Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Well, blow me down! T' hat is removable in case I forget a ball cap - wouldn't want t' sunburn t' top o' me head, me bucko, ya' know.

Construction:
This is really a minimalist rocket. I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Begad! Aye aye! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Begad! Ya scallywag! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it was oval, me bucko, and then found t' center point. Begad! Avast! Next, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. Begad! Avast! T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, matey, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, shiver me timbers, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube be flush with t' top o' t' foam. Ahoy! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, matey, shiver me timbers, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Well, blow me down! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, ya bilge rat, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' final step was t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto cutlass. Like I said, nay much t' it. Arrr! Slip t' hat over t' finished core and I was ready t' fly.

Flight:
I flew t' hat on a G35 with t' ejection charge removed. Aye aye! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and me flight card got stamped. Ahoy! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, I made sure it be about 12" from t' deflector. Avast! Begad! T' hat flew great, me hearties, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It fell slowly t' t' ground without even gettin' dirty(er).

Summary:
I find myself likin' UFO style rockets more and more and couldn't resist tryin' this odd-roc. Avast! Begad! This be me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Blimey! Begad! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

Other:
T' Story Behind t' Name In t' late '90's, I be t' project manager for a telemetry, command, and antenna control system. My team and I traveled t' Clifton, ya bilge rat, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Ahoy! Blimey! Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, matey, we weren't happy campers. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, ya bilge rat, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Blimey! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and mine came back fairly stained. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!