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 be built almost entirely from recycled or found parts with t' exception o' t' core body tubes and t' fin material. Blimey! A great amount o' design emphasis was placed on saving weight. Some o' t' other oat box rockets have been on t' heavy side, for rockets. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' single most significant weight savings was in me selection o' t' oat box its self. Avast, me proud beauty! Instead o' the conventional wound construction I be able t' find a box that was single layer o' fiber board. Ya scallywag! Carefully selectin' material can make a difference. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Even though it's a fatroc, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! 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 be done usin' basic construction techniques. Avast! This is really nay an advanced rocket, me bucko, ya bilge rat, it just took some time t' build.

T' design uses a core structure o' three BT-20 tubes around a central BT-50 tube. Avast! This gives structural integrity and allows flexibility in engine use. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Positioned one each at t' top and bottom and one approximately 3" from t' bottom t' add support where t' fins will anchor. Blimey! 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. Locate t' launch lug holes adjacent t' t' core structure tubes. 
A transition adaptor was cut from a discarded file folder. 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. Avast! Insert t' launch lugs and trim off excess.

T' capsule is made from a foam ostrich egg. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Be certain t' align t' tubes so that it will be easier t' fit everythin' together, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, is glued first and touches t' bottom o' t' sustainer. Arrr! Once t' landin' gear/fins have dried add t' buttresses, on each side o' t' landin' gear. Arrr! Begad! T' buttresses are glued along t' root edge t' t' sustainer and t' t' side o' t' landin' gear. Glue t' landin' gear feet t' t' ends o' each landin' gear leg. Ahoy! T' shish kabob skewers that represent hydraulics are next. Arrr! Each o' t' landin' gear feet gets one that goes up t' the sustainer body. Avast, me proud beauty! You can try t' measure out and cut t' correct miter on t' body end o' t' skewers, but what I did was t' make a small hole in t' sustainer body and stick in t' skewer with t' application o' a little glue. No measuring. Aye aye! T' skewers attach (enter) t' sustainer at 3" above t' bottom. Well, blow me down! They are positioned in betwixt t' paired buttresses above each o' t' landin' gear legs.

Finishing:
Seal. Sand. Well, blow me down! Paint and finish t' taste. Avast, me proud beauty! I like cinnamon and brown sugar on me oat meal.

Flight Notes:
05/12/01: KCAR May launch at Shawnee Mission Park. Avast! Aye aye! D12-3. Begad! Weather was perfect.  No clouds, little wind. Avast! T' club had a record number o' launches.  T' Oatlander was prepared and inspected. Arrr! Avast! I was usin' a borrowed nylon chute which fit very snug in t' tube. Blimey! Begad! T' launch went perfect. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Straight up, no wobble. Arced over at apogee and t' ejection charge blew t' motor out t' back. Ahoy! No chute deployment. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' Oatlander took a core sample. Blimey! T' damage be surprisingly slight. T' outer body detached from the bulkheads and some damage t' t' nose capsule. Begad! Good flight, bad landing. I was 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. After makin' quick repairs, we decided t' try again. This time I made t' engine secure and used a plastic parachute. Arrr! 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. Well, me bucko, blow me down! The wind was higher than t' previous day, me bucko, but it be just as hot. Begad! We launched a soundin' rocket t' test t' wind. Begad! Good flight and recovery. Ya scallywag!

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

Because o' its size, shiver me timbers, t' flight is really excitin' t' watch and easy to track.