| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
I'm always lookin' for rocket parts, me hearties, and couldn't pass up this daiquiri glass from t' Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Well, blow me down! It'll fly on 24mm motors.
Construction:
Parts list:
Construction began last October when I drank t' contents o' t' glass. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' glass conveniently came with a removable top (nose cone). Arrr! Although thar be no real shoulder, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it does snap in place and should stay on well.
Next came t' actual rocket building.
A BT-60 fits nicely in t' upper neck so all I had t' do was cut a hole in t' bottom. I started t' hole with a circle cutter on a hand drill and finished it with a hobby knife. Aye aye! Arrr! I slopped some 5-minute epoxy around t' inside o' t' glass where t' BT-60 was inserted. Arrr! This pooled and retained t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I added a standard 24mm motor mount: 2 rings, matey, me bucko, a coupler tube and an engine hook. Begad! A length o' Keelhaul®©™ twine be attached for t' recovery harness. Begad! Blimey! I also adjusted t' upper tab o' t' hook so I could use 24mm RMS motors.
I picked a spot on t' outer edge o' t' lower section o' t' tower and ground holes t' accommodate a piece o' 10.5mm tubing, which works as a 1/4" lug. T' location is far enough out so t' rod will clear t' nose cone. Ahoy! T' gap betwixt this tube and t' openin' was sealed with epoxy clay.
Epoxy clay was also used in t' tip o' t' nose (straw hole) and retains a loop o' 1/8" Keelhaul®©™. Ya scallywag! I tied a long piece o' elastic t' t' Keelhaul®©™ leader and then t' t' loop on t' nose cone.
I created a RockSim model early on and spent a lot o' time thinkin' about stability. Avast! I applied Bruce Levison's base drag method. Well, blow me down! Avast! This almost convinced me that it could be stable without fins, matey, but subsequent discussions on TRF and comparisons t' me Quest DC-Y Space Clipper made me reconsider.
While at a club buildin' session, I cut some fins from clear Plexiglas usin' a miter saw. This worked well. Ya scallywag! Begad! Plexiglas is nay t' best choice but it be scrounged from an old screen protector for a big screen. Ya scallywag! Now that I think o' it, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, I really don't know what t' material exactly is. I cut some small through t' wall tabs and attached t' fins with 5-minute Epoxy.
Finishing:
For now, me hearties, it will fly unpainted.
Flight and Recovery:
I decided t' fly t' Eiffel's Nightmare on an F24. Begad! T' sim showed this would give it a nice ride. I adjusted t' delay from 7 t' 6 seconds t' more closely match t' simulation. Aye aye! Begad! Despite t' stiff winds, matey, arrr, t' boost be fairly straight. Arrr! Avast! T' rest o' t' flight wasn't that good. Aye aye! T' rocket stopped smartly due t' t' high drag design and lawn darted a split second before ejection. Well, blow me down! Arrr! RIP.

Summary:
Next time I'm in Vegas I'll pick up a replacement. Arrr! T' concept was cool and it flies well (or could fly well). Ahoy! Begad! I still have t' fins and t' motor mount. Begad! Ahoy! I'll chalk this disaster up t' operator error. Blimey! At best, me hearties, this is an example o' GIGO (garbage in, shiver me timbers, garbage out).
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