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