Brief:
Big Bertha modified for aft ejection.

Modifications:
This is a Big Bertha modified so that t' motor tube extends nearly t' length o' t' body, and acts as a piston upon ejection. Recovery is nose first, arrr, arrr, makin' t' rocket appear t' be comin' in upside down. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! I call it Ahtreb, arrr, which is Bertha backwards.

Essentially t' motor mount assembly is nay glued into t' body tube, but it is allowed t' slide freely (although nay loosely) so that t' motor tube slides backwards from t' ejection charge and frees t' parachute for recovery. T' nose cone is glued t' t' body tube and acts as a bulkhead t' keep t' ejection charge from pushin' forward. There is a small piece o' BT-60 coupler that retains t' motor mount from fully exitin' t' aft end o' t' body tube.

Construction:
Requires one Big Bertha kit o' equivalent parts, arrr, plus:

• 12" o' BT-20 coupler tube stock
• 4" o' BT-60 coupler, cut into 3 pieces--1.5", shiver me timbers, 1.5", arrr, & 1"
• 2 20/50 centerin' rings
• 1 mylar chute kit
• Small piece o' thin, ya bilge rat, flexible plastic or vinyl approx. Aye aye! 1/2" by 1"

T' difficult part about this mod was makin' sure prior t' any gluin' that all steps were in t' proper order. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Gettin' anythin' out o' order could have prevented completin' t' build.

Gettin' t' thrust ring/piston stop glued strongly in t' proper place without gettin' excess glue smeared in t' tube that might prevent full travel o' t' piston took great care. Plannin' for all situations, includin' bein' prepared t' reach in a very tight space and clean up excess glue, ya bilge rat, was essential.

Flight:
Preparin' for flight means gettin' t' chute and shrouds tucked inside t' body before t' aft end without gettin' them stuck betwixt body and piston. Wrappin' t' chute with a sheet o' paper, me bucko, ya bilge rat, just as t' protector used durin' building, me bucko, makes this easy t' get started. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Then, me bucko, after pullin' out t' paper, ya bilge rat, gently pushin' t' remainin' chute and shrouds into t' tube while workin' t' piston forward, ya bilge rat, matey, completes t' process. No waddin' is required; t' piston protects t' chute and shrouds from ejection gasses. Avast! Blimey! At ejection, t' piston moves from fully forward against t' thrust rin' t' rearward, where air flow opens t' chute. Begad! If t' piston did nay move fully back against t' thrust ring, t' deployment will force this.

First flight be on a B6-4. Boost was straight and just like an unmodified Bertha. Unfortunately, me bucko, this was on a previous build usin' a plain BT-20 for t' piston rather than BT-20 coupler stock. Blimey! T' be too thin and came apart in a spiral. Begad! Begad! Deployment was nay correct but descent be still nose first and no damage other than t' piston core occurred.

On t' second build, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' torn BT-20 be removed and BT20 coupler glued in its place.

Second flight was on a B6-4. Well, blow me down! T' flight was good and this time deployment and descent were as planned.

Third flight was on a C6-3. Ya scallywag! Boost be t' same as previous flights except higher, but deployment was very early, me bucko, causin' deployment at high speed and tearin' t' chute. Avast! Descent be still nose first and no other damage occurred.

Recovery:
T' chute has been replaced (by cuttin' at t' existin' shroud connection points and around t' center, and gluin' a replacement into place in 2 pieces) and t' rocket is ready for flight again. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Medium t' long delay engines are recommended so that deployment can occur at or after apogee, nay before apogee.

Summary:
This is a complicated and difficult build but is a rewardin' challenge for t' experienced modeler. This ejection method could be repeated in builds o' most mid- t' large-diameter LPR birds.