While attendin' our first LDRS this year, ya bilge rat, me son Chris, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me wife Kathy, and I, witnessed t' most impressive display o' large rockets we had ever seen. Well, blow me down! T' launch site in Orangeburg, arrr, South Carolina was unlike anythin' we have access t' in Pennsylvania. Arrr! T' wide open, arrr, flat, grassy launch site be almost too good t' be true. Begad! Couple that with a 10,000 foot above ground level FAA waiver, and you have a high power rocketeer's dream. Arrr! Throughout t' four day event, we watched rockets o' every conceivable size and weight, powered by a variety o' motors from "A" through "M", arrr, take t' t' clear, blue, South Carolina skies. Begad! Ya scallywag! When t' announcement was made at Sunday night's banquet about the location o' LDRS 20, Chris and I almost immediately started makin' plans to attend.

In addition t' plannin' t' trip t' Lucerne Dry Lake, me hearties, California, shiver me timbers, I started plannin' a rocket project t' take along. Since I achieved me Level 2 certification this past August 5th, a powerful, 54mm motor based, dual-deployment rocket be a must. I decided t' modify a plan I had been workin' on for some time, me bucko, which resulted in a 4 inch diameter, me hearties, me hearties, 8 1/2 foot long rocket. Ahoy! T' six-fin design which originally was called the "Six-shooter", had now become "Six Appeal".

T' rocket be built usin' 4" PML Quantum tubin' and a PML nosecone. Aye aye! T' fins were cut from .093" G10 fiberglass and will go through t' airframe and mount t' a PML extended Quik-Switch 54mm motor tube. Begad! I cut t' fin slots myself by markin' t' tube, drillin' a 1/8" hole at each end o' t' slot, me bucko, and usin' a steel straight edge and an X-acto knife. Ahoy! T' Quantum tubin' was only slightly more difficult to cut than normal phenolic tubing.

A 10" section o' coupler tubin' and 3/16" plywood be used t' build t' avionics bay that will house a Missile Works RRC2 altimeter. Well, matey, blow me down! T' altimeter, arrr, by t' way, matey, was won in a raffle at the LDRS 19 banquet. Blimey! T' ejection charge holders were made usin' PVC pipe plugs epoxied t' each end that will hold Robby's Rockets ejection canisters.

T' recovery system is a 20" Sky Angle parachute for t' drogue and a 52" Sky Angle parachute for t' main. Twenty-one feet o' tubular nylon for shock cords at each end o' t' avionics bay, ya bilge rat, me hearties, along with Nomex heat shields and shock cord protectors.

After primin' and paintin' with gloss paint, matey, I applied custom made vinyl graphics. Begad! T' finished rocket weighs in a just under 10 lbs empty. T' picture (above and right) was taken at LDRS XX just prior t' a successful first flight, to 5,958 feet on an Aerotech K550.