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

Brief:
I've long flown t' Goony flag, me hearties, but a recent thread at TRF showcasin' different Goony creations got me wonderin' if I was neglectin' t' Goony side o' me brain. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After much introspection it was determined that nay only was I neglectin' t' Goony side, but t' rest o' it as well. Aye aye! Blimey! With that decided, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I began spendin' time at www.ninfinger.org studyin' t' Estes catalogs tryin' t' find suitable candidates for "goonification". Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I came up with a couple before switchin' t' t' Centuri catalogs, where I had an Epiphany. Begad! Blimey! I realized that Goony was a life force all its own and that no rocket could be safe from parody. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! 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, matey, 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. Begad! My first attempt at a paper transition had come t' a bilge-suckin' 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. Begad! Blimey! I found t' tools I needed t' successfully make t' rings and transition, 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. Blimey! I decided t' stick with t' stock size fins, arrr, so that meant goin' with t' Estes Viking-style fin orientation. Ahoy! Avast! I also decided t' go with an internal launch lug mounted on t' side o' t' BT-60. Aye aye! This meant that I'd need t' make holes in me beautiful handmade centerin' rings, 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, me hearties, also nay a problem, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, which be how it looked for t' first two flights. Ahoy! From thar I sprayed t' fin can with a no-name blue, ya bilge rat, Valspar silver and Testor's Candy Apple Red that I'd wanted t' try for a long time. Avast! 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 be a little concerned about t' possibility o' crazing, me hearties, me hearties, but t' Candy Apple coated nicely and looked great without a hint o' crazing. Blimey! Blimey! I had planned t' print up a set o' stock decals t' finish t' project, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! For those who might be interested in followin' in me clown shoe footprints, Sandman has a decal set that he put together.

Flight:
Flight day turned out t' be beautiful from t' start, me bucko, me hearties, and with t' sun already up and warmin' things up by t' time I awoke, I decicded that t' time was right t' spray a coat o' primer on t' rocket t' improve t' looks a little. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! By t' time I had everythin' ready t' leave a couple o' hours later, 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, ya bilge rat, t' convertible may have been a mistake. Arrr! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! I didn't think t' sand t' paint t' rough it up, me hearties, and somethin' as slight as fallin' over in t' back o' t' car was enough t' sprin' a fin despite t' double fillets. 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, I hoped.

With a field t' size o' t' VOA, me hearties, I felt comfortable tryin' with a C6-5 for t' first flight. Blimey! Ahoy! I checked t' fins for any wiggles I might have missed and announced it as a heads-up flight. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' Vector G leapt off t' pad smartly and arced t' t' north in t' light breeze. Much better than I had hoped for. Arrr! Ejection was perfect and recovery, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. T' only difference was a fin breakin' off on recovery, but again it was easily reattached with gel CA. Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! Begad! Blimey! They got shuffled around durin' our move in 2005 and recently resurfaced. I hadn't thought o' a parachute when I left t' house, me bucko, me hearties, so I had t' scramble come flight day. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! T' chute performed perfectly, and it would be difficult t' find fault with t' deal now.

Summary:
Pro's: Performance. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! 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.