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. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Aye aye! Begad! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, arrr, arrr, and then found t' center point. Avast, me proud beauty! Next, ya bilge rat, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Arrr! Begad! I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. Ahoy! T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, shiver me timbers, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, arrr, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube be flush with t' top o' t' foam. Avast! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. This assembly was then epoxied into t' foam block. Well, blow me down! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Ahoy! Ahoy! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Like I said, nay much t' it. 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. Avast! Blimey! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, arrr, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, ya bilge rat, and me flight card got stamped. Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, matey, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' hat flew great, me hearties, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Blimey! 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, matey, me bucko, t' t' pad, shiver me timbers, and back again after recovery. Begad! 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, matey, ya bilge rat, I was t' project manager for a telemetry, matey, command, me hearties, and antenna control system. Begad! Well, blow me down! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Avast, me proud beauty! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, we weren't happy campers. Begad! 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. Aye aye! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, arrr, and mine came back fairly stained. I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!