Brief:
This is a 2.9x semi-scale replication o' the MPC Delta Katt. Aye aye! I got t' original plans from JimZ's website. T' finished bird consists o' a 45 3/8" long BT-60 booster with 24mm motor mount and a 31 7/8" long canard glider with a aft delta win' havin' wingspan 16 1/2" from tip t' tip. Aye aye! T' booster and t' glider each weigh 3 5/8oz, arrr, for a total launch weight o' 7.25oz plus motor.

Construction:
Most o' t' parts were obtained from FlisKits. Aye aye! Fast service, me bucko, me hearties, good quality parts. Well, blow me down! Here is a parts list:

• 2 4" x 48" x 1/16" balsa sheets
• 1 4" x 48" x 3/32" basswood sheet
• 42" o' BT-60 tubing
• NCB60L nose cone
• 2 BT-60 couplers
• 1 24mm engine mount kit for BT-60
• Booster recovery equipment (screw eye, Keelhaul®©™®, elastic, ya bilge rat, parachute)
• glider trimmin' weight (various washers)

T' glider is exactly 2.9x scale except for thickness, ya bilge rat, which I kept minimal to save weight. Aye aye! T' wings were made from two sections o' 4" wide by 1/16" thick balsa. Begad! (Coincidentally, t' 2.9 scale factor be chosen so I could just squeeze each win' onto two adjacent 4" wide balsa sheets.) The remainder o' t' glider was also 1/16" balsa, except for t' fuselage which was 3/32" basswood for strength. Like Nardei, I gave t' delta wing a dihedral for added stability. Ahoy! Nardei's review states that only t' top stabilizer fins get an outboard slant, me bucko, matey, but Jim Z's instructions give both top and bottom fins an outboard slant. Begad! I followed Jim Z's version with equal, scale slants.

I deviated from 2.9x scale on t' booster, matey, me bucko, because me scribbled calculations suggested I needed about 42" o' body tube (much longer than scale) t' counterbalance t' large glider. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' glider mount was built t' scale, with several exceptions. First, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' central basswood portion with mountin' pin was nay recessed t' scale depth. Aye aye! Rather, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it was recessed only 7/16" to ensure easy glider release. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Second, me bucko, me bucko, matey, this portion was trimmed t' remove a strip about 1cm wide from nearest t' body tube t' save weight. Third, me bucko, this portion was wallpapered with construction paper and white glue on both sides t' give a tiny additional width, again preventin' t' glider from bein' too snug. Finally, shiver me timbers, I added thin braces along t' leadin' edge o' t' balsa mount sheathin' t' reinforce t' balsa. Ahoy! This last addition was only needed because I had partially cracked t' balsa sheathin' durin' t' balancin' experiments described below.

There are two critical elements t' t' Delta Katt design. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! First, t' glider is aligned in a way that its fuselage is not parallel with t' booster. This is ensured by t' shape o' t' glider nose, which I replicated t' scale. T' result is that t' delta win' has zero angle o' attack, shiver me timbers, but t' canard has a nonzero attack angle. Ya scallywag! This necessitates t' second critical feature: t' CG of t' fully assembled unit must be right at t' center o' t' canard so that the canard's influence on t' rocket durin' boost is minimized. T' ensure this, I strapped t' whole thin' together with rubber bands and moved t' mounting assembly up t' tube until t' CG be correct. Arrr! T' pin is 6" up from t' aft end o' t' rocket. Well, me hearties, blow me down! This glider mount position is more forward than scale (and hence I had overestimated t' required body tube length).

Finishing:
I did no balsa sealin' and minimized finishin' t' keep weight down. The underside o' t' delta and canard got one coat o' black paint for visibility and t' rest o' t' glider was decorated with Sharpie pens. Begad! Havin' already decorated t' glider, I decided t' retain t' same style with t' booster. Ahoy! Ahoy! The bubble pattern took an especially long time...never again! T' resulting 60's-70's look motivated t' name: Groovy Katt.

Flight:
Durin' t' build, t' canard leaned a bit as t' glue dried, leavin' it tilted a bit with respect t' t' delta wing, ya bilge rat, although both had t' same dihedral angle. Blimey! T' result was a strong right turn. I trimmed this away with 6 grams of weight added t' t' left tip o' t' canard. Avast, me proud beauty! With another 7 grams added t' the nose, ya bilge rat, I achieved a fantastic glide, shiver me timbers, skimmin' t' grass gently for a beautiful landing. Blimey! Unfortunately, arrr, I forgot t' do this trimmin' until after I had glued the glider mount, me bucko, so t' additional nose weight I added t' t' glider messed up the rocket CG slightly. Blimey! T' importance o' t' CG here is only t' minimize the canard effect durin' boost: t' CP is much further back so stability is nay a serious concern.

With a total assembled length o' over 67" and 28" o' that length hanging below t' lower launch lug, shiver me timbers, a special launch assembly was needed. Avast, me proud beauty! I drilled a hole lengthwise in t' end o' a dowel and wedged t' rod in it. Blimey! I then mounted the dowel on a platform and stabilized with guy wires and rocks. Aye aye!

I built me motor mount for both Estes D and E engines but opted for a D12-3 for t' first flight. There was premature separation at about 60 feet. Begad! Ya scallywag! As best I could determine from other people's descriptions and a post-mortem investigation, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it appeared that t' top portion o' t' notch on t' glider fuselage splintered off, me hearties, causin' glider t' fall away and booster t' buzz around unstable. Begad! Nobody could tell me if t' premature separation be t' cause or the effect o' t' problem.

I repaired t' notch with bombproof epoxy and touched up a few other dings. I believed that t' glider probably fluttered too much durin' ascent and this wobble basically tore t' craft off t' booster. Arrr! Because o' t' enormous size and small attachment, I assumed it was a hopeless case and I put t' rocket away indefinitely.

On a calm sunny day in April, I decided t' try again. Well, blow me down! I stuck in another D12-3 fully expectin' a shred. Blimey! Amazingly, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it boosted smoothly and perfectly straight t' about 400 feet, where it hung at apogee seemingly forever before detachin' t' glider. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' booster landed 20 feet from t' pad. Begad! T' glider circled lazily overhead, slidin' t' a gentle landin' after about a 1 minute and 20 second glide. Aye aye! We all jumped and screamed with excitement...it actually worked!

A third flight was attempted immediately afterwards on another D12-3. Begad! Avast! We got another perfect boost--higher--to 500 feet and another perfect separation. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' glide lasted about 1:30.

More jubilation! We reach smartly for a E9-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Alas, ya bilge rat, t' motor had burned away t' Keelhaul®©™® pull-strings attached t' t' motor adapter, me hearties, arrr, and I couldn't get t' adapter out to fit in t' E motor. This will have t' wait for another day.

Recovery:
T' glider is very light for its size and is trimmed absolutely perfectly.

Summary:
In retrospect, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I decided that t' first failed flight was simply breakage at the fuselage notch, me bucko, in t' direction o' t' grain. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It be nay from excessive flutter. Begad! Arrr! T' basic design is absolutely flightworthy, even at 2.9x upscale, and with t' right touch you will have a real winner. Begad! I highly recommend this project for anyone lookin' for a challenge that will reignite your passion for rocketry. Ya scallywag!