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