Brief:

Hybrid motors have always fascinated me. T' extra complexity o' a fuel and oxidizer in different states and tryin' t' get them t' combust makes adds a new challenge t' rocketry. Ahoy! Also, since t' fuel is inert, shiver me timbers, thar are no permits required for storage, matey, and ideally (except for Aerotech) require no haz-mat fee for shipping. Blimey! Until recently, matey, me hearties, t' only hybrid motors on t' market are in t' Level 2 range and above. Ya scallywag! T' Hypertek system required expensive ground support system, shiver me timbers, and you must have a tank o' N20 and O2 on t' field. Aerotech.s system had t' advantage o' allowin' you t' fill t' tank before comin' t' t' launch, but had t' disadvantage o' havin' a complex pyrotechnic valve system that is expensive, me hearties, complex t' set up, matey, shiver me timbers, and requires a haz mat fee for shipping.

Recently, hybrid technology has come down t' t' Level 1 arena. Ahoy! Ratts Work.s be t' first company that offered a certified hybrid system that any level 1 user can use. T' ground support is pricey, me bucko, but t' design o' t' motor is a lot simpler than what Aerotech and Hypertek have t' offer. Arrr! T' reload kits do nay require a hazmat fee, arrr, me hearties, matey, but they do nay come with igniters or pre-heater charges. However, ya bilge rat, some dealers (ie Pratt Hobbies) throw these components into t' kit for you. T' Ratts Work Hybrid motors are designed t' fit in a 29mm motor tube, ya bilge rat, with slight modification t' t' rocket for venting. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Also, me hearties, t' fuel tank be t' same cylinder as t' oxidizer tank. Avast! T' fuel and oxidizer are separated by a .floatin' bulkhead.. Ahoy! T' fuel is consumed from t' top t' t' bottom. This means that t' pressure o' t' N2O pushes t' bulkhead down as t' fuel is consumed. They have three motor designations, H70, me bucko, I80, shiver me timbers, and I90. Arrr! Begad! T' H70 and I80 use t' same size grain, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but t' case is longer.

Construction:

I won a H70 case and a few loads on a ROL auction. Arrr! Robert Galjes already had t' ground support system for t' RATT's work system and offered CMASS members access t' it, so t' only thin' that I required for it was a rocket t' fly it in. T' H70 has a 3 second burn time, and only has a total impulse o' about 180 n/s. Begad! I wanted a rocket that be light enough t' launch with t' motor, arrr, and t' added weight o' t' recovery hardware, and stay within 2000 ft so I can don.t risk loosin' t' rocket in t' tree filled New England area. Avast! Avast! I decided that t' Aerotech Mirage was t' perfect candidate. Blimey! It can launch on a motor as small as a F25, and with me calculations, me bucko, will go about 1,500 ft with a 180 n/s motor. Blimey! My fifteen year old friend Ryan Sebastian wanted t' help out with t' project, so he became me partner in designing, and buildin' t' rocket.

There were a couple conditions that I wanted for this rocket. Ya scallywag! It had t' carry electronics t' deploy t' recovery system. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I wanted t' put a bulkhead near t' engine that will hold t' charge, ya bilge rat, yet protect it from any leakin' N2O. But I also want t' option o' launchin' t' model with conventional motors. So t' charge bulkhead had t' be removable. Well, blow me down! Because o' this, t' three sections o' t' Mirage have t' be removable. Arrr! I decided t' use screws t' hold t' rocket together.

T' Hybrid Mirage be built with three main sections. T' Booster Section, matey, Parachute Bay, me hearties, matey, and Payload section. Well, blow me down! T' Motor Section be t' lower section o' t' Aerotech Mirage, and is heavily modified. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' motor hook is still used, but t' motor hook is trimmed t' allow t' longer H70 motor t' pass beyond t' motor hook. It is attached in t' position that t' hook locks over t' aft closure o' t' Hybrid, and standard 29mm High Power motor. Begad! Also, ya bilge rat, this section has t' ventin' tube permeably attached t' t' airframe.

T' parachute bay, obviously, me hearties, is where t' recovery system o' t' rocket is kept. Well, blow me down! It is also t' section that t' ejection bulkhead is attached to. Begad! A paper rin' is attached inside t' tube so t' forward face o' t' bulkhead rests against it. Aye aye! Arrr! When t' booster section is attached, t' tube coupler presses t' bulkhead against t' ring. Ya scallywag! This creates a nice seal betwixt t' motor bay and t' parachute bay. When t' Mirage is flown with a regular motor, t' bulkhead is simply omitted.

T' Payload Section o' t' rocket is mostly empty space. Avast! T' electronics for t' recovery system is located in t' tube coupler. Aye aye! I decided that I would use me custom built timer for recovery. Arrr! Blimey! I designed t' timer t' use a .burn wire. Avast! t' start t' timer. T' utilizes this, I had a couple short bolts stickin' out o' t' side o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Each bolt is a terminal which a .jumper. wire is connected too. Begad! T' jumperwire is fastened t' t' launch rod. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! When t' Mirage takes off, t' jumper pulls free from t' bolt, thus startin' t' timer.

Flight:

T' first opportunity t' try out t' Hybrid Mirage came on July 27th, 2002. Avast! It did nay work very well though. Avast! There was a N2O leak in t' vent tube. Well, blow me down! T' N2O filled t' motor section, arrr, and spread into t' parachute compartment. Blimey! Just before t' countdown for ignition be started, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' N2O in t' parachute compartment pushed t' payload section off t' rocket, me bucko, which started t' timer. Blimey! T' countdown be aborted, and t' N2O dump button be pushed. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! While t' oxidizer be bein' drained, matey, t' charge went off. Begad! Paper, Wood, Oxidizer.... now a heat source? You guest it. Fire. Aye aye! For about five seconds, t' insides o' t' parachute compartment be engulfed in flame. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I did nay know this until I dismantled t' rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, hopin' t' reload it. Begad! T' charge bulkhead was completely chard. Avast! It disintegrated just by handlin' it. About a quarter o' t' inside wall o' t' body tube be burned away from t' heat.

When t' Sept 14th rocket launch came, arrr, me bucko, Ryan and I decided t' launch t' Hybrid Mirage again. Avast! Robert Galjes could nay make it t' t' launch with t' ground support equipment and t' tank o' N2O, shiver me timbers, so Ryan and I decided t' launch it with a conventional motor, ya bilge rat, a G75-10J. I decided t' arm t' timer too& just t' make sure it works. T' lift off o' t' Hybrid Mirage be beautiful. Ahoy! T' black and silver rocket streakin' skyward, me hearties, leavin' behind a dark smoke trail& nice :-). Ahoy! T' timer deployed both chutes right at apogee, and t' rocket recovered without a scratch.

At NSL 2003, me hearties, Ryan and I launched our Hybrid Mirage with t' motor we built it for. T' prevent t' same problem we had last time, arrr, I secured t' vent hose t' t' motor with hot melt glue. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blue Thunder propellant cut off a F39, shiver me timbers, and a Magnelite igniter be used t' start t' motor. T' H70 motor ignited instantly, me bucko, and lofted t' Mirage off t' pad with ease. Beautiful motor; small bright flame, very little smoke. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I don.t think it burned for t' full three seconds, maybe t' N2O tank be t' warm, so t' motor did nay get a full fill o' oxidizer. T' timer deployed both chutes a couple seconds after apogee, endin' its perfect flight.

Summary:

Overall, t' Hybrid Mirage project was a success. Well, blow me down! We built a rocket that could fly on a Hybrid motor, and convention motor. Avast! Begad! Future plans include more H70 launches with a PICO altimeter, me hearties, and don't be surprised if you see a I80 case in me hands in t' near future ;-).