Brief:
I began buildin' upscale versions o' classic kits more out o' necessity than for a desire for bigger rockets. Arrr! I found early on that while a lot o' t' nose cones for t' old kits that I wanted t' recreate were no longer available in t' 1:1 size, ya bilge rat, they were occasionally available in larger sizes. (They weren't always exact replicas, but close enough for me.) T' Estes Rogue and Satellite Interceptor both qualified as "close enough" with t' PNC-55BB nose cones, arrr, while a BT-56-based Condor became a favorite also. Arrr! As it turned out, shiver me timbers, I enjoyed t' larger versions o' t' old rockets. In a lot o' cases t' added size made for a more satisfyin' final product, shiver me timbers, while t' larger engines made for much more satisfyin' flights. That said, I had me doubts when I found that Mike Jerauld o' Blast From T' Past Rocketry had upscaled t' Mach 10. Ya scallywag! T' original Centuri kit be one o' t' rockets that had always intrigued me as a kid, me bucko, but with no local retailer I was forced t' try t' figure out how such an unorthodox rocket ever flew based solely on t' catalog picture. Begad! Begad! I got on Mike's list for t' kits as soon as I found out about it, matey, but he temporarily stopped production soon after t' concentrate on remodelin' his house. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I cloned a 1:1 version and after some initial problems, found it t' be one o' me favorite fliers, shiver me timbers, but I still couldn't help but be a skeptic when it came t' t' upscale. Arrr! O' course, I had no choice but t' clone a big one also.

Construction:
Parts needed:

• BT-80 fuselage tube (13.5")
• BT-50 engine tube (10.33")
• PNC-50 marker cone
• BT-20 belly tank tube (2.375")
• BT-80 tube connector (1.25")
• 2 BNC-20 belly tank cones
• 1/8" balsa fin stock
• clay for nose weight
• engine hook
• AR-2050 engine block
• Streamer
• 6" Keelhaul®©™
• 2 Mylar or stout paper hold down rings
• 2 - 5"x1/8" launch lugs
• cardstock cockpit pattern
• decals

While t' Mach 10+ is a fairly simple project, I still managed t' find a couple o' problems that are worth mentioning. Ahoy! Arrr! Durin' t' initial construction I found that I had only one launch lug o' sufficient length instead o' t' two that were called for. Arrr! Arrr! I decided that this wouldn't be a problem since I could only load it onto t' launcher on one side at a time anyway, arrr, and I thought I could get by without t' decorator touch o' t' "machine guns". Aye aye! It never occurred t' me that t' reason for t' called for placement o' t' lugs on both sides o' t' wings be more than just a cosmetic affectation. Well, blow me down! While it is true that they look good as "machine guns" and also allow for loadin' onto t' pad from either side o' t' fuselage, it turns out that their most important function is t' act as stabilizers for t' huge wings. (As you'll see, I found this out t' hard way.)

T' second problem that I encountered was in gluin' in t' engine tube. Arrr! Based on me experience, it might be a good idea t' "beef up t' driveline" by usin' an extremely sturdy glue when mountin' t' large piece o' BT-50 that acts as t' engine tube. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Securin' t' engine hook is another potential "gotcha". I'd suggest a sturdy hold down strap t' withstand t' added punch that t' "D" engine will undoubtedly have at ejection. I used maskin' tape t' which I added a thick coatin' o' glue, me bucko, matey, but this turned out t' be more than slightly insufficient. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! A traditional Mylar or heavy paper rin' would probably work, but as yet I haven't found one in me parts stash. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Another consideration involved in this project lies in pickin' an appropriate BNC-50 nose cone t' act as t' marker cone. Avast! Since packin' it full o' clay seems t' help t' rocket boost somewhat straighter, me hearties, arrr, it might be worth your time t' track down a two piece cone t' make loadin' t' clay easier. Nothin' will make it perfectly straight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but t' heavy load o' clay in t' marker cone seems t' help somewhat.

As with all gliders, restraint should be your operative word when it comes t' finishin' t' M10+. Since added weight is one o' a glider's worst enemies, ya bilge rat, (behind only Port-O-Let's, access roads, and walls,) minimal effort should be expended in sealin' t' balsa and fillin' t' tube spirals. Arrr! I never got around t' finishin' me M10+, matey, but once I get around t' makin' t' necessary repairs and adjustments I've got a bottle o' silver model dope with t' Mach 10+'s name on it.

Flight:
My M10+ only made two flights durin' it's first stint on t' flight line, me hearties, but both were learnin' experiences and thrillers in their own way. Blimey! Begad! T' first flight be on a windy Sunday in April, 2002 that has come t' be know as Black Sunday because o' t' widespread carnage that I experienced. (Flew six. Ahoy! Lost three. Begad! Crashed two, one t' death .) I had built t' M10+ t' previous winter, me bucko, but it went unflown for several months, matey, me bucko, mostly due t' me lack o' confidence in t' rocket. Blimey! Aye aye! I had only brought it along on Black Sunday after findin' a stray D12-3 motor rollin' around in me range box. My son and two o' his friends were along for t' launch and we set up in a corner o' quasi-legendary B6-4 Field that was shielded from t' bulk o' t' wind by a large hillside. Blimey! Well, blow me down! This gave us t' whole rest o' t' field for recovery, (not that we recovered anything.) I loaded t' rocket on t' pad, shiver me timbers, figurin' that at worst I'd get t' typical Mach 10 flight, ya bilge rat, a large loop off t' pad that managed t' miss t' ground, me hearties, with somethin' approachin' a glide if I was lucky. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' show we got be beyond all o' our wildest expectations.

T' M10+ roared off t' pad and climbed t' about t' fifty foot mark, but it be at t' forty foot mark where t' show really began. Aye aye! T' big v-tailed drag brake on t' rocket virtually guarantees a loop as t' rocket leaves t' pad. Aye aye! T' rocket be just startin' t' show signs o' beginnin' it's loop when suddenly t' air was full o' balsa confetti. Arrr! Arrr! A quick look at t' corpse left little doubt as t' what happened. T' left win' had simply exploded when t' load became too much for it. Ahoy! T' rest o' t' rocket attempted in vain t' recover, ya bilge rat, arrr, but after flailin' about in a crazed flight path, matey, it eventually crashed in a heap in t' thick grass on t' side o' t' hill. T' ejection charge went off with t' four o' us standin' gape-mouthed, arrr, shiver me timbers, wishin' that we'd captured THAT particular moment in t' history o' flight on film. At first I thought I had just discovered t' meanin' behind t' phrase "speed o' balsa", shiver me timbers, but upon further examination I realized that t' left win' had failed because o' t' missin' launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! This was obvious when you gave t' rocket even t' most cursory o' glances. Well, blow me down! T' win' had flexed, then shredded, me bucko, luckily into pieces that would make repairin' it a fairly simple job. Avast, me proud beauty! As you can imagine, me hearties, I added a piece o' launch lug when I made t' repairs.

T' second flight be on another local field in July at a launch that I put on for t' kids o' some friends. I brought t' newly repaired M10+ along because it had been me experience that, while kids love rockets, they REALLY love gliders. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It didn't disappoint. Begad! Loaded with a C11-3 for this flight, it didn't as much roar off t' pad as it did slowly glide off. Begad! Arrr! Very impressive. Arrr! Begad! It would have made for a great launch picture, shiver me timbers, but I was still several month's short o' t' digital camera that I received as a 40th birthday present and me old camera was notoriously slow, ya bilge rat, so I did without. Arrr! I shouldn't have. T' M10+ didn't attain any great heights, maybe 70' at best, but it was an extremely smooth flight with a straighter than expected boost. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It initially looped out over t' soccer field, me hearties, but began bankin' durin' t' coast phase, ya bilge rat, arrr, lookin' enormous as it strafed our launch position. Begad! At ejection t' marker cone dropped from t' rocket rather than be launched from it and somethin' also appeared t' fly out o' t' back end, me bucko, but since it be still glidin' I didn't think much about it. Ya scallywag! It took a nose down attitude and began a rapid descent toward t' gravel parkin' lot, matey, me hearties, but since me original 1:1 clone had survived a number o' gravel or asphalt landings with little more than scrapes, ya bilge rat, I still wasn't worried. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' landin' was pretty rough, matey, but survivable and I be ready t' pack it up for another launch as I approached it where it lay in a jumble o' little feet, me bucko, courtesy o' me six year old recovery army. Avast! (Even t' adults were impressed.) "Do it again! Do it again!" t' kids all yelled excitedly. Well, blow me down! I was plannin' t' do just that and went t' remove t' expended engine casin' when I noticed that it wasn't there. In fact, me hearties, nothin' be from t' middle o' t' engine tube back. Apparently t' force o' t' ejection charge had been too much for t' maskin' tape hold down strap, arrr, and much o' t' propulsion system had simply propelled out into t' middle o' t' soccer field. Avast, me proud beauty! We combed t' field and turned up t' engine casing, but no engine hook.

After waitin' almost a year t' do t' necessary repairs, I finally go re-interested in this project recently. Ya scallywag! For t' new and improved M10+ I decided t' use epoxy t' mount t' engine tube and secure t' engine hook. Avast! It seems t' have worked from a strength standpoint, but it also seems t' have changed t' balance o' t' rocket. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' recovery phase no longer looks as much like a glide as it does a flutter. Arrr! I made three flights with it, ya bilge rat, me bucko, twice with D12-3's and once with a C11-3, me hearties, changin' t' weight in t' bomb pod each time, but never got a good mix o' fall and fly. Begad! Ahoy! On t' third flight o' t' day on t' C11-3, ya bilge rat, t' glide took it on such a steep angle that it appeared t' nose into t' ground. Blimey! Arrr! At this point I suspect that it might be necessary t' add a slightly larger elevator t' allow it more surface area t' brin' t' nose up.

Summary:
While on t' surface t' Mach 10 may seem t' be a fairly complicated project in either size, arrr, it's actually a surprisingly easy build. It's a perfect project for a weekend build and fly as you can easily build it on Friday, trim and paint it on Saturday, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then fly it on Sunday. Begad! (And trim it some more on Sunday too!) While it isn't a glider that will be a good choice for competition, shiver me timbers, it can scarcely be beat for entertainment value.

Pro's:

• It's BIG.
• Slow takeoff with C11 engines are perfect for gettin' that classic launch shot.
• Did I mention that it's BIG?

Con's:

• Slightly difficult t' trim, but as with it's smaller sibling, once it's flying, it's well worth t' trouble.