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

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

Other:
T' Story Behind t' Name In t' late '90's, arrr, me hearties, I was t' project manager for a telemetry, ya bilge rat, command, matey, and antenna control system. Ya scallywag! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Arrr! Unfortunately, arrr, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, we weren't happy campers. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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. Arrr! Ahoy! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, and mine came back fairly stained. Avast! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!