Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Arrr! 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. Begad! Avast! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Begad! Begad! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp cutlass. Avast! Begad! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, arrr, and then found t' center point. Ya scallywag! Next, shiver me timbers, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Aye aye! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, matey, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Avast! Ahoy! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, shiver me timbers, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Ahoy! 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 cutlass. Avast! Begad! Like I said, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, nay much t' it. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, shiver me timbers, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, ya bilge rat, and me flight card got stamped. Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' hat flew great, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Aye aye! 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, arrr, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Begad! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, 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, and antenna control system. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, arrr, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Avast! Unfortunately, me bucko, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, we weren't happy campers. Avast! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, arrr, and mine came back fairly stained. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!