Brief: Three fins, Three motors, me bucko, and a Nose Cone. Ahoy! A very simple design

Construction:

• (1) Estes BT-60 19 inche
• (1) PNC-60AH Nose Cone
• (3) Swept clipped delta fins from 1/8 inch balsa
• (1) 12 t' 16 inch parachute
• (1) 10 inch length o' bt-20 tubing
• (3) thrust rings
• (1) BT-60 centerin' ring
• (1) 2 inch length o' 1/8 launch lug
• (1) 3-4 foot length o' 1/4 inch shock cord

Thanks t' Tim Van Milligan at Apogee Components for providin' t' BT-60 body. Ahoy! T' body tube be cut t' a length o' 19 inches and set aside. Begad! Aye aye! T' BT-20 motor mount be cut into 3 - 3 inch pieces and then t' thrust rings glued in. They are glued together into a triangular shape. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Fins were cut out into a slightly swept clipped delta and given a coat o' Elmer's Fill n Finish and then given airfoiled edges. Aye aye! T' motor mounts, ya bilge rat, now dry, shiver me timbers, is glued in t' body flush with t' end o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' spaces are filled with putty and then t' whole end is covered with a light coatin' o' wood glue for sealant. Begad! T' tube is marked for three fins and they are glued on. Avast! Do glue fillets when dry. Build a shock cord mount and attach t' t' interior o' t' body tube. Attach t' shock cord t' t' nose and t' parachute about 6 inches down t' shock cord. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Cut the launch lug into t' 1 inch pieces and attach one near t' empty CG point, about 8 inches from t' aft o' t' body tube, shiver me timbers, and t' other 2 i! nches from t' end of t' tube. No real "gotcha's" except just t' watch t' fins as they dry.

Finishing: T' rocket was given a 2 coats o' gray primer, shiver me timbers, a coat of flat white, then I masked off t' tip o' t' nose cone and 1 inch o' t' tips of t' fins. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I then gave t' rocket a few coats o' a beautiful dark red. Avast! Blimey! The rocket is then given a gloss clear coat.

Flight: T' first flight was at a local park usin' three B6-4's. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The rocket be prepped normally with waddin' and motors installed. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A clip-whip was used t' ensure ignition. A 5-count be given. Blimey! Blimey! Ignition was very slow. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! The rocket lifted o' t' pad, me bucko, climbed about 50 feet then fell horizontal and headed about 300 feet downrange. Begad! Blimey! It barely slowed down before ejection. Begad! Blimey! T' chute popped and rocket was recovered. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Upon inspection t' see what went wrong, we found that only two motors lit, shiver me timbers, apparently causin' t' rocket t' head downrange like it did. Ahoy! Blimey! No damage was apparent. Ahoy! Blimey! I believe that t' one motor did nay light because o' nay enough power, me bucko, ya bilge rat, causin' only two motors t' light before t' third could.

Second flight was at t' ICBM Freedom Launch 2002. Begad! Blimey! I borrowed a 16 inch nylon parachute from me Aerotech Mustang in place o' t' 12 inch plastic one. T' rocket was prepped usin' 3 B6-4's. Arrr! Begad! Clip-whips were used. Begad! T' rocket had plenty o' power this time, ya bilge rat, climbin' t' about 600 feet. Blimey! Ahoy! Liftoff was very quick, with power translatin' out t' about a D18, arrr, I think. Ejection was just before apogee. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' rocket be recovered with no damage.

Summary: Overall, shiver me timbers, this is a great cluster rocket.