Scratch Sweat-Stained Clifton Tracking Station Hat of Death Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Sweat-Stained Clifton Tracking Station Hat of Death {Scratch}

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Scratch
Style: Odd-Roc

Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp knife. I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it be oval, and then found t' center point. Next, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. Aye aye! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This assembly be then epoxied into t' foam block. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. T' final step was t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto knife. Begad! Blimey! Like I said, 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. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, and me flight card got stamped. Begad! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, matey, I made sure it was about 12" from t' deflector. T' hat flew great, me bucko, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Begad! 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. Begad! This was me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, matey, matey, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Aye aye! Avast! 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, arrr, command, and antenna control system. Ahoy! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, me bucko, we weren't happy campers. Avast! With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, shiver me timbers, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Arrr! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, me hearties, and mine came back fairly stained. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!

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