(Contributed - by Bill Eichelberger - 01/22/10)

Brief:
I've long flown t' Goony flag, shiver me timbers, but a recent thread at TRF showcasin' different Goony creations got me wonderin' if I be neglectin' t' Goony side o' me brain. Ya scallywag! Avast! After much introspection it was determined that nay only was I neglectin' t' Goony side, but t' rest o' it as well. With that decided, me hearties, me bucko, I began spendin' time at www.ninfinger.org studyin' t' Estes catalogs tryin' t' find suitable candidates for "goonification". Begad! Aye aye! I came up with a couple before switchin' t' t' Centuri catalogs, where I had an Epiphany. Avast, me proud beauty! I realized that Goony was a life force all its own and that no rocket could be safe from parody. Nay even t' Centuri Vector V.

Construction:

Parts List:

• PNC-60 nose cone
• 7.5" BT-60 main body tube
• 1.75" BT-80 lower body tube
• 2 CR-2060 centerin' rings
• 3 CR-6080 centerin' rings
• 6080 paper transition
• BT-20J engine tube
• engine hook
• CR-520 engine block
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 24" length Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 24" length 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord

I've forever been intimidated by rockets with paper transitions, and that, me bucko, me bucko, coupled with t' need t' eventually make me own 6080 centerin' rings (this be a "spare parts" build,) made me put this idea onto t' back burner once I had gathered t' bulk o' t' parts. Blimey! Aye aye! My first attempt at a paper transition had come t' a bad end due t' some apparent miscommunication betwixt t' program and me printer, an occurrence that took t' wind out o' me sails in a big way.

I got reinterested in t' project one Friday night with a Sunday launch breathin' down me neck. Avast, me proud beauty! I found t' tools I needed t' successfully make t' rings and transition, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and Jay Goemmer pointed me in t' right direction t' find a widget that allowed me t' print off a five fin BT-80 fin markin' guide.

Things went pretty smartly from that point. I decided t' stick with t' stock size fins, so that meant goin' with t' Estes Viking-style fin orientation. I also decided t' go with an internal launch lug mounted on t' side o' t' BT-60. This meant that I'd need t' make holes in me beautiful handmade centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, so I found and icepick and gouged me way through both. Ya scallywag! It also meant that I'd have t' find a way through t' transition, shiver me timbers, matey, also nay a problem, but also nay an aesthetic high point o' this bird.

Finishing:
T' basswood fins didn't need a lot o' help hidin' t' grain, so I went with one coat o' thinned Fill & Finish and a couple o' coats o' primer, me bucko, which was how it looked for t' first two flights. From thar I sprayed t' fin can with a no-name blue, Valspar silver and Testor's Candy Apple Red that I'd wanted t' try for a long time. Well, matey, blow me down! T' nose cone had been sprayed silver when I did t' mid-section o' t' rocket, me hearties, which played right into t' Testor's, which is supposed t' be sprayed over silver or gold metallic. Begad! I be a little concerned about t' possibility o' crazing, ya bilge rat, but t' Candy Apple coated nicely and looked great without a hint o' crazing. I had planned t' print up a set o' stock decals t' finish t' project, arrr, but some o' t' no-name blue metallic pulled away from t' scrap o' BT-80 that made up t' lower body tube durin' t' unmaskin' and I kind o' lost me enthusiasm for t' project. Begad! Well, blow me down! For those who might be interested in followin' in me clown shoe footprints, ya bilge rat, Sandman has a decal set that he put together.

Flight:
Flight day turned out t' be beautiful from t' start, and with t' sun already up and warmin' things up by t' time I awoke, ya bilge rat, I decicded that t' time be right t' spray a coat o' primer on t' rocket t' improve t' looks a little. By t' time I had everythin' ready t' leave a couple o' hours later, ya bilge rat, t' primer was dry and I thought everythin' was goin' me way.

Ten minutes later I was parked off t' side o' US 27, realizin' that despite t' beautiful day, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' convertible may have been a mistake. Begad! Blimey! Despite me careful packin' o' t' days birds, two were damaged, matey, one o' them bein' t' Vector G. Ahoy! Begad! Turns out that t' hasty fin attachment on Saturday evenin' was over a painted section o' t' scrap BT-80. Arrr! Arrr! I didn't think t' sand t' paint t' rough it up, arrr, and somethin' as slight as fallin' over in t' back o' t' car was enough t' sprin' a fin despite t' double fillets. Begad! Ya scallywag! Once at t' field I roughed up t' area where t' fin had been, then re-glued it with LocTite Gel CA. Ahoy! Good enough for a couple o' flights, arrr, I hoped.

With a field t' size o' t' VOA, I felt comfortable tryin' with a C6-5 for t' first flight. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I checked t' fins for any wiggles I might have missed and announced it as a heads-up flight. Avast! T' Vector G leapt off t' pad smartly and arced t' t' north in t' light breeze. Begad! Much better than I had hoped for. Begad! Ejection be perfect and recovery, while a decent walk into t' tall grass, shiver me timbers, was likewise.

T' second flight, arrr, also on a C6-5 (because it was all I had,) was almost a carbon copy o' t' first. T' only difference be a fin breakin' off on recovery, ya bilge rat, but again it be easily reattached with gel CA. Blimey! Aye aye! Subsequent flights are planned on cozy B6-4 Field usin' A8-3's and B6-4's, likely after I break off and reattach t' remainin' fins.

Recovery:
Several years ago I won an Ebay auction for some clear plastic parachutes that came 10 for $1. They got shuffled around durin' our move in 2005 and recently resurfaced. I hadn't thought o' a parachute when I left t' house, arrr, matey, so I had t' scramble come flight day. Arrr! Blimey! T' chute performed perfectly, ya bilge rat, and it would be difficult t' find fault with t' deal now.

Summary:
Pro's: Performance. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' sheer gooniness o' it all.

Con's: Some o' t' "spare parts" I used had been previously used as paint tubes which made fin attachment a challenge. T' pizza and win' ad that I used for t' transition was too thin and slick and wouldn't accept t' thin CA that I normally use t' beef cardstock up.