Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Well, blow me down! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Avast, me proud beauty! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and then found t' center point. Next, me bucko, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, shiver me timbers, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Avast! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, arrr, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Well, blow me down! Avast! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Aye aye! Blimey! T' final step be t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto knife. Ahoy! Like I said, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, matey, and me flight card got stamped. Arrr! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Avast, me proud beauty! T' hat flew great, me hearties, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Blimey! This was me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, arrr, arrr, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), matey, matey, matey, I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

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