Long before I was buildin' rockets, me hearties, a very small, tumble recovery rocket be introduced by Estes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It was t' 1/2A powered Astron Sprite. Avast! Blimey! T' those nay familiar with this rocket, I would like t' explain a very unique characteristic o' this design. Ya scallywag! Blimey! When scaled up enough t' be powered by a high impulse motor, matey, t' air flowin' past t' fin rin' creates a high-pitched whistle when launched. Aye aye! This is sometimes drowned out by t' initial noise o' t' motor, arrr, but is quite audible as t' motor burns out and continues durin' t' coast phase.

Back in 1999, matey, arrr, me bucko, durin' t' second launch o' me 4-inch airframe based Superscale Sprite, t' whistle was clearly heard by all those in attendance. Blimey! Well, blow me down! As t' rocket arced over, even before t' ooh’s and aah’s had subsided, it was obvious that I had a major deployment problem…there was none! T' Sprite raced back t' earth, and a fact that I was previously unaware of, me bucko, shiver me timbers, became perfectly clear. Well, blow me down! This amazin' rocket whistled comin' down, louder than when it was goin' up. Arrr! In fact, me bucko, it whistled right up until it impacted with t' rock-hard Pennsylvania soil at our Jones Farm launch site. Begad! Ahoy! Naturally, shiver me timbers, me fellow rocketeers were quick t' offer their condolences, but I be more amused by t' memory o' it whistlin' back t' Earth. I collected t' remains, includin' diggin' t' nosecone out o' t' ground, and went back t' me truck t' prep me next rocket.

My son, shiver me timbers, arrr, Chris, ya bilge rat, almost immediately began urgin' me t' build another one. Aye aye! Due t' t' amount o' work that be involved in t' project, shiver me timbers, I be unwillin' t' commit t' such an ambitious undertaking. Begad! Over t' next twelve months or so, me hearties, I did acquire a piece o' 15-inch diameter cardboard drum, which would make a fine fin ring, (my first one was 11.5-inch diameter) and a 24-inch long section o' 5.5-inch airframe. This would amount t' a 7.3X version o' t' original Estes model. Begad! Begad! I also purchased a 3 x 6 x 36-inch block o' balsa wood, arrr, that I planned on usin' t' turn a scale nosecone. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut t' block in two and laminated them together t' make a nice 6 x 6 x 18-inch blank, and then set it aside, shiver me timbers, where it would sit for almost another year. Aye aye! One weekend in February o' 2001, ya bilge rat, I be turnin' a couple wooden nosecone patterns for a Tripoli Pittsburgh group project, t' Gloria Mundi III. Begad! After completin' this task, me bucko, me hearties, I decided t' go ahead, me hearties, and turn t' new Sprite nosecone from t' balsa block that had been collectin' dust. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! After finishin' t' outside form, arrr, it be necessary t' hollow out a large section o' t' cone so that I would be able t' add t' one-pound o' weight needed for stability. I cut a bulkhead from .5-inch plywood t' seal t' openin' that was epoxied into place after fillin' t' cone with expandin' foam. Aye aye! Before I knew it, me hearties, t' nosecone was complete, and I was plannin' me next steps o' t' project, matey, that would soon come t' be known as "T' Lord o' t' Rings."

Next, ya bilge rat, I carefully cut a 5.5-inch section o' t' cardboard drum, me hearties, matey, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. Arrr! I opted for two wraps o' 6-ounce woven cloth and a finishin' wrap o' 1.5-ounce cloth. T' last layer be done solely t' make it easier t' get a smooth surface for painting. Aye aye! I used t' same process for t' airframe, which, me hearties, although it was made o' flexible phenolic, ya bilge rat, arrr, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. Ya scallywag! I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Well, blow me down! Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Arrr! Twelve inches o' 38mm motor mount tubin' was cut and I had all t' parts necessary t' complete t' project.

A large T-nut was installed in t' forward centerin' rin' for recovery system attachment, me hearties, as well as two in t' aft rin' for motor retention. Begad! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and this assembly was installed into t' slotted body tube. With t' rear-centerin' rin' temporarily put in place for alignment purposes, t' fins were epoxied into place. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' aft rin' be then removed, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Since I was goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' remainder o' t' cavity be filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Begad! Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, me hearties, arrr, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It be now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Careful attention be paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps was necessary. When t' assembly was completely dried, ya bilge rat, I once again used t' epoxy/micro-balloon mixture t' create fillets both inside and outside t' fin rin' at each fin and fin cap. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, and after some extensive sanding, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! More sanding, arrr, me bucko, fillin' and primin' followed, o' course, until I be ready t' paint. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After addin' an 18-foot, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, t' total weight without motor is just over 8-pounds.

I launched t' completed project at our first Dragon's Fire launch o' t' season, April 7th, matey, me hearties, 2001. Blimey! Blimey! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, matey, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Unlike me first Sprite, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.