Hawk Mountain Enterprises Bad Attitude

Hawk Mountain Enterprises - Bad Attitude

Contributed by Darren Wright

(Contributed - by Darren Wright)

Brief:
All fiberglass 4" HPR rocket capable o' M flights.

Construction:
As is all o' Hawk Mtn's kits, t' BA is completely made up o' spiral wound fiberglass. Ahoy! Blimey! There are several options in t' kit, arrr, and I modified t' kit in a few ways, so I will note t' differences. Arrr! Blimey! T' kit came with:

  • (1) 4' 4" Booster Tube, me bucko, fin slots cut. Blimey! Arrr!
  • (1) 4' 4" Payload Tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! (Stock is 3')
  • (4) 0.125 G-10 Fins, arrr, me hearties, already shaped. Ya scallywag!
  • (1) 75mm fiberglass motor mount (option, matey, me hearties, stock is 54mm)
  • (3) 6 ply centerin' rings
  • (1) 75mm Aeropak retainer (option)
  • (1) Fiberglass avionics bay / coupler
  • (1) Machined aluminum LES holder (option)
  • (1) Rocketman RC9 Chute
  • (1) Rocketman Drogue
  • (1) Main piston
  • (1) PML Plastic nosecone (Fiberglass is optional)
  • (2) Acme 4" Conformal launch lugs
  • (1) Nomex® heatshield for drogue
  • All t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cords...etc. Avast, me proud beauty!

Rocket PicRocket Pic

Rocket PicThis kit is once again plain amazing. T' sheer strength in t' materials is astounding. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! However, this kit is nay for t' faint o' heart. Begad! There are definately some tricks t' puttin' it together correctly. Well, blow me down! T' directions offer a little help, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but at this level, does one really need t' read directions? I had a question about t' avionics bay, and a quick call t' Alan answered it. Avast! Ahoy!

I put t' whole kit together with West Systems Epoxy, me bucko, which needs t' be mixed with larger and more exact quantities. Ahoy! Arrr! Therefore, I had t' work out of order so that I could maximize me epoxy usage. Begad!

Rocket Pic T' only real trouble I had be filleting the inside o' t' fins. I only had 1/2 inch t' work with inside t' tube, me bucko, and tryin' t' get ANYTHING in thar was a hassle. Aye aye! Ahoy! I assume t' 54mm version could be much easier t' work on. Begad! Begad! I ended up usin' a syringe with a tube on t' end to get t' epoxy inside, shiver me timbers, and then a wooden dowel t' spread it. Begad! Ahoy!

I mounted t' ALTS2 on some G10 and mounted that into t' avionics bay.

Finishing:
Once again, finishin' will be a piece o' cake. All fiberglass, smooth as a baby's butt. Actually I will be takin' it t' an Auto Body shop for finishing. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
No flights logged yet, but here be t' plan: K550 K1100 L850 M1315 .

I'll update t' review when I put this Bad Boy (Atitude) in t' air!

Recovery:
All t' shock cords are Keelhaul®©™®, ya bilge rat, so no waddin' is needed. Aye aye! T' drogue can eject either by motor, or t' altimeter. Arrr! T' main is ejected via t' altimeter. Avast! Both chutes are strong enough t' deal with delays that are less than perfect. Ahoy!

Summary:
Alan has once again exceeded me expectations. Arrr! He was a little slow gettin' the kit done, but it be well worth t' wait. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I know that he is jammed with orders....he should be! This stuff is great. Aye aye! Begad! I have no fear o' damagin' this bird. Arrr! As long as t' rocket splits at apogee, this thin' will survive. Aye aye! This rocket should only be attempted by experienced builders. Arrr! Ahoy! You definately need to know how a high power rocket goes together before you start buildin' it, ya bilge rat, me hearties, so you know that you can glue when, and in what order. This rocket may cost twice what other rockets this size may cost, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I bet I'll get twice as many flights out of it. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Fiberglass be t' ONLY be t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! Transonic....move over. Begad! T' new Ferrari is in t' garage. Avast!

Other Reviews
  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Bad Attitude By Frank Hermes (May 4, 2009)

    Brief: The Bad Attitude is an all-fiberglass 4" dual-deployment rocket that is designed to fly on 38mm to 75mm motors. The Bad Attitude is equipped with a fiberglass piston ejection system for the main chute. The rocket comes standard with a 24" long 54mm-fiberglass motor mount, but is also available with an optional 30" long 3" motor mount (as described in this ...

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