Brief:

Hybrid motors have always fascinated me. Arrr! Begad! 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. Also, matey, since t' fuel is inert, arrr, thar are no permits required for storage, ya bilge rat, and ideally (except for Aerotech) require no haz-mat fee for shipping. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Until recently, t' only hybrid motors on t' market are in t' Level 2 range and above. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' Hypertek system required expensive ground support system, ya bilge rat, and you must have a tank o' N20 and O2 on t' field. Well, blow me down! 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, arrr, matey, matey, complex t' set up, me hearties, and requires a haz mat fee for shipping.

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

Construction:

I won a H70 case and a few loads on a ROL auction. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Robert Galjes already had t' ground support system for t' RATT's work system and offered CMASS members access t' it, me bucko, so t' only thin' that I required for it was a rocket t' fly it in. T' H70 has a 3 second burn time, matey, and only has a total impulse o' about 180 n/s. Avast! Blimey! I wanted a rocket that was light enough t' launch with t' motor, 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. I decided that t' Aerotech Mirage was t' perfect candidate. Begad! Aye aye! It can launch on a motor as small as a F25, shiver me timbers, and with me calculations, will go about 1,500 ft with a 180 n/s motor. Begad! My fifteen year old friend Ryan Sebastian wanted t' help out with t' project, so he became me partner in designing, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and buildin' t' rocket.

There were a couple conditions that I wanted for this rocket. It had t' carry electronics t' deploy t' recovery system. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I wanted t' put a bulkhead near t' engine that will hold t' charge, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Because o' this, t' three sections o' t' Mirage have t' be removable. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I decided t' use screws t' hold t' rocket together.

T' Hybrid Mirage was built with three main sections. T' Booster Section, Parachute Bay, and Payload section. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' Motor Section be t' lower section o' t' Aerotech Mirage, matey, matey, and is heavily modified. Aye aye! Begad! T' motor hook is still used, ya bilge rat, but t' motor hook is trimmed t' allow t' longer H70 motor t' pass beyond t' motor hook. Aye aye! 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, arrr, this section has t' ventin' tube permeably attached t' t' airframe.

T' parachute bay, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, obviously, is where t' recovery system o' t' rocket is kept. It is also t' section that t' ejection bulkhead is attached to. Blimey! A paper rin' is attached inside t' tube so t' forward face o' t' bulkhead rests against it. When t' booster section is attached, matey, t' tube coupler presses t' bulkhead against t' ring. Begad! Aye aye! This creates a nice seal betwixt t' motor bay and t' parachute bay. Begad! When t' Mirage is flown with a regular motor, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' bulkhead is simply omitted.

T' Payload Section o' t' rocket is mostly empty space. T' electronics for t' recovery system is located in t' tube coupler. I decided that I would use me custom built timer for recovery. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I designed t' timer t' use a .burn wire. t' start t' timer. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' utilizes this, I had a couple short bolts stickin' out o' t' side o' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Each bolt is a terminal which a .jumper. Avast! Blimey! wire is connected too. T' jumperwire is fastened t' t' launch rod. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! 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, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It did nay work very well though. Begad! Ya scallywag! There be a N2O leak in t' vent tube. Begad! T' N2O filled t' motor section, shiver me timbers, and spread into t' parachute compartment. Avast! Ya scallywag! Just before t' countdown for ignition was started, matey, t' N2O in t' parachute compartment pushed t' payload section off t' rocket, which started t' timer. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' countdown be aborted, and t' N2O dump button be pushed. Aye aye! While t' oxidizer be bein' drained, shiver me timbers, t' charge went off. Avast! Paper, arrr, Wood, shiver me timbers, Oxidizer.... now a heat source? You guest it. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Fire. Ya scallywag! Begad! For about five seconds, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' insides o' t' parachute compartment was engulfed in flame. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I did nay know this until I dismantled t' rocket, arrr, hopin' t' reload it. Ahoy! T' charge bulkhead was completely chard. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It disintegrated just by handlin' it. Blimey! Aye aye! About a quarter o' t' inside wall o' t' body tube was burned away from t' heat.

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

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

Summary:

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