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, shiver me timbers, matey, ya' know.

Construction:
This is really a minimalist rocket. Begad! Avast! Blimey! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp cutlass. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it be oval, ya bilge rat, and then found t' center point. Well, blow me down! Next, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! 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! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' centerin' rin' be mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Arrr! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, arrr, me hearties, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Ya scallywag! T' final step was t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto cutlass. Like I said, ya bilge rat, nay much t' it. Avast! 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. After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, matey, and me flight card got stamped. Begad! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, shiver me timbers, I made sure it was about 12" from t' deflector. Avast, me proud beauty! T' hat flew great, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. 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. Aye aye! This be me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Aye aye! Ahoy! 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, ya bilge rat, I was t' project manager for a telemetry, ya bilge rat, command, me hearties, and antenna control system. My team and I traveled t' Clifton, matey, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me hearties, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, arrr, me hearties, me hearties, we weren't happy campers. Aye aye! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, arrr, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Ya scallywag! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, and mine came back fairly stained. I was finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!