Oatlander background history:
T' Oatlander was inspired by t' Oat cereal box rockets and strongly influenced by t' original Marz Lander, thus t' name. Oat - Lander

T' rocket was built almost entirely from recycled or found parts with t' exception o' t' core body tubes and t' fin material. Arrr! A great amount o' design emphasis be placed on saving weight. Some o' t' other oat box rockets have been on t' heavy side, matey, for rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! T' single most significant weight savings was in me selection o' t' oat box its self. Instead o' the conventional wound construction I was able t' find a box that was single layer o' fiber board. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Carefully selectin' material can make a difference. Arrr! Even though it's a fatroc, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it doesn't have t' be heavy.

As I said with t' exception o' t' core body tubes and the fin material all other materials were salvaged. T' Oatlander could be built usin' purchased materials o' course.

Other Sources:
  - T' Wonderful Flight T' T' Mushroom Planet
  - My Doctor, for puttin' me on a cholesterol reduction diet.

Parts List:

• 1 - 9" x 5"dia. oatmeal box
• 1 - BT-50 x 12"
• 3 - BT-20 x 12"
• 1 - BT-50 coupler
• 3 - BT-20 couplers
• 1 - foam ostrich egg
• 1 - 20-50 thrust ring
• 3 - 5-20 thrust rings
• 4 - engine retainer hooks (windshield wiper blade refills)
• 1/8" foam core board or 3/32" aircraft plywood or 3/32" balsa
• 1/8" balsa
• 6 - drinkin' straws from t' school cafeteria lunch line
• 6 - shish kabob skewers
• 1 - discarded file folder

Templates

Construction:
All construction was done usin' basic construction techniques. This is really nay an advanced rocket, it just took some time t' build.

T' design uses a core structure o' three BT-20 tubes around a central BT-50 tube. Begad! This gives structural integrity and allows flexibility in engine use. Ahoy! T' core structure is then attached t' three bulk heads cut from 1/8" foam board t' fit t' inside diameter o' t' oat meal box. Well, blow me down! Positioned one each at t' top and bottom and one approximately 3" from t' bottom t' add support where t' fins will anchor. T' foam board be salvaged from an old poster.
T' oat meal box is then attached t' t' bulk heads. Double check alignment before applyin' glue. Ahoy! Blimey! Locate t' launch lug holes adjacent t' t' core structure tubes. 
A transition adaptor was cut from a discarded file folder. Begad! This sits on t' top o' t' sustainer and matches a circle cut from 3/32" balsa that is glued in place on t' core structure. Begad! Insert t' launch lugs and trim off excess.

T' capsule is made from a foam ostrich egg. A stagin' coupler is glued into t' base o' t' egg t' fit into t' BT-50 and one for each o' t' surroundin' tubes. Begad! Be certain t' align t' tubes so that it will be easier t' fit everythin' together, arrr, me bucko, especially t' couplers and t' capsule.
Use t' fin alignment wrap and index t' sustainer body with six equally spaced marks that run at least 4" up from t' bottom.

T' landin' gear, that be t' longest fin, is glued first and touches t' bottom o' t' sustainer. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Once t' landin' gear/fins have dried add t' buttresses, shiver me timbers, on each side o' t' landin' gear. Ahoy! T' buttresses are glued along t' root edge t' t' sustainer and t' t' side o' t' landin' gear. Begad! Glue t' landin' gear feet t' t' ends o' each landin' gear leg. Begad! T' shish kabob skewers that represent hydraulics are next. Avast, me proud beauty! Each o' t' landin' gear feet gets one that goes up t' the sustainer body. You can try t' measure out and cut t' correct miter on t' body end o' t' skewers, ya bilge rat, but what I did be t' make a small hole in t' sustainer body and stick in t' skewer with t' application o' a little glue. Ahoy! No measuring. Ahoy! Begad! T' skewers attach (enter) t' sustainer at 3" above t' bottom. Arrr! They are positioned in betwixt t' paired buttresses above each o' t' landin' gear legs.

Finishing:
Seal. Begad! Sand. Ahoy! Paint and finish t' taste. Begad! Aye aye! I like cinnamon and brown sugar on me oat meal.

Flight Notes:
05/12/01: KCAR May launch at Shawnee Mission Park. D12-3. Begad! Weather was perfect.  No clouds, little wind. T' club had a record number o' launches.  T' Oatlander was prepared and inspected. Avast, me proud beauty! I was usin' a borrowed nylon chute which fit very snug in t' tube. T' launch went perfect. Begad! Straight up, arrr, no wobble. Ahoy! Arced over at apogee and t' ejection charge blew t' motor out t' back. Begad! No chute deployment. T' Oatlander took a core sample. T' damage was surprisingly slight. T' outer body detached from the bulkheads and some damage t' t' nose capsule. Avast, me proud beauty! Good flight, bad landing. Well, blow me down! Avast! I be advised that t' engine hook may have been too loose. A single wrap o' tape would have made t' engine secure and might have prevented this.

05/13/01: D12-3. Arrr! After makin' quick repairs, we decided t' try again. Ahoy! This time I made t' engine secure and used a plastic parachute. Well, blow me down! T' fit be better in t' tube. Most o' t' damage had been repaired with t' exception of t' circle at t' top o' t' transition section bein' broken. The wind be higher than t' previous day, matey, ya bilge rat, but it was just as hot. We launched a soundin' rocket t' test t' wind. Aye aye! Good flight and recovery. Begad!

We gave a countdown and launched t' Oatlander for t' second time. Ya scallywag! No hesitation from t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Begad! She started t' arc slightly into t' wind but achieved about t' same altitude as t' day before. Arrr! This time t' ejection charge blew t' chute out and we had good deployment. Begad! She came down a little hot. Avast, me proud beauty! Hit t' ground on one side and cracked a landin' gear leg. Avast, me proud beauty! Nothin' that a little glue won't fix.

Because o' its size, t' flight is really excitin' t' watch and easy to track. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!