Brief:
This is a 1/3 scale model o' Air Force AIM-9P-3 Sidewinder Air-to-Air missile that uses D or E engines. T' AIM-P differed from t' current AIM-9L/M in that t' P had a longer, more tapered nose and "double-delta" canards. Also, t' warhead be directly behind t' guidance unit, followed by t' target detector and rocket motor. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' AIM-9L/M have t' warhead and target detector in t' opposite order. Aye aye! Also, arrr, t' aft end o' t' wings were flush with aft end o' t' rocket motor. Well, blow me down! T' AIM 9P was painted gloss white overall, and did nay have a bare aluminum rin' at t' base o' t' seeker window. Ya scallywag! T' wings were one-piece aluminum, me hearties, me hearties, unlike t' composite wings on t' 9L/M.

Construction:
I used 2 BT-60 tubes and 1 BT-60 coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! All wings, ya bilge rat, fins, me bucko, matey, and hangers are constructed from basswood. T' rolleron frames on t' wings are posterboard with paper overlay. Avast! Rollerons are .03 mil aluminum tape over t' basswood wing, with t' rolleron wheels made with aluminum tape over posterboard. Ahoy! T' slightly larger diameter aft end o' t' rocket motor was created with 2 layers o' plain copy paper and white glue. Begad! T' nose cone is from an Estes Python kit. Well, arrr, blow me down! All markings were created as TIF files and printed on clear labels with an inkjet printer.

I have copies o' old Air Force manuals showin' t' dimensions and markings o' t' AIM-9P, so assembly be fairly easy once I figured out what I wanted t' do.

• Markin' - Decals
• Hanger Templates
• Forward Fin and Rolleron Templates
• Rear Fin Template
• Main Body Diagram

Construction was pretty basic, startin' with a standard engine mount includin' a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord assembly, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and t' two BT-60 tubes coupled together. Blimey! At this point, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, I gave t' body a light coat o' spray Kilz filler/primer and let it dry. Well, blow me down! Then I sanded it down, shiver me timbers, and repeated this until t' spiral lines were all filled. Blimey! Begad! Two sheets o' copy paper were glued together with white glue and wrapped around t' aft end o' t' tube and then trimmed t' meet. That joint served as a base for t' fin and win' alignment. Wings, win' ribs, me bucko, and fins were cut from 1/8" basswood usin' a Dremel tool. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! These were then filled and sanded with Kilz. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Hanger parts were cut from 3/16" basswood then filled and sanded.

At this point, arrr, t' body, nose, shiver me timbers, fins, me bucko, and win' ribs were painted gloss white. T' wings were painted gloss white except for a 1/2" strip along t' root edge, ya bilge rat, which was painted aluminum t' simulate bare metal plus t' rollerons. Begad! T' wings were attached one at t' time and each was allowed t' cure overnight. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' win' ribs were then attached t' each side o' t' win' roots. Ya scallywag! T' fins were attached, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, again each was allowed t' cure overnight. Aye aye! Begad! T' hanger bases were cut from 3/16" basswood and sanded t' match t' contour o' t' body tube. Begad! Arrr! T' hanger sides and top rails were glued on. Ahoy! T' completed rocket be painted with Testors Glosscoat and allowed t' dry overnight. Blimey! T' markings and stripes were applied, shiver me timbers, along with t' aluminum tape on t' top surfaces o' t' hanger rails. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Then another coat o' Glosscoat applied.

Nose Weight: Check your balance! You may need t' add 1-2 oz o' nose weight. Avast, me proud beauty! Michael indicates that t' CG is 24.5" from t' nose cone.

Flight:
First flight was with a D12-3 and flew with no problems. Avast, me proud beauty! Subsequent flight were made with D12-5s. Aye aye! Florida has a lot o' trees and open water. Blimey! T' less canopy time, t' shorter t' drift.

Recovery:
Standard chute recovery, ya bilge rat, usin' a 2ft Keelhaul®©™ cord attached with a swivel t' a 5ft elastic cord. Aye aye! All landings so far have been soft, shiver me timbers, no damage yet.

Summary:
I like t' build scale models o' missile systems I've worked on. T' PROs are mostly t' satisfaction I get when it turns out right. T' CONs are tryin' t' locate t' correct markings and dimensions for projects like this.