Long before I was buildin' rockets, me bucko, a very small, ya bilge rat, tumble recovery rocket be introduced by Estes. Blimey! It be t' 1/2A powered Astron Sprite. Ya scallywag! T' those nay familiar with this rocket, I would like t' explain a very unique characteristic o' this design. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! When scaled up enough t' be powered by a high impulse motor, shiver me timbers, t' air flowin' past t' fin rin' creates a high-pitched whistle when launched. Begad! Blimey! This is sometimes drowned out by t' initial noise o' t' motor, but is quite audible as t' motor burns out and continues durin' t' coast phase.

Back in 1999, durin' t' second launch o' me 4-inch airframe based Superscale Sprite, ya bilge rat, t' whistle be clearly heard by all those in attendance. Well, blow me down! Arrr! As t' rocket arced over, even before t' ooh’s and aah’s had subsided, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it was obvious that I had a major deployment problem…there was none! T' Sprite raced back t' earth, and a fact that I was previously unaware of, shiver me timbers, became perfectly clear. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This amazin' rocket whistled comin' down, louder than when it was goin' up. Well, blow me down! Arrr! In fact, shiver me timbers, matey, it whistled right up until it impacted with t' rock-hard Pennsylvania soil at our Jones Farm launch site. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Naturally, arrr, me fellow rocketeers were quick t' offer their condolences, but I was more amused by t' memory o' it whistlin' back t' Earth. Blimey! Aye aye! I collected t' remains, includin' diggin' t' nosecone out o' t' ground, ya bilge rat, and went back t' me truck t' prep me next rocket.

My son, Chris, arrr, almost immediately began urgin' me t' build another one. Due t' t' amount o' work that be involved in t' project, arrr, I be unwillin' t' commit t' such an ambitious undertaking. Begad! Over t' next twelve months or so, arrr, I did acquire a piece o' 15-inch diameter cardboard drum, arrr, me hearties, which would make a fine fin ring, me hearties, (my first one be 11.5-inch diameter) and a 24-inch long section o' 5.5-inch airframe. This would amount t' a 7.3X version o' t' original Estes model. Well, blow me down! Avast! I also purchased a 3 x 6 x 36-inch block o' balsa wood, that I planned on usin' t' turn a scale nosecone. Avast! Well, blow me down! I cut t' block in two and laminated them together t' make a nice 6 x 6 x 18-inch blank, me hearties, and then set it aside, ya bilge rat, where it would sit for almost another year. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! One weekend in February o' 2001, me hearties, I be turnin' a couple wooden nosecone patterns for a Tripoli Pittsburgh group project, matey, t' Gloria Mundi III. Avast! After completin' this task, I decided t' go ahead, ya bilge rat, and turn t' new Sprite nosecone from t' balsa block that had been collectin' dust. Well, blow me down! After finishin' t' outside form, shiver me timbers, it be necessary t' hollow out a large section o' t' cone so that I would be able t' add t' one-pound o' weight needed for stability. Well, blow me down! I cut a bulkhead from .5-inch plywood t' seal t' openin' that was epoxied into place after fillin' t' cone with expandin' foam. Before I knew it, arrr, t' nosecone be complete, and I be plannin' me next steps o' t' project, that would soon come t' be known as "T' Lord o' t' Rings."

Next, me hearties, I carefully cut a 5.5-inch section o' t' cardboard drum, me bucko, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. Begad! I opted for two wraps o' 6-ounce woven cloth and a finishin' wrap o' 1.5-ounce cloth. T' last layer was done solely t' make it easier t' get a smooth surface for painting. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I used t' same process for t' airframe, shiver me timbers, arrr, which, although it be made o' flexible phenolic, shiver me timbers, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Blimey! Blimey! Twelve inches o' 38mm motor mount tubin' be cut and I had all t' parts necessary t' complete t' project.

A large T-nut was installed in t' forward centerin' rin' for recovery system attachment, as well as two in t' aft rin' for motor retention. Ya scallywag! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, and this assembly was installed into t' slotted body tube. Ya scallywag! With t' rear-centerin' rin' temporarily put in place for alignment purposes, t' fins were epoxied into place. Avast! T' aft rin' be then removed, arrr, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Since I be goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, me bucko, t' remainder o' t' cavity be filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Arrr! Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It be now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Careful attention be paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps was necessary. Well, blow me down! When t' assembly was completely dried, matey, I once again used t' epoxy/micro-balloon mixture t' create fillets both inside and outside t' fin rin' at each fin and fin cap. Begad! I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, and after some extensive sanding, arrr, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! More sanding, matey, arrr, fillin' and primin' followed, me bucko, o' course, me bucko, matey, until I be ready t' paint. Well, blow me down! After addin' an 18-foot, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, arrr, t' total weight without motor is just over 8-pounds.

I launched t' completed project at our first Dragon's Fire launch o' t' season, April 7th, matey, 2001. Blimey! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Blimey! Unlike me first Sprite, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.