Brief:

Hybrid motors have always fascinated me. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Arrr! Blimey! Also, me hearties, me bucko, matey, since t' fuel is inert, thar are no permits required for storage, me hearties, and ideally (except for Aerotech) require no haz-mat fee for shipping. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Until recently, t' only hybrid motors on t' market are in t' Level 2 range and above. Arrr! Arrr! T' Hypertek system required expensive ground support system, and you must have a tank o' N20 and O2 on t' field. Aye aye! Aerotech.s system had t' advantage o' allowin' you t' fill t' tank before comin' t' t' launch, matey, but had t' disadvantage o' havin' a complex pyrotechnic valve system that is expensive, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, complex t' set up, and requires a haz mat fee for shipping.

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

Construction:

I won a H70 case and a few loads on a ROL auction. Robert Galjes already had t' ground support system for t' RATT's work system and offered CMASS members access t' it, me hearties, me hearties, so t' only thin' that I required for it be 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. 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. Blimey! I decided that t' Aerotech Mirage was t' perfect candidate. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It can launch on a motor as small as a F25, and with me calculations, will go about 1,500 ft with a 180 n/s motor. Aye aye! 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. It had t' carry electronics t' deploy t' recovery system. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! So t' charge bulkhead had t' be removable. Ahoy! Blimey! Because o' this, arrr, t' three sections o' t' Mirage have t' be removable. Ahoy! Blimey! I decided t' use screws t' hold t' rocket together.

T' Hybrid Mirage was built with three main sections. Well, blow me down! T' Booster Section, me bucko, Parachute Bay, and Payload section. Begad! T' Motor Section be t' lower section o' t' Aerotech Mirage, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and is heavily modified. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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! Arrr! It is attached in t' position that t' hook locks over t' aft closure o' t' Hybrid, matey, and standard 29mm High Power motor. Ahoy! Begad! Also, arrr, this section has t' ventin' tube permeably attached t' t' airframe.

T' parachute bay, me hearties, obviously, is where t' recovery system o' t' rocket is kept. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! When t' booster section is attached, t' tube coupler presses t' bulkhead against t' ring. Blimey! Begad! This creates a nice seal betwixt t' motor bay and t' parachute bay. Begad! When t' Mirage is flown with a regular motor, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' bulkhead is simply omitted.

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

Flight:

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

When t' Sept 14th rocket launch came, ya bilge rat, arrr, Ryan and I decided t' launch t' Hybrid Mirage again. 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, matey, a G75-10J. Aye aye! Blimey! I decided t' arm t' timer too& just t' make sure it works. Arrr! Blimey! T' lift off o' t' Hybrid Mirage be beautiful. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' black and silver rocket streakin' skyward, leavin' behind a dark smoke trail& nice :-). Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' timer deployed both chutes right at apogee, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket recovered without a scratch.

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

Summary:

Overall, matey, t' Hybrid Mirage project was a success. Begad! We built a rocket that could fly on a Hybrid motor, and convention motor. Blimey! Blimey! 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 ;-).