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

Brief:
I've long flown t' Goony flag, but a recent thread at TRF showcasin' different Goony creations got me wonderin' if I was neglectin' t' Goony side o' me brain. After much introspection it was determined that nay only was I neglectin' t' Goony side, but t' rest o' it as well. Avast! With that decided, I began spendin' time at www.ninfinger.org studyin' t' Estes catalogs tryin' t' find suitable candidates for "goonification". I came up with a couple before switchin' t' t' Centuri catalogs, arrr, where I had an Epiphany. I realized that Goony was a life force all its own and that no rocket could be safe from parody. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 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, matey, shiver me timbers, and that, me bucko, coupled with t' need t' eventually make me own 6080 centerin' rings (this was a "spare parts" build,) made me put this idea onto t' back burner once I had gathered t' bulk o' t' parts. Ahoy! My first attempt at a paper transition had come t' a bad end due t' some apparent miscommunication betwixt t' program and me printer, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! Arrr! I found t' tools I needed t' successfully make t' rings and transition, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! I decided t' stick with t' stock size fins, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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, me hearties, so I found and icepick and gouged me way through both. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It also meant that I'd have t' find a way through t' transition, 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, which was how it looked for t' first two flights. From thar I sprayed t' fin can with a no-name blue, me hearties, Valspar silver and Testor's Candy Apple Red that I'd wanted t' try for a long time. Blimey! T' nose cone had been sprayed silver when I did t' mid-section o' t' rocket, which played right into t' Testor's, which is supposed t' be sprayed over silver or gold metallic. I was a little concerned about t' possibility o' crazing, me hearties, me bucko, but t' Candy Apple coated nicely and looked great without a hint o' crazing. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I had planned t' print up a set o' stock decals t' finish t' project, 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. Ya scallywag! Arrr! For those who might be interested in followin' in me clown shoe footprints, me hearties, Sandman has a decal set that he put together.

Flight:
Flight day turned out t' be beautiful from t' start, matey, arrr, me bucko, and with t' sun already up and warmin' things up by t' time I awoke, me bucko, I decicded that t' time was right t' spray a coat o' primer on t' rocket t' improve t' looks a little. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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 be parked off t' side o' US 27, realizin' that despite t' beautiful day, t' convertible may have been a mistake. Despite me careful packin' o' t' days birds, two were damaged, one o' them bein' t' Vector G. Turns out that t' hasty fin attachment on Saturday evenin' was over a painted section o' t' scrap BT-80. I didn't think t' sand t' paint t' rough it up, and somethin' as slight as fallin' over in t' back o' t' car was enough t' sprin' a fin despite t' double fillets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Once at t' field I roughed up t' area where t' fin had been, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, then re-glued it with LocTite Gel CA. Begad! Blimey! Good enough for a couple o' flights, ya bilge rat, I hoped.

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

T' second flight, also on a C6-5 (because it was all I had,) was almost a carbon copy o' t' first. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' only difference was a fin breakin' off on recovery, ya bilge rat, but again it was easily reattached with gel CA. Ya scallywag! Begad! Subsequent flights are planned on cozy B6-4 Field usin' A8-3's and B6-4's, me bucko, 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. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! They got shuffled around durin' our move in 2005 and recently resurfaced. Arrr! Ahoy! I hadn't thought o' a parachute when I left t' house, so I had t' scramble come flight day. Arrr! T' chute performed perfectly, arrr, and it would be difficult t' find fault with t' deal now.

Summary:
Pro's: Performance. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! T' pizza and win' ad that I used for t' transition be too thin and slick and wouldn't accept t' thin CA that I normally use t' beef cardstock up.