Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, and then found t' center point. Arrr! Blimey! Next, 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. T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube be flush with t' top o' t' foam. Blimey! Blimey! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Aye aye! Blimey! This assembly was then epoxied into t' foam block. Arrr! Blimey! 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! 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. Begad! Begad! Like I said, nay much t' it. Aye aye! Slip t' hat over t' finished core and I was ready t' fly.

Flight:
I flew t' hat on a G35 with t' ejection charge removed. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, and me flight card got stamped. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Arrr! T' hat flew great, me hearties, ya bilge rat, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Aye aye! Blimey! 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. This was me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Well, me hearties, blow me down! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), arrr, arrr, I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

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