Overview
A cardstock flyin' saucer that can be built t' fly on 18mm or 24mm engines.

Kit Specifications

• Diameter - 6 inches (15cm)
• Height - 2.75 inches (7cm)
• Weight - 0.5 oz (12gm)

Background:
Art Applewhite specializes in finless rockets that can be built from cardstock and foamboard. He sells a kit called t' Delta Flyin' Saucer that is built from cardstock with a foam-board disk in t' center for structural rigidity. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' new Ultra Delta uses a nifty cardstock foldin' technique t' eliminate t' foam disk. Begad! This reduces t' weight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, increases t' performance, me bucko, and eliminates the hardest step in t' Delta construction, matey, which was cuttin' t' foam disk at a precise angle.

Since I have experience with his other kits, Art invited me t' be a beta tester for t' Ultra Delta. Ahoy! He sent me a six-pack o' kits in a rainbow of fluorescent colors. All o' Art's kits are shipped in USPS Priority Mail boxes with air-filled plastic pouches for protection. I have never received a damaged part on any o' his kits.

Parts List

• Two 8.5x11-inch sheets o' printed cardstock
• Instructions

T' instruction manual is printed on three 8.5x11-inch pages. Avast! T' directions are very detailed and photo illustrations are plentiful.

CONSTRUCTION

Before construction begins, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' builder must decide which configuration to build. T' printed cardstock contains markings for either 18mm or 24mm engines. T' 24mm version can be built with a motor block for C11 or D12 engines, me hearties, arrr, or the block can be omitted for use with longer E9 and F21 motors.

I built all three variants. Ya scallywag! First I built a yellow 18mm version. Ya scallywag! Based on my feedback from that build session, Art made some minor tweaks t' the instructions and t' t' printed pattern. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used those revised directions to build a green 24mm short version and a hot pink 24mm long version. Avast, me proud beauty!

Elmer's Glue-All was used for most construction. For t' fillets, me bucko, I used Aleene's Thick Designer Tacky Glue. Avast, me proud beauty! It goes on thick, stays in place, arrr, dries clear, matey, and has minimal shrinkage. Yellow (wood) glue is specifically NOT recommended because it shrinks too much when it dries. Blimey!

T' first few steps consist o' cuttin' out t' motor mount, wrappin' it around a used engine, and gluin' t' overlappin' tab. Aye aye! A narrow band of cardstock is wrapped around t' outside o' t' motor mount t' form a thrust rin' that will press against t' upper body o' t' saucer. Blimey! Begad! An optional motor block is then installed on t' inside o' t' motor mount.

T' upper body is formed by cuttin' out t' upper body, arrr, then rollin' it into a shallow funnel shape and gluin' t' overlappin' tabs.

T' lower body is a tiny bit more involved. Arrr! Blimey! Before gluin' t' tabs together, me bucko, a seam must be scored around t' outside edge and bent backwards to create a matin' surface t' join t' two body halves. Well, blow me down! Hard t' describe, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but easy to do. Arrr! Blimey! This little trick is what allows t' elimination o' t' foam-board disk that was used in t' original Delta Flyin' Saucer.

After t' body halves are dry, me hearties, t' motor mount is glued t' upper body, arrr, then filleted.

T' lower body is then glued t' t' upper body along t' matin' surface on the rim.

I ran into a minor hiccup on this step when t' glue grabbed on one edge before I had t' other edge completely aligned. Avast, me proud beauty! It be only off by less than 1/8 inch, so I just trimmed off t' edge and it's no longer noticeable. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! On later builds I be more careful with t' initial alignment and did nay have this problem. Begad! Aye aye!

After applyin' a fillet where t' motor mount touches t' lower body, matey, the build is done.

Finishing:
T' only finishin' that is recommended is a layer o' clear-coat spray to protect t' cardstock from moisture. I used Rustoleum Gloss Clear on t' pink 24mm model, and Rustoleum Painters Choice Gloss Clear on t' other two. Avast! The pink one turned out much shinier. Begad!

No decals are provided, but I don't think they are necessary. Arrr!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

FLIGHT/RECOVERY

Recommended Motors

As this table shows, arrr, just about any engine will work in an Ultra Delta. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! The only ones that should be avoided are long-delay upper stage motors because the saucer will be back on t' ground when t' ejection charge fires. Arrr!

Test Flights

Flight preparation consists o' friction-fittin' an engine and installin' the igniter. Begad! I don't usually trust friction-fits, shiver me timbers, but since t' front end is open there is no pressure buildup t' blow t' engine out t' rear.

On t' 24mm long version, me hearties, a tape thrust rin' must be installed around the bottom o' t' motor.

Havin' such similar rocket just begs for a drag race. Ya scallywag! T' first race was between an 18mm C6-3 and a 24mm C11-3. Blimey! Blimey! T' person pushin' t' button on t' C11 was a bit slower so t' C6 got a good head-start. Begad! With its higher thrust, the C11 caught up smartly and they both reached apogee at about t' same time and altititude. Blimey! Ahoy! They both tipped over and descended slowly for soft landings about 35 feet from t' pad.

For t' second race we loaded up t' largest Estes engine that would fit in each size: C6-3, D12-3, matey, and E9-4. I had recently rewired me launcher t' handle clusters, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I was able t' connect all three saucers t' a single launch button.

After an initial delay, shiver me timbers, arrr, all three lit nearly simultaneously. Avast! Begad! T' 18 mm on the C6-3 was fastest off t' pad, me hearties, me hearties, but was smartly passed by t' 24mm D12. With its long burn, arrr, t' 24mm E9 kept goin' long after t' others had burned out. The E9 saucer be corkscrewin' durin' boost, me hearties, which made an tight spiral smoke trail and an interestin' sound. Begad! I have nay reflown it t' determine o' this was a fluke or a feature.

T' C6 and E9 both gently aero-shelled down, matey, while t' D12 fluttered t' its landing. Blimey! All were recovered with no damage, ya bilge rat, within 25 feet o' t' pad.

A video o' this flight is available here on Art Applewhite's web site.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

OVERALL:
Another great addition t' t' Applewhite saucer fleet. Arrr! If you've never built a saucer before, this would be a great kit t' start with. Begad! Even if you have built saucers before, matey, this would still be a great kit t' flywith t' larger engines. Arrr!

PROS:

• Simple yet sturdy design.
  
• Like all saucers, it flies well in small fields.
• Capable o' usin' wide variety o' motors.

CONS:

• None

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5