Brief:
This is a single staged LMR (large model rocket) and HPR allowin' it t' be flown at fields with a G motor limit as well as on high power motors such as H and above. This rocket was built in two evenings for an upcomin' event and was designed t' replace me DG&A Wasp which be nearly destroyed t' previous weekend due t' t' CATO o' a Cesaroni H153 on its 19th flight. Aye aye! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It is currently 4" taller than a stock DG&A WASP, me hearties, and once t' nose cone arrives which it is designed t' use, arrr, it will be 8" taller than stock. Ahoy! As far as it's name, me bucko, this rocket is called t' Polistes/Vespa which is intended t' refer t' t' fact that it is a member o' t' Wasp family--specifically t' paper wasp--and Vespa in Italian is a slang word for a "fast motor scooter". A more common usage o' t' word which actually means wasp. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It is also very similar t' t' Spanish pronunciation o' wasp, "avispa", arrr, which you will hear commonly in Texas.

Construction:
I started out with a design that could nay be finished before this build due to the fact that t' nose cone had nay arrived yet. I had ordered a 3" x 18.75" 6:1 conical fiberglass cone from Performance Rocketry t' give it a real spike image varyin' from t' original Wasp design drastically. Avast, me proud beauty! As it had not come in yet I used a normal 3" R.W.W. nose cone that we have all seen. They all look t' same. T' payload bay as well as t' fins were from DG&A Rocketry. Begad! T' LOC airframe and t' centerin' rings were ordered from Quickburst.net. Begad! Motor retention is a new 38mm threaded "bell" cone from Giant Leap. Recovery system consists o' stainless steel U-Bolts and quicklinks from Lowes Hardware, arrr, shiver me timbers, 20' tubular Keelhaul®©™® recovery harness from Giant Leap, me bucko, me bucko, Nomex® recovery harness protector and shield from Quickburst.net, and TAC-1 parachute from C.L.E. Enterprises. Avast!

T' build was fairly simple and was just t' same as a DG&A Wasp. I first removed t' glassine layer from a 38mm motor tube by usin' a sharp X-Acto knife t' get t' layer removal started with t' spiral seam. I then cut t' fin slots with t' same knife and then sanded t' fins t' an airfoil with a belt sander. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins came out better than on any previous rocket I have ever built and it be me first time t' use a belt sander. Well, blow me down! I picked up a Craftsman from Sears for about $80 just for this project t' night before startin' t' build. I used 28 minute epoxy t' seat t' fins t' t' motor tube and thar are no internal nor external fillets o' any type.

Finishing:
T' rocket was finished with Kilz white primer on t' main airframe, covered by Rust-Oleum John Deere Yellow, while t' payload bay and temporary stock nose cone be only coated with royal blue Rust-Oleum Paint for Plastic. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! That type of paint claims that no primer is needed but in me experience you do need primer. Final details were t' application o' some decals, ya bilge rat, an attractive gold foil stripe from DG&A High Power Rocketry and a DG&A silver logo on the payload bay.

Flight:
This rocket be launched on it's maiden voyage on 2/12/05 at t' Hearne Texas Municipal Airport durin' t' annual Hearts & Darts event with Houston's NHRC, arrr, a NARRRRR contest / HPR sport launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A complete video o' the launch is available too. Begad! [Warning: file size is 55.7MB!]

T' motor I selected be one o' me favorites, t' fairly new LOKI Research H144. I set t' delay at 10. As you can see by t' excellent photo thanks to NHRC President Warren Benson, me bucko, t' LOKI Research H144 produced a brilliant white flame and puffy white smoke which is a trademark o' t' "LOKI White" propellant. Well, blow me down! These motors were just certified by Tripoli in October 2004 and they are becomin' very popular. Blimey! They were t' most commonly used H motors at this event in fact.

A high point o' this launch for me be that Danny Cantu of DG&A Rocketry was a vendor at the launch and I got t' meet and visit with him for t' first time, as well as show him t' Vespa, shiver me timbers, have him watch it fly, and share stories o' me DG&A Rockets like t' Sonik-Blast, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, WASP, me bucko, arrr, Mini-Sonik Blast, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, etc. I also got t' look at his entire line o' rockets, even some prototypes, I even bought an L3 L-3 Armageddon kit and have t' T-Shirt t' prove it.

Winds were fairly high at t' time o' launch, ya bilge rat, yet I had some blue sky and decided t' go for it. Arrr! Begad! T' rocket moved so fast that it whistled when slowing down for apogee. Begad! I always love when they do that. T' 10 second delay could have been an 8 for perfect apogee. Arrr! Blimey! Hit at least 2000+ feet fast.

Recovery:
Rocket landed on t' airport runway or tarmac with a "tarmac" kiss on t' top of one fin. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! And somethin' quite odd happened, t' recovery harness / shock cord tied a perfect knot around t' slimline bell cone retainer. Begad! See photo.

T' rocket is fine, I am still waitin' for t' cool lookin' needle like nose cone I ordered for it originally and should it arrive soon I should have another photo of it as it is designed t' be.

Summary:
I am very pleased with this rocket. It's t' first time I have scratch built a high powered rocket, arrr, yet t' design is so close t' t' DG&A WASP I have to thank DG&A for this rocket. Ahoy! I consider it t' be a DG&A even though only the fins and nose cone were from DG&A this time. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' WASP be one o' me all time favorite rockets, as well as me most frequently flown HPR. I plan on flyin' t' Vespa very often and expect it will have a long life as a reliable HPR bird. Aye aye!

Other:
I highly suggest t' HPR rocket this was inspired from, t' DG&A WASP, available here : http://www.dgarockets.com

It's an excellent, arrr, low priced way t' build a very strong and attractive rocket that you can even use t' L1 certify with. Avast! Blimey! Very stable and reliable rocket. Aye aye! It's very fast and looks great as well. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! :)