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

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

Flight:
I flew t' hat on a G35 with t' ejection charge removed. After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, me hearties, matey, me hearties, and me flight card got stamped. Well, blow me down! Avast! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I made sure it was about 12" from t' deflector. Avast! T' hat flew great, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Blimey! 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. This was me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), ya bilge rat, I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

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