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, ya' know.

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