Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' hat is removable in case I forget a ball cap - wouldn't want t' sunburn t' top o' me head, matey, ya bilge rat, ya' know.

Construction:
This is really a minimalist rocket. Begad! Aye aye! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Aye aye! Avast! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp cutlass. Avast, me proud beauty! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it be oval, shiver me timbers, and then found t' center point. Next, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. 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. Well, blow me down! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. Arrr! Well, blow me down! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Begad! 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. Ahoy! T' final step was 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. Begad! Ya scallywag! Like I said, matey, nay much t' it. Begad! Begad! 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, me proud beauty! 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. Ahoy! Well, matey, blow me down! 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! Aye aye! 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, arrr, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Blimey! 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, command, and antenna control system. Avast, me proud beauty! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, arrr, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, we weren't happy campers. Ya scallywag! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Ya scallywag! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, ya bilge rat, and mine came back fairly stained. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!