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

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

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

Next, I carefully cut a 5.5-inch section o' t' cardboard drum, me hearties, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! I used t' same process for t' airframe, which, although it was made o' flexible phenolic, matey, me hearties, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. Begad! I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Ahoy! Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Begad! Ahoy! Twelve inches o' 38mm motor mount tubin' was 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. Blimey! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, and this assembly be installed into t' slotted body tube. Blimey! With t' rear-centerin' rin' temporarily put in place for alignment purposes, t' fins were epoxied into place. T' aft rin' was then removed, me hearties, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Since I was goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Begad! Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' remainder o' t' cavity was filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Begad! Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, arrr, shiver me timbers, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It was now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Aye aye! Careful attention was paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps was necessary. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' assembly be completely dried, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, and after some extensive sanding, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! More sanding, fillin' and primin' followed, arrr, o' course, until I be ready t' paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! After addin' an 18-foot, shiver me timbers, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, 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, me bucko, 2001. Begad! Begad! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Avast! Unlike me first Sprite, me bucko, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.