Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Blimey! T' hat is removable in case I forget a ball cap - wouldn't want t' sunburn t' top o' me head, 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! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. Begad! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it be oval, shiver me timbers, matey, and then found t' center point. Begad! Next, shiver me timbers, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Blimey! I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. Avast! T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, ya bilge rat, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. T' centerin' rin' be mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, ya bilge rat, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Avast, me proud beauty! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' final step be t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, shiver me timbers, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto cutlass. Like I said, me bucko, nay much t' it. 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. After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, shiver me timbers, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and me flight card got stamped. 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. Aye aye! Arrr! T' hat flew great, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. 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. Ya scallywag! This was me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, t' t' pad, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and back again after recovery. 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. Avast! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, arrr, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Ahoy! Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, we weren't happy campers. Aye aye! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Avast, me proud beauty! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, me hearties, matey, and mine came back fairly stained. I was finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!