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, matey, ya' know.

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