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

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

My son, Chris, almost immediately began urgin' me t' build another one. Due t' t' amount o' work that was involved in t' project, I be unwillin' t' commit t' such an ambitious undertaking. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Over t' next twelve months or so, I did acquire a piece o' 15-inch diameter cardboard drum, which would make a fine fin ring, (my first one be 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. I also purchased a 3 x 6 x 36-inch block o' balsa wood, 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, and then set it aside, where it would sit for almost another year. Ahoy! Blimey! One weekend in February o' 2001, ya bilge rat, arrr, I was turnin' a couple wooden nosecone patterns for a Tripoli Pittsburgh group project, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' Gloria Mundi III. Begad! Arrr! After completin' this task, arrr, I decided t' go ahead, ya bilge rat, and turn t' new Sprite nosecone from t' balsa block that had been collectin' dust. Avast! After finishin' t' outside form, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! I cut a bulkhead from .5-inch plywood t' seal t' openin' that be epoxied into place after fillin' t' cone with expandin' foam. Ya scallywag! Avast! Before I knew it, t' nosecone was complete, ya bilge rat, 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. Arrr! Begad! I opted for two wraps o' 6-ounce woven cloth and a finishin' wrap o' 1.5-ounce cloth. T' last layer be done solely t' make it easier t' get a smooth surface for painting. Avast! I used t' same process for t' airframe, which, although it was made o' flexible phenolic, matey, ya bilge rat, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. Well, blow me down! I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Blimey! Begad! Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Well, blow me down! 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, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, as well as two in t' aft rin' for motor retention. Avast! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, and this assembly be installed into t' slotted body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! 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 bucko, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Since I was goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, arrr, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, t' remainder o' t' cavity was filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Ahoy! Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, me hearties, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It be now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Begad! Arrr! Careful attention was paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps be necessary. Blimey! When t' assembly be completely dried, 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. Arrr! Aye aye! I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, shiver me timbers, and after some extensive sanding, shiver me timbers, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. More sanding, shiver me timbers, me bucko, fillin' and primin' followed, o' course, arrr, me hearties, until I be ready t' paint. Begad! After addin' an 18-foot, matey, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, arrr, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, April 7th, ya bilge rat, 2001. Arrr! Arrr! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Blimey! Unlike me first Sprite, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.