Brief:
This is a 1/3 scale model o' Air Force AIM-9P-3 Sidewinder Air-to-Air missile that uses D or E engines. Avast! T' AIM-P differed from t' current AIM-9L/M in that t' P had a longer, ya bilge rat, more tapered nose and "double-delta" canards. Ahoy! Avast! Also, t' warhead was directly behind t' guidance unit, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, followed by t' target detector and rocket motor. T' AIM-9L/M have t' warhead and target detector in t' opposite order. Blimey! Also, t' aft end o' t' wings were flush with aft end o' t' rocket motor. Arrr! T' AIM 9P be painted gloss white overall, and did nay have a bare aluminum rin' at t' base o' t' seeker window. Ya scallywag! T' wings were one-piece aluminum, me hearties, unlike t' composite wings on t' 9L/M.

Construction:
I used 2 BT-60 tubes and 1 BT-60 coupler. All wings, matey, ya bilge rat, fins, ya bilge rat, and hangers are constructed from basswood. T' rolleron frames on t' wings are posterboard with paper overlay. Blimey! Rollerons are .03 mil aluminum tape over t' basswood wing, with t' rolleron wheels made with aluminum tape over posterboard. T' slightly larger diameter aft end o' t' rocket motor was created with 2 layers o' plain copy paper and white glue. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is from an Estes Python kit. Aye aye! All markings were created as TIF files and printed on clear labels with an inkjet printer.

I have copies o' old Air Force manuals showin' t' dimensions and markings o' t' AIM-9P, so assembly was fairly easy once I figured out what I wanted t' do.

• Markin' - Decals
• Hanger Templates
• Forward Fin and Rolleron Templates
• Rear Fin Template
• Main Body Diagram

Construction was pretty basic, matey, startin' with a standard engine mount includin' a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord assembly, me bucko, and t' two BT-60 tubes coupled together. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! At this point, me bucko, I gave t' body a light coat o' spray Kilz filler/primer and let it dry. Then I sanded it down, arrr, and repeated this until t' spiral lines were all filled. Two sheets o' copy paper were glued together with white glue and wrapped around t' aft end o' t' tube and then trimmed t' meet. Ahoy! That joint served as a base for t' fin and win' alignment. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Wings, me hearties, win' ribs, and fins were cut from 1/8" basswood usin' a Dremel tool. Blimey! Arrr! These were then filled and sanded with Kilz. Hanger parts were cut from 3/16" basswood then filled and sanded.

At this point, arrr, t' body, nose, shiver me timbers, fins, me hearties, and win' ribs were painted gloss white. Aye aye! T' wings were painted gloss white except for a 1/2" strip along t' root edge, me hearties, which be painted aluminum t' simulate bare metal plus t' rollerons. Arrr! T' wings were attached one at t' time and each was allowed t' cure overnight. Begad! T' win' ribs were then attached t' each side o' t' win' roots. Aye aye! Blimey! T' fins were attached, again each be allowed t' cure overnight. Ya scallywag! T' hanger bases were cut from 3/16" basswood and sanded t' match t' contour o' t' body tube. Blimey! T' hanger sides and top rails were glued on. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' completed rocket was painted with Testors Glosscoat and allowed t' dry overnight. Blimey! T' markings and stripes were applied, along with t' aluminum tape on t' top surfaces o' t' hanger rails. Then another coat o' Glosscoat applied.

Nose Weight: Check your balance! You may need t' add 1-2 oz o' nose weight. Ahoy! Michael indicates that t' CG is 24.5" from t' nose cone.

Flight:
First flight be with a D12-3 and flew with no problems. Arrr! Subsequent flight were made with D12-5s. Aye aye! Florida has a lot o' trees and open water. Begad! Arrr! T' less canopy time, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' shorter t' drift.

Recovery:
Standard chute recovery, me bucko, usin' a 2ft Keelhaul®©™ cord attached with a swivel t' a 5ft elastic cord. Ahoy! All landings so far have been soft, no damage yet.

Summary:
I like t' build scale models o' missile systems I've worked on. T' PROs are mostly t' satisfaction I get when it turns out right. Arrr! T' CONs are tryin' t' locate t' correct markings and dimensions for projects like this.