Brief:
T' Mighty Mo rocket is based on t' Mega Nuke kit from Smokin Rockets, arrr, which is no longer available. Ahoy! I was able to obtain t' airframe, nose cone, motor tube, me bucko, centerin' rings, and custom cut fins from Red Arrow Hobbies. Ahoy! Begad! Since me Dad loves Theatre Organ Music, I named me Mega Nuke after t' Mighty Mo Theatre Organ at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Ahoy! T' Mighty Mo be flown for me NARRRRR Level 3 Certification at t' 2007 Florida Winter Nationals. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction:
T' lower airframe is a four foot long 7.5 inch phenolic tube and t' upper airframe is a three foot long 7.5 inch phenolic tube. Begad! T' nose cone is a PML fiberglass cone 29 inches long without t' shoulder. Aye aye! I added nineteen ounces of weight in t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! A three inch wide Keelhaul®©™® tape was inset at t' top o' t' airframe tubes for zipper protection. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' three fins were 3/8 inch birch plywood. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! The centerin' rings are 3/8 plywood and motor tube CRs were doubled. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube is 98mm with a Aeropack retainer. Aye aye! I used a 98-75mm adapter for t' AMW 1350 motor. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' altimeter bay is two separate 54 mm tubes located on opposite sides of t' coupler in t' upper airframe. Aye aye! T' altimeters are on sleds that slide into t' 54mm tubes. Aye aye! There are rotary switches located on t' sleds which can be accessed with a screwdriver through holes in t' airframe. Avast! These switches are used t' power up t' electronics and shunt/arm t' ejection charges. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! There is a Missle Works RRC2 on one sled and a PerfectFlite MAWD on t' other. Each altimeter is hooked t' separate drogue and main charges. Also, ya bilge rat, one sled has a Perfectflite MT3G Timer set t' fire a backup drouge charge four seconds after t' simmed apogee.

T' airframe was glassed with Aerosleeves 7 inch fiberglass sleeve and West System slow epoxy. Ya scallywag! I used a rotisserie t' rotate t' airframe while t' epoxy was curing. Blimey! T' weave be filled by Superfill epoxy filler also from Aerosleeves. Begad! My main gotcha was usin' an alignment template for t' fins. Ahoy! After expoyin' t' fins, I discovered one was out o' line and I had t' remove and reposition it. Well, arrr, blow me down! In hindsight, it would have been better t' use a plywood fin jig. Avast, me proud beauty! Six ounce fiberglass tape was placed across t' fins roots and motor tube in t' fin can. Blimey!

Finishing:
I used Kilz Original Primer followed by Krylon yellow gloss on t' upper airframe and Krylon black gloss on t' lower airframe. I consulted Dave Rose o' Graphix N Stuff on t' color scheme. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! He suggested a vinyl body wrap that provided a transition from black t' yellow on t' upper airframe. Begad! Blimey! T' body wrap was applied over t' yellow upper airframe. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This wrap be black vinyl with dots or holes in t' vinyl at t' bottom and transitioned t' dots o' black vinyl near the top.

SUCCESSFUL LEVEL 3 FLIGHT!

2007 Florida Winter Nationals
Rocket - Mega Nuke kit from Smokin Rockets
Weight - 46 lbs
Motor - Animal Works M1350WW
Altitude - 4340 Feet

Flight:
I did a test flight on an AMW L1300 t' 1350 feet with no problems. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! However, arrr, shiver me timbers, I did decide t' switch from a 48 inch chute for t' nose cone t' a 60 inch chute because it came down at about 28 feet per second. Well, blow me down! Other than that, matey, I felt well prepared for t' cert flight.

I chose an AMW 1350 White Wolf for t' cert launch at t' 2007 Florida Winter Nationals. Aye aye! T' boost on t' AMW 1350 White Wolf be fantastic. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' altitude reached was 4340 feet which was more than I expected. T' drogue charge may have been a little early. Begad! Ya scallywag! I cannot tell if t' first charge be an altimeter or from t' timer. Avast! T' main and nose cone chutes deployed for a nice descent from about 1000 feet. Arrr! T' rocket was recovered only about 1/4 mile from t' pad with no damage. Aye aye! I now have data from t' PerfectFlight altimeter which will help me set t' timer for future flights. Well, blow me down! It was closer t' apogee that I planned. Arrr! Begad! I want t' altimeters t' deploy t' drogue and use t' timer as a backup.

Recovery:
I chose t' Giant Leap TAC-9B for t' main chute. Begad! T' main was in a deployment bag which was pulled off by t' nose cone at ejection. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone was recovered separately on a TAC-1 60 inch chute. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I used a Giant Leap 24 inch TAC Drogue. Well, blow me down! I used lengths o' two inch wide tubular nylon t' get t' shock cords out o' t' airframe for zipper protection. T' rest o' t' shock cord be one inch wide tubular nylon. T' drouge harness be 100 feet long and t' main harness was 20 feet long.

I chose t' put t' switches, altimeter, me bucko, and batteries all together on each sled t' keep the wirin' as integrated and short as possible. I am able t' pull t' altimeter sleds t' change t' batteries and make the settings without disconnectin' any wires. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Perhaps a con be t' weight o' Mighty Mo which kept growin' beyond my expectations. As I built it, me bucko, this rocket weighs 46 pounds without t' motor, so it is too heavy for K motors. Aye aye! It needs an L or M with at least 1300 Newtons o' average thrust for a stable flight.

Summary:
Even though this rocket be based on a kit, thar were no instructions. Ahoy! Blimey! I needed t' make dozens o' choices and the materials and techniques. Aye aye! Blimey! I enjoyed consultin' with many level three fliers includin' John Hansel, Rick Boyette, me hearties, Joel Rogers, me hearties, Chris Short, shiver me timbers, and Lee Brock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Some o' t' new things I learned were how t' fiberglass a large airframe with Aerosleeves, usin' a timer as deployment backup, usin' a freebag for deployin' t' main chute, and applyin' a large vinyl body wrap. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!