Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. T' hat is removable in case I forget a ball cap - wouldn't want t' sunburn t' top o' me head, ya' know.

Construction:
This is really a minimalist rocket. Begad! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Begad! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Aye aye! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, arrr, and then found t' center point. Blimey! Aye aye! Next, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Avast! I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, ya bilge rat, me bucko, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Ahoy! T' centerin' rin' be mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Well, blow me down! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Avast, me proud beauty! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. T' final step was t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto knife. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Like I said, nay much t' it. Arrr! Begad! Slip t' hat over t' finished core and I be ready t' fly.

Flight:
I flew t' hat on a G35 with t' ejection charge removed. Begad! Blimey! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, ya bilge rat, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and me flight card got stamped. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Ahoy! T' hat flew great, me hearties, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It fell slowly t' t' ground without even gettin' dirty(er).

Summary:
I find myself likin' UFO style rockets more and more and couldn't resist tryin' this odd-roc. Ahoy! This be me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, t' t' pad, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and back again after recovery. Begad! Arrr! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

Other:
T' Story Behind t' Name In t' late '90's, I be t' project manager for a telemetry, command, me bucko, and antenna control system. My team and I traveled t' Clifton, arrr, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Aye aye! Blimey! Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, we weren't happy campers. Aye aye! Avast! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Ya scallywag! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, me hearties, and mine came back fairly stained. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!