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

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