Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This is a minimum-diameter, ya bilge rat, 38 mm, all fiberglass rocket. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It is a very simple, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, basic design but is very rugged and high performance. Well, blow me down! Blimey! ...'Scuse me, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, while I kiss t' sky'...-Jimi Hendrix
Construction:
T' followin' is a list o' t' components. Begad! T' major items were all bought from Giant Leap Rocketry
This is a *very* easy rocket t' assemble:
Nose Cone Assembly - I drilled a hole in t' scrap dowel t' fit an eyebolt. Begad! T' dowel and eyebolt were epoxied into t' nosecone, which does nay provide an attachment point.
Fin can - After roughin' up t' tube and inside o' t' fin can, it was epoxied t' t' airframe such that t' aft end is ~ 1 1/4" from t' end o' t' airframe. Ahoy! Avast! I initially had nay decided on a motor retainer so I wanted t' make sure thar be room t' install one.
AeroPack motor retainer - After roughin' up t' tube and inside o' t' fixed portion o' t' retainer, ya bilge rat, I glued it t' t' airframe with JB Weld epoxy (per AeroPack recommendation).
Rail buttons - I epoxied t' aft button in t' middle o' t' fin can. Arrr! T' second was attached via a 2" bolt approximately 11" from t' aft end o' t' airframe. Arrr! Blimey! T' bolt extends through t' airframe and be cut flush with t' airframe opposite t' rail button, shiver me timbers, usin' a Dremel cuttin' disc. Begad! This limits t' largest motor which can be used, arrr, ya bilge rat, but I decided I would never want t' fly this rocket on anythin' over a small "I" (movin' t' rail button forward would fix this). A nut was used as a spacer betwixt t' rail button and t' airframe since t' aft button is on t' body o' t' fin can.
Recovery harness - T' harness is 3/4" tubular nylon with a quick link on each end. Avast! Loops were made at each end as described in t' article "Attachin' Shock Cords", Edward Shihadeh and Bob Moser, shiver me timbers, me hearties, High Power Rocketry, ya bilge rat, Vol 14 #5, me bucko, August 1999. This involves loopin' t' cord, shiver me timbers, tiein' it off with cloth fishin' line (not nylon!), me hearties, and gluin' it with CA and epoxy. Aye aye! T' aft quick link be lowered into t' airframe as t' bolt holdin' t' front rail button was screwed in. Arrr! This took a couple o' tries t' catch t' quick-link. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' harness is thus removable.
Finishin' - After its maiden naked flight, I painted t' entire rocket (save t' rail buttons and AeroPack retainer) usin' Krylon Chrome Paint. This looks really great, ya bilge rat, matey, but shows every imperfection.
Flight:
I wrote this review with only one flight under its belt and will add others later (assumin' I find t' thing!). Ya scallywag! Bein' chicken, shiver me timbers, t' first flight be with a G80-10. Begad! I used Estes waddin' and an 18" chute from some kit or another. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It was a very fast, high flight. Recovery was fairly close t' t' pad. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! My plans are t' fly it with either a G125-15 SU or an H242-L at t' next HPR launch I can get to. Avast! (or both)
Summary:
PROs: 1. Begad! Easy t' build 2. Ahoy! Aye aye! Verrry sturdy 3. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! High performance design, 38mm or 29 mm (with adapter) CONs: 1. Ahoy! Materials were nay cheap 2. Good chance t' loose t' thin' along with motor hardware :-(
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