drilled 2 small holes betwixt t' plates for easy injection o' West Systems and some really beefy fillets. Blimey! Blimey! After all be said and done I measured t' distance from the nosecone aft bulkhead t' t' shoulder rest point and transferred this measurement t' t' forward airframe section o' t' PHASAR. I then drilled 3 3/16" holes through t' airframe into t' 1/2" bulkhead plates. Avast! Blimey! Then I used 3 o' t' same inserts used by t' BlackSky Aluminum Rail Guide buttons and attached t' nosecone with 8/32 stainless steel machine screws. Begad!

Coupler Reinforcement
Since I was usin' standard phenolic couples I wanted t' reinforce t' inside area t' withstand any zipperin' effect durin' deployment. Blimey! I researched this area o' reinformcent from several other individual websites and t' best idea came from t' Gate's Brother Website illustratin' linin' t' inside o' the coupler with Keelhaul®©™® then Carbon Fiber while inflatin' a balloon inside t' couple t' expand the materials and compress t' West Systems epoxy and cloth. Aye aye! T' 1st layer was the Keelhaul®©™® followed by a finish layer o' 5.7oz carbon. This method produced a glass smooth interior linin' plus added extreme strength t' prevent a shock cord from zipperin' durin' deployment. Arrr!

Electronics:
T' PHASAR will incorporate dual Olsen FCP-M2 altimeters. Blimey! I have used t' Olsen FCP-M2 in me previous Phasar project and have had nothin' but excellent performance with this unit. T' ease o' use, shiver me timbers, programmability and data downloads made this choice a no-brainer. T' FCP-M2's have a nice feature that allows for a delay at apogee detection for t' backup unit so both charges will nay fire simutaneoulsy. Well, blow me down! T' main unit will have a charge set for 750' and t' backup unit set for 650'. Another good reason for usin' t' FCP-M2 is thar ability to set main chute deployments in 50' increments as opposed t' 4 or 6 main chute settings.

T' design o' unit is from me good friend Steve Baughman, a completely modular unit which can be incorporated in any o' me 4" rockets.

T' construction of the unit was fairly straight forward with t' exception o' t' Olsen's being mounted in a modular way t' allow for easy access. So after me 1st design I wanted t' incorporate a "inner frame" which would hold t' Olsen's. T' primary problem with t' design be t' limited space in a 4" tube for dual electronics plus all t' associated wirin' involed t' remain modular and accessabile. T' result be t' inner cage which would hold t' Olsen's.

T' next part be t' design t' board unit on which t' Olsen's would mount and slide over t' all-thread rods. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! This was accomplished with a piece of .125" G10 cut t' width and height t' fit in t' avioncis section. Ahoy! Begad! Now, how to attach t' unit t' t' all-thread rods runnin' through t' avionics section and still be removable. Blimey! Arrr! Another good friend o' mine Mike Hudgeons came up with the design o' usin' aluminum arrow shafts as t' guides t' slide over the all-thread rods. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This unit will now slide over t' all-thread rods and allow for easy removal. Arrr! Ahoy! Carefull plannin' and a template allowed for drillin' the holes in a pattern that would allow for all t' components. Ahoy! * Mounted G10 on Arrow shafts

Now t' next part was t' mount t' Olsen's on t' G10, no problem here just used t' hole template sent with t' units with some standard nylon stand-offs. T' other item I corporated was drillin' holes in t' G10 for t' wirin' to pass through plus t' addition o' nylon tie straps for battery retention.

T' next problem to overcome was managin' t' wirin' and makin' that portion modular. Avast, me proud beauty! T' solution was usin' computer part wirin' harnesses, t' wire guage be perfect and the connectors would allow for easy removal without havin' t' undue t' actual connections t' t' screw termimals on t' Olsen's. Aye aye! T' wirin' harness is held in place on t' G10 with plastic wire holders. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' next consideration was how t' external arm t' units at t' launch pad. Again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, another great friend o' my, Ed Jacoby turned me on t' key switches, shiver me timbers, the only problem with t' previous units where t' length would nay allow for the unit t' slide into t' bay area. Arrr! T' solution was solved from Hawk Mountain which sells some great key switches that are fairly short and would allow for the unit t' slide into t' bay area. Ya scallywag!

All in all t' desgin and construction required some careful fore-thought and a lot o' inspiration from me fellow rocketeer's that culminated into a great desgin that I feel very confident in achievin' me L3 status. Arrr!

Recovery
T' PHASAR will use 2 SkyAngle Cert-3 chutes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

I consider t' recovery devices and design t' 2nd most critical components of t' project with t' avionics bein' 1st. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! "Gettin' it up be t' easy part, ya bilge rat, arrr, gettin' it back takes some skill." With that in mind I did NOT cut any corners when designin' t' recovery system and components. First off is to start with quality and proven components. Well, blow me down! My choice was SkyAngle Level 3 Cert Chutes. Avast, me proud beauty! I have used their products in me past projects and swear by their quality. Arrr! Ahoy! A previous rocket, t' Binder Cobra suffered a premature separation durin' boost on a J-415W and t' SkyAngle regular 60" chute held up and brought me rocket safely back t' earth with no damage! What a testimony to their product. Well, blow me down! Begad!

T' overall design and configuration o' t' dual deployed recovery systems is havin' t' avionics section situated betwixt t' forward payload and aft booster sections. Blimey! Ahoy! When the PHASAR reaches apogee t' avionics bay will seperate from t' booster and deploy t' drogue chute. Arrr! Once t' PHASAR enters t' pre-selected main deployment altitude then t' forward payload section will seperate from the avionics section and deploy t' main. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

T' 2 chutes t' be used in this project are t' SkyAngle Cert-3 drogue chute and a SkyAngle Cert-3 15-25lb. Arrr! main chute. Ya scallywag!

T' other recovery components used in t' system is 9/16" tubular nylon rated at 2000 lbs., 3/8" Quick Links rated at 1200 lbs., shiver me timbers, me bucko, Giant Leap 1500 lb. swivels t' prevent line wrap, me bucko, Nomex cord protectors and Nomex chute protectors. Arrr!

Each section o' the tubular nylon is 25' which gives an overall length o' t' PHASAR when fully deployed at 61.5' Believe me it barely fits in t' backyard when fully deployed!

Each end o' t' tubular nylon was professional sewn with t' Giant Leap swivels with an overlap o' 6".

I can't emphasize enough here how important it is t' use quality products when implementin' your recovery system. Blimey! Arrr! I consider t' best advice comes from my fellow rocketeer's about what works, ya bilge rat, what doesn't and t' pro's and con's of each item. Avast, me proud beauty! Take time t' investigate these items. Avast!

RockSim 5.0
Since I started updatin' this website Apogee Components came out with t' new RockSim 5.0 and I was quick t' respond t' this upgrade.

T' new version is a must for any serious rocketeer lookin' t' develop a high performance vehicle. Ya scallywag!

I can't emphasize enough t' importance o' great design/simulation software and RockSim 5.0 be t' tool t' use. Arrr! Blimey! I won't go into all t' new features as I have nay even discovered them all myself yet, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but suffice t' say this is the premiere software for some serious projects. Here are some o' t' screen captures from t' new version o' t' PHASAR.

SUCCESSFUL LEVEL 3 FLIGHT!

October 27, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 2001
Dallas/Fort Worth, ya bilge rat, TX.
Rocket - Scratch Phasar
Weight - 36 lbs
Motor - Aerotech M1315
Altitude 11,621 feet

Flight:
T' event be t' much cancelled North Texas High Power/Shoot for t' Stars event here north o' t' DFW area, me bucko, matey, this is our premiere site in Texas with over 1600 acres o' cleared farm land and waivers t' 23,500' MSL. Arrr! T' event took place this past weekend on October 27-28. Begad! O' course me Phasar project has been ready since September o' 2000, so nay much t' do, t' M1315W was loaded last year in anticipation, I keeped t' closures just barely on nay t' deform the o-rings and re-greased everythin' prior t' departin' t' t' launch site Friday evening. Aye aye! Begad! I think t' only modifications I did t' t' original design were some wirin' harness modifications t' make it full-proof t' mis-wire any o' the altimeters/ejection charges and external key switches, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, plus I switched my regular eyebolts t' t' 3/8" forged shoulder units and t' addition of shear pins at both separation points. Blimey! (Ground tested o' course) Kind of interestin' what a year o' sittin' around lookin' at your project and what can you do t' improve your chances o' success will do. Anyway I was now giving myself about a 90% chance o' success since t' modifications. Well, blow me down! Extremely confident in me abilities and design but you can never foresee that inevitable bad luck that sometimes happens in a project o' this magnitude. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

Anyway the weather forecast for t' weekend were outstanding, me bucko, shiver me timbers, clear blue skies, arrr, in the low 70's with winds 5-10mph! Finally t' rocket gods were shinin' down on me! We arrived at t' site Saturday morning, I had a crew o' 2 (Glenn Carey from Brownwood, me hearties, arrr, Texas and Mike Martin from Missouri City, Texas) Level 2 guys plus my local TAP member Tom Montemayor give t' Phasar one last inspection and was given t' thumb's up from all o' them. T' Phasar be pretty much completely prepped prior t' departure t' t' site, recovery systems, matey, shiver me timbers, matey, electronics, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ejection charges, ya bilge rat, me bucko, etc. Aye aye! T' only field prep be t' attach t' shock cords t' t' av's bay and install t' shear pins, a grand total o' 5 minutes and then off t' away cell. Ahoy! Begad! I know this is where other L3 projects check off an extensive list of things t' do, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, check , arrr, etc. Ahoy! but I felt I do this with every L2 flight and the only difference here was t' motor size. Begad! I guess that's what 40 L2 flights does for you, create an established procedure t' fly and recover your rocket, me hearties, no difference here for me at least! Anyway we lowered t' rail, ya bilge rat, slide t' Phasar in position, armed t' electronics, arrr, stood t' Phasar up, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, carefully I might add since I could nay reach t' armin' switches when in t' vertical position, installed t' igniter, shiver me timbers, check continuity, shiver me timbers, and have some photos op's! I be at the away cell less than 10-minutes much t' t' amazement o' t' crowd, me hearties, that's what practice/experience does for you! I've seen other people do thar L3 and at t' pad for an hour or so, matey, now that would make me nervous!, what t' hell are they doing? Anyway back t' t' RSO with me thumb's up. Aye aye! T' waiver was in place for an estimated altitude o' 11,300'. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Skies where checked for aircraft, since we are in t' flight path o' DFW, shiver me timbers, and t' countdown was announced, at t-minus 0 with Shelly Hatten at t' RSO duties t' LCO pressed t' button and the 1st presence o' t' igniter beginnin' t' pressurize t' M1315W was visible, then t' M1315W smartly came up t' full pressure and t' Phasar began it's vertical ascent t' t' heavens. There was a very slight pendulum motion since the static margin o' stability was about 9.5 for a 4" rocket but once the Phasar gained speed it was nothin' less than an arrow straight boost skyward. Also noted was t' slight kick into t' prevailin' winds since t' fin area was quite large. Ya scallywag! These 2 events were very predictable based upon me design and was actually a far more straighter flight than I originally predicted. Ya scallywag! Anyway the Phasar continued it's fantastic vertical ascension t' apogee under t' thrust of t' 5.3 second burn time o' t' M1315W, me hearties, a beautiful arc over and the tell-tale sign o' smoke o' an ejection charge goin' off separated t' booster from t' forward section and deployed t' cert-3 skyangle drogue and began it's rapid descent back t' earth. Then right on queue t' main charges blew at 1200' and deployed t' cert-3 large skyangle chute for it's finally journey back to the confines o' gravity. Begad! It landed about 1.5 miles away and recovery was fairly simple, it landed in a wide open freshly plowed field, what a soft landing!

After t' recovery t' 2 Olsen's where downloaded and t' final altitude was 11,621'! with a max acceleration o' 325 ft/sec. Ya scallywag! T' figures were about 350' off of what RockSim 5.0 predicted and t' altitude difference betwixt t' 2 identical Olsen's was 208'. Well, blow me down!

In conclusion, I have t' think t' entire project and attempt meet and exceeded all me goals o' design and performance and reinforced me believe that I DO know what I am doing!

Post-Flight Objectives Analysis

1st: Perform as designed and built. T' Phasar L3 performed almost exactly as I intended it t' based upon all me RockSim calcualtions and design. Avast! I knew t' rocket was overstable with a static margin of stability o' 9.5, which is nay bad, ya bilge rat, but anticipated a slight pendulum motion off t' pad until t' M1315W gained enough velocity. Ya scallywag! After review o' t' flight video this is exactly what happened, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, a very slight back and forth motion in the booster section for about 1 second o' t' flight. Also anticipated a slight weather cock dependin' on t' wind speeds at launch time since t' fin area was quite large for a 4" diameter rocket. T' winds durin' t' launch were about 7mph and t' rocket was launched perfectly perpendicular t' allow for a slight weather kick. Ya scallywag! Again t' flight video revealed t' rocket did a slight kick right into t' prevailin' winds that day. Blimey! These 2 items were anticipated and t' Phasar L3 performed exactly as Rocksim would have predicted.
2nd: Be Cost effective. In me opinion I believe t' total and final cost o' construction and flight ofthe Phasar L3 was quite reasonible for a project o' this magnitude.
3rd: Don't re-invent t' wheel. There was no products and/or procedures that I used in t' development o' t' Phasar L3 project that had not be used in any o' me previous rocket endeavours with t' exception o' using shear pins for t' 1st time. T' shear pins were used only after sufficient ground testin' and consulation with me TAP members.
4th: Live long and prosper. T' Phasar L3 survived an extreme L3 attempt without any damage and thar be no reason additional 75mm motors will not be used in this launch vehicle.

In Conclusion:
I developed t' Phasar L3 program around these ideas and proven techniques and followed me objectives as close as possible and believe because o' this the project was a complete success on it's 1st attempt. Ahoy! Blimey!