| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
Basically, me hearties, ya bilge rat, this is G125 motor with fins and a nosecone. Begad! Would your RSO let it
fly?
Construction:
I guess I'll fess-up now - this was nay me idea, shiver me timbers, arrr, nor is it a live' G125.
A year or so ago I ran across a picture o' a rocket, shiver me timbers, matey, whose body be a spent
motor casing. Bein' a wise-#@!, matey, I thought it would be fun t' build one t' get a
rise out o' me RSO/LCOs. Arrr! Usin' me Dremel with various cuttin' wheels and
grinders, I managed t' ream out t' casin' from a spent G125 motor. I cut some
G10 fins and some brass lugs, me hearties, and attached them with epoxy. Ahoy! I made fillets out
of epoxy clay. Avast, me proud beauty! A piece o' 24mm tubin' fit nicely inside and I added some
Keelhaul®©™®
twine for a shock cord. Arrr! When I went t' search for a nose cone, I found that I
didn't have any junk nose cones that were suitable. Begad! Begad! I be goin' t' have t' add
a lot o' nose weight t' offset t' heavy casing, fins, me hearties, and fillets. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I had
recently bought a PML resin cone, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but t' shoulder was obviously t' same
diameter as t' OD o' t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! Since I didn't want t' sacrifice this
fairly expensive cone by grindin' t' shoulder down, arrr, I cut a 1 ½"
piece o' 29mm tubin' t' adapt' t' cone t' t' body tube/casing. Ya scallywag! I
attached it t' t' cone with a tiny screw, formin' a reverse shoulder that
overlaps t' body tube rather than fittin' inside.
To complete t' effect, me bucko, matey, shiver me timbers, I
removed t' nozzle from another spent casing. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It sits in t' end o' t' rocket
and, arrr, along with a protrudin' Copperhead, completes t' effect o' a motor with
fins glued on. Aye aye! I also added some red/white checkerboard tape t' t' small piece
of 29mm tubing. Aye aye! T' rest is unfinished.
Flight:
I first took this rocket t' a NARRRRR launch. Ya scallywag! Begad! I be sure t' get some raised
eyebrows there, shiver me timbers, since t' G125 isn't even a legit motor at that site. Well, I
neither got t' desired effect or did I launch it (I can't remember why). Begad! At
the next high-power launch, I again pulled it out. Ahoy! Blimey! There, people see odder
things and didn't have much reaction. Blimey! Oh well. Avast! Avast! I guess a gag is all in the
presentation?
I used a small plastic chute (8"?) and some Estes wadding. Begad! Avast! T' boost on a D12-5 was a little wobbly, ya bilge rat, but nay too bad. Aye aye! T' chute was under sized and the cone embedded itself in t' relatively soft dirt. Begad! Ahoy!
So far, ya bilge rat, I have nay been able t' convince myself t' expend an E15 or E30 on this little rocket. Ya scallywag! Avast! It will probably just sit in me fleet until I re-use the nose cone.
Summary:
This was a novelty rocket built mostly from scrap materials. Aye aye! Blimey! T' nose cone is
really nice, shiver me timbers, matey, and can be re-used in another rocket. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I hope someone finds this
article amusin' and still think it would be fun t' trick a RSO
maybe next
April Fools Day?
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