Brief:
I liked t' Estes Pac-2 so much that I bought 2 and made one 24mm. Well, blow me down! Then for my Level 1 certification project, matey, I bought t' PML 1/4 Scale Patriot and painted it t' same way. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Must be t' paint job. Aye aye! Nobody makes a midpower version, so with a little math I came up with me own version. Arrr! Begad! A 2.6" 29mm Patriot capable o' flyin' on E, arrr, F, shiver me timbers, and G impulse motors.

Construction:
All parts for this rocket are from LOC/Precision. Ahoy!

• 1 25" length o' 2.6" body tube
• 1 8" length o' 29mm motor mount tube
• 2 2.6" t' 1.14" centerin' rings
• 1 PNC-2.56 nose cone
• Fins are made o' 1/8" basswood
• 3 feet o' flat Keelhaul®©™® mule line for t' shock cord anchor
• 15 feet o' surplus shroud line for t' shock cord

Since this was a scratch build t' degree o' difficulty was up t' me. Begad! T' do the upscale, I used t' simple idea o' knowin' what size body tube I wanted and what t' body tube diameter o' t' original is, so dividin' t' larger by the smaller gave me a multiplier t' determine me length and fin dimensions. Ya scallywag! It also helped with fin offset and paint layout.

For fin layout I used a guide I had leftover from an Aerotech kit. Avast! Blimey! I first scribed t' body tube with a hobby knife then used an 1/8" cutoff wheel in my moto tool for slotting. Blimey! Blimey! Scribin' gave t' cutoff wheel a strait line to follow.

T' motor mount came next. Aye aye! t' inner centerin' rin' was glued so that it would sit flush with t' front o' t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! T' rin' was also notched so the shockcord anchor could fit along t' MMT. Blimey! Blimey! T' anchor is a 3' length o' Keelhaul®©™® mule tape. Avast! This was glued betwixt t' centerin' rings with 5 minute epoxy. Arrr! The forward rin' be also glued, but t' aft be nay t' allow for fin gluing later. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount be then glued in by t' front rin' and allowed t' dry before t' aft rin' be removed.

T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood with t' grain in mind, which was sanded, arrr, filled, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, and sanded again. Ahoy! Ahoy! This made life easier when it came to finishing. Aye aye! Blimey! T' fins were then fitted and tacked t' t' MMT with medium CA. Avast, me proud beauty! This way I could check for alignment before epoxy fillets were applied t' t' body tube and MMT.

For motor retention I used 2 6-32 T nuts in t' aft centerin' rin' spaced 5/8" from t' MMT. Avast! I liberally coated t' fins, outside o' t' MMT, and inside o' t' bodytube with 30 minute epoxy. I then pressed in t' rear centerin' rin' (makin' sure it be in contact with t' fins) and set it on end to dry. Launch lugs are 3/16 x 2". Begad! One at t' base and one mounted at the center o' gravity. I probably should have gone with 1/4" but I have not had any problem with rod whip.

Finishing:
T' nose cone be sanded, me bucko, primed, shiver me timbers, wet sanded, primed, arrr, shiver me timbers, and sanded again. Blimey! Begad! This gave an excellent surface for paint. Blimey! T' body was filled with lightweight wall spacklin' then sanded, ya bilge rat, primed, me hearties, and sanded. Begad! T' only other thin' I did t' the fins was t' coat them with thin CA before sanding. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Paint was all Valspar, me bucko, which does a good job. Ahoy! T' entire rocket was first painted with several coats of gloss white, then t' yellow, red, ya bilge rat, and black.

T' darker colors last made it easier t' mask off. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Maskin' was with 3M blue painter's tape left on only long enough for t' paint t' tack up. Ya scallywag! I've learned that if it's left on too long t' paint can peel off. Begad! T' only decals used were 1" vinyl letters from t' office supply store. Begad! T' entire thin' be then coated with several coats o' clear enamel for protection.

Flight:
First flight was on an E9-4 with a reducer in t' motor mount and a 24" plastic chute. Aye aye! It was a little under-powered but straight up and a very soft landing.

For flights 2 and 3 I went with a 6 panel 18" nylon chute and F20-4's. Both flights were straight up, but t' delay was early and t' chutes deployed late due t' tangling.

Flight 4 was similar t' t' previous two flights but on a F22-5 reload. Ejection appeared t' come early.

Flight 5 was t' best on another F22. Ahoy! Begad! This time t' delay be a true 5 seconds and t' chute deployed right at apogee, shiver me timbers, floatin' down for a perfect flight.

Recovery:
T' shock cord on this rocket is 15' o' shroud line I picked up at t' local surplus store. Ya scallywag! Begad! A loop is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® anchor then t' shock cord is tied t' t' loop and nose cone. Aye aye! Arrr! A loop was then tied in t' shock cord 3' from t' nose cone for chute attachment. Blimey! For chute protection, I used a homemade Nomex® protector attached at t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

Summary:
This rocket turned out better than expected. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! With t' 3 ounce LOC nose cone, there is no need for nose weight. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! It was only as difficult as I made it. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! Can't wait t' try it on a G.