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

Back in 1999, shiver me timbers, durin' t' second launch o' me 4-inch airframe based Superscale Sprite, me hearties, t' whistle was clearly heard by all those in attendance. Arrr! Blimey! As t' rocket arced over, even before t' ooh’s and aah’s had subsided, it be obvious that I had a major deployment problem…there be none! Blimey! T' Sprite raced back t' earth, and a fact that I was previously unaware of, became perfectly clear. This amazin' rocket whistled comin' down, matey, arrr, louder than when it was goin' up. In fact, arrr, shiver me timbers, it whistled right up until it impacted with t' rock-hard Pennsylvania soil at our Jones Farm launch site. Ahoy! Naturally, matey, matey, me fellow rocketeers were quick t' offer their condolences, shiver me timbers, but I was more amused by t' memory o' it whistlin' back t' Earth. Ahoy! 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, Chris, almost immediately began urgin' me t' build another one. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Due t' t' amount o' work that be involved in t' project, I was unwillin' t' commit t' such an ambitious undertaking. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Over t' next twelve months or so, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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. I also purchased a 3 x 6 x 36-inch block o' balsa wood, that I planned on usin' t' turn a scale nosecone. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I cut t' block in two and laminated them together t' make a nice 6 x 6 x 18-inch blank, matey, matey, and then set it aside, shiver me timbers, where it would sit for almost another year. Blimey! Aye aye! One weekend in February o' 2001, arrr, I was turnin' a couple wooden nosecone patterns for a Tripoli Pittsburgh group project, arrr, t' Gloria Mundi III. Ahoy! After completin' this task, ya bilge rat, I decided t' go ahead, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and turn t' new Sprite nosecone from t' balsa block that had been collectin' dust. After finishin' t' outside form, it was 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. Begad! I cut a bulkhead from .5-inch plywood t' seal t' openin' that was epoxied into place after fillin' t' cone with expandin' foam. Before I knew it, me hearties, t' nosecone be complete, and I was plannin' me next steps o' t' project, that would soon come t' be known as "T' Lord o' t' Rings."

Next, I carefully cut a 5.5-inch section o' t' cardboard drum, matey, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. Blimey! Begad! I opted for two wraps o' 6-ounce woven cloth and a finishin' wrap o' 1.5-ounce cloth. T' last layer was done solely t' make it easier t' get a smooth surface for painting. I used t' same process for t' airframe, which, although it was made o' flexible phenolic, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, as well as two in t' aft rin' for motor retention. Blimey! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, and this assembly be installed into t' slotted body tube. Aye aye! With t' rear-centerin' rin' temporarily put in place for alignment purposes, matey, shiver me timbers, t' fins were epoxied into place. Blimey! T' aft rin' was then removed, shiver me timbers, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I be goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, matey, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Ahoy! Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, t' remainder o' t' cavity was filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Ahoy! Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It be now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Ahoy! Careful attention was paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps was necessary. Begad! When t' assembly was completely dried, 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. I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, matey, and after some extensive sanding, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. Arrr! More sanding, arrr, fillin' and primin' followed, ya bilge rat, o' course, me bucko, until I was ready t' paint. Begad! Well, blow me down! After addin' an 18-foot, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, April 7th, shiver me timbers, 2001. Aye aye! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Unlike me first Sprite, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.