Scratch XR-71 Green Burd Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - XR-71 Green Burd {Scratch}

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/18/02)

Brief:
This is a scratch built jet fighter that is roughly patterned after t' SR-71 Blackbird. Arrr! Avast! As you can see, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, I wasn’t terribly creative in t' naming department.

Construction:
This rocket was built around t' mid 80’s after I became a BAR. T' main body tube is BT-50 and t' side tubes are BT-20. Ya scallywag! T' main nose cone is constructed from a balsa bulkhead and a plastic missile from one o' my son’s toys. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Small pieces o' scrap balsa keep it from slidin' into t' body tube. Arrr! T' nose cones on t' pods are balsa and thar be a small piece o' BT-5 mounted in t' aft o' each pod. Avast! It has an 18mm motor mount and an old rubber band shock cord. T' main wings are 3/8” balsa. Aye aye! T' long forward sections and t' stabilizers mounted on t' pods are 1” balsa strips that taper from 9/16” t' 3/16”. Ya scallywag! Finally, shiver me timbers, t' cockpit be carved from a section of ½-oval balsa (kind o' like oblong ½-round molding).

I started t' paint t' top o' t' rocket in Day-Glo green and the bottom solid gray. Ahoy! Blimey! I mixed t' Day-Glo green with some regular green (both Testor’s) so I could transition from a darker green on t' body t' a lighter green on t' fins. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! However, I ran out o' Day-Glo paint and, arrr, rather than replace it, ya bilge rat, t' body ahead o' t' side fins is camo green. You can see the additional white and Day-Glo orange trim. T' protrudin' BT-5 tubes on t' pods are painted gold.

Flight:
This rocket has flown only once on a C6 motor (can’t remember t' delay). After performin' a swing-test, ya bilge rat, I added a couple o' lead pellets as nose weight. Still, it whipped t' rod as it boosted and headed off at a low angle. Recovery was successful, shiver me timbers, but if I fly it again I need t' either add more nose weight or maybe use me BlackSky rail.

Summary:
This design is nay unique, but is much more interestin' than a 3/4FNC rocket. T' tapered slats worked out nicely.

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