Brief:
I liked t' Estes Pac-2 so much that I bought 2 and made one 24mm. Then for my Level 1 certification project, ya bilge rat, I bought t' PML 1/4 Scale Patriot and painted it t' same way. Ya scallywag! Must be t' paint job. Ahoy! Nobody makes a midpower version, so with a little math I came up with me own version. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! A 2.6" 29mm Patriot capable o' flyin' on E, F, me bucko, and G impulse motors.

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

• 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. T' do the upscale, matey, 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. Begad! It also helped with fin offset and paint layout.

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

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

T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood with t' grain in mind, which was sanded, arrr, shiver me timbers, filled, matey, and sanded again. This made life easier when it came to finishing. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' fins were then fitted and tacked t' t' MMT with medium CA. Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! I liberally coated t' fins, outside o' t' MMT, me hearties, and inside o' t' bodytube with 30 minute epoxy. Arrr! I then pressed in t' rear centerin' rin' (makin' sure it was in contact with t' fins) and set it on end to dry. Launch lugs are 3/16 x 2". Arrr! Begad! One at t' base and one mounted at the center o' gravity. Blimey! I probably should have gone with 1/4" but I have not had any problem with rod whip.

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

T' darker colors last made it easier t' mask off. Begad! 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. Arrr! Blimey! T' only decals used were 1" vinyl letters from t' office supply store. Well, blow me down! T' entire thin' was 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. Ahoy! It be 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. This time t' delay was a true 5 seconds and t' chute deployed right at apogee, 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! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! A loop is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® anchor then t' shock cord is tied t' t' loop and nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! A loop was then tied in t' shock cord 3' from t' nose cone for chute attachment. Avast, me proud beauty! For chute protection, ya bilge rat, I used a homemade Nomex® protector attached at t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

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