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