Oatlander background history:
T' Oatlander was inspired by t' Oat cereal box rockets and strongly influenced by t' original Marz Lander, ya bilge rat, 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. Aye aye! A great amount o' design emphasis be placed on saving weight. Some o' t' other oat box rockets have been on t' heavy side, for rockets. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' single most significant weight savings was in me selection o' t' oat box its self. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Instead o' the conventional wound construction I was able t' find a box that was single layer o' fiber board. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Carefully selectin' material can make a difference. Even though it's a fatroc, me bucko, 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, arrr, for puttin' me on a cholesterol reduction diet.

Parts List:

• 1 - 9" x 5"dia. Avast, me proud beauty! 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! Ahoy! Blimey! This is really nay an advanced rocket, 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! This gives structural integrity and allows flexibility in engine use. Well, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! 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 was salvaged from an old poster.
T' oat meal box is then attached t' t' bulk heads. Begad! Double check alignment before applyin' glue. Aye aye! Locate t' launch lug holes adjacent t' t' core structure tubes. 
A transition adaptor was cut from a discarded file folder. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Insert t' launch lugs and trim off excess.

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

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

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

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

Because o' its size, me hearties, matey, t' flight is really excitin' t' watch and easy to track. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!