Brief Description:
This was me first attempt at a dual deployment rocket designed for 29mm H/P RMS. T' deployment o' 'chutes is performed by a Blacksky dual channel timer. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

Component Description:
Body tube material is 3.1" phenolic material. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Nose cone is made from LOC 3.1". Arrr! Fin material is 1/8" PVC plastic. Used 2 plywood centering rings and a plywood bulkhead for top o' exhaust coolin' compartment. Arrr! Shock cord made o' 12' nylon tubin' with Quick Link attachments.

Construction/Finishing:
This was me first rocket made o' phenolic materials. Aye aye! I ordered t' materials from Rocky Mountain Rocketry cut t' size and slotted for fins. As mentioned, I used 1/8" PVC plastic purchased as scrap from Tap Plastic for about $1 per 12" x 8" sheet. Aye aye! PVC is very easy t' work with. Aye aye! Blimey! T' cut, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you just score and snap along a straight edge. Avast! T' finish, arrr, sand lightly with 200 grit sand paper and you are ready t' prime. Begad! PVC saves me a ton o' time in constructing both kits and scratch builds. Begad! PVC is nay as tough as styrene, me bucko, but due t' weight and fin location considerations, me bucko, I thought is would be a better choice for this project. Arrr!

T' wad-less recovery system incorporates a perforated motor tube, a coolin' compartment betwixt the upper centerin' rin' and a perforated bulkhead. Well, blow me down! I also use a steel exhaust coolin' mesh ala Aerotech that goes up t' motor tube prior t' RMS hardware. T' exhaust gasses pass through t' steel mesh, me bucko, through t' perforated motor tube into t' coolin' compartment and through t' perforated bulkhead into the recovery chamber. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This system works very well, ya bilge rat, and I have used it successfully in other rockets. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Launch lugs are made from 5/16" brass tubing. Avast! Two 1" lengths are placed on each o' t' body tubes. Blimey! These are glued and filleted in place with 5 min. epoxy. I used a ¼" x 7' launch rod for this rocket.

I painted this rocket usin' gloss black spray paint and applied the “Black Magic" decal split betwixt t' bottom and top body sections. No sealer be applied t' this rocket, arrr, as I expect that it would get banged up a lot durin' trials. Avast! Black gloss spray be t' most forgivin' for performing repair/finish work, arrr, and sealers only impede t' process.

I purchased t' 3.1" LOC phenolic body tube, 29 mm motor mount tube, recovery hardware, centerin' rings and bulkhead from Rocky Mountain Rocketry. All hardware and finishin' paint be purchased from me local Orchard Supply Hardware store. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Blacksky dual channel timer was purchased off o' eBay. The decal was purchased from t' DecalZone usin' their custom decal engine.

Flight/Recovery:
I designed t' 29mm motor mount t' accommodate up t' a 29 x 240 Doctor Rocket hardware, me hearties, but typically will be flyin' usin' Dr Rocket 180 29mm RMS. Ya scallywag! I built into t' base 3" ply centerin' rin' two blind nuts that take #8 x ¾" brass machine screws. Aye aye! Begad! Window screen clips are used t' for motor retention.

T' first flight be on an H-128 as pictured in this article usin' a Quick Burst Twiggy igniter. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used what I thought was a medium delay for t' drogue. An Oxal e-match was used with a typical FFFG black powder ejection charge for a 29mm motor for t' main chute programmed t' deploy 25 seconds after launch. Rocket flight was very stable and straight at launch and acceleration to apogee. Aye aye! Blimey! Estimated altitude per me wrasp calculations be around 1,100'. Aye aye! Blimey!

Everythin' went wrong from here on: Ejection o' drogue powered by t' H-128 delay occurred 17 seconds after launch with t' rocket already in a speedy ballistic trajectory. T' drogue, a 24" nylon chute, ya bilge rat, shredded upon deployment and t' rocket tumbled about 500 feet t' t' ground. Blimey! Blimey! Several searches o' t' near by woods were nay successful, and I was thinkin' that my rocket be a goner.

About an hour later, I reviewed a video that I shot o' t' launch and was better able t' triangulate the crash area. Begad! Ya scallywag! I drove me car through t' neighborhood lookin' for any signs of me bird on roofs or lawns o' t' hapless inhabitants. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I suddenly spotted my rocket neatly placed on t' sidewalk in front o' a house. Arrr! I pulled over to inspect what was left, when a women approached me from t' garage. Aye aye! I was expectin' a tongue lashin' that would include comparin' me irresponsible behavior t' that a teenager, me bucko, or possibly even a terrorist given current world events. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' me pleasant surprise, shiver me timbers, t' women's greetin' indicated that t' family was model rocket friendly and were themselves hobbyist. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' me relief she described how t' rocket had become tangled in one o' her fruit trees and how her children and her had brought it down. She even commented that me rocket was a large one and pretty cool. Blimey! After expressin' much thanks and smartly exiting the area, arrr, I drove home and inspected Black Magic more carefully. Ahoy! Begad! T' me delight, the only damage be t' t' paint finish o' t' nose cone. Begad! Begad!

Lessons learned from me first attempt at dual deployment are as follows:

• Use a bright flag or other marker as a reminder t' activate t' timer or altimeter. Avast! Blimey! You will never remember this in t' course o' preppin' your rocket on t' launch pad. Begad! I have also made this mistake with an altimeter that fortunately be nay responsible for any deployment components. Ahoy! Blimey! I have now learned this lesson.
• Always use two e-matches for both chutes and never rely on t' motor delay alone for t' drogue deployment. After researchin' what went wrong, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I discovered that I had used a long delay instead o' a medium delay- thus t' 17 second drogue deployment.

Summary:
I liked workin' with t' phenolic material, arrr, and am impressed with the sturdiness o' Black Magic. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Had this bird been made o' paper tubing, matey, it would have been in much worse shape. Arrr! I noticed that one end o' t' tubin' had done a “core sample" landin' based on t' mud streaks on t' finish. Arrr! The phenolic didn't have a scratch or wrinkle t' show for it. Avast! Phenolic is heavy, and I'm sure a 3.1" x 54" rocket would weigh in easily 30% less. Begad! Once you get all t' pieces cut t' size, me bucko, 5 minute epoxy glues everythin' together nicely. Aye aye! Sandin' and finishin' is also a breeze with this material.

Phenolic material used for both body and engine tubes is tough t' cut, me bucko, me bucko, but otherwise easy t' work with. Arrr! It takes t' epoxy and sands well. Aye aye! I used an Exacto saw t' cut t' phenolic with good results. Avast! I had no problem finishin' this rocket with primer followed by t' black gloss finish.