Part 1 - Can we do it?

5 years into bein' a "BAR", t' "L1 Cert Bug" has finaly hit me and I have decided that I MUST have that pin for me rocket hat!!  But what t' do?  Purchase a kit?  Clone an established design?  Ensure success by travelin' t' well defined path o' those who have certified Level 1 before me??  NAH!!  Why be normal??  Instead, how bout a deep dive into our parts bin?  Let's salvage parts from crashed (retired) rocket hulks!  Let's comb Craigslist for free junk we can use!!  Let's haunt Ebay for every sweet deal on crucial components we can find!!  Let's try t' build t' cheapest, safest, FUNest L1 capable bird we can, arrr, then fly it on an "H" motor t' a ridiculous altitude and recover that bilge-suckin' boy so we can go out and do it again and again!!  Who's with me?!?   WAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!  (leaps up and bursts through wall ala T' Kool-Aid Kid)

 T' rules will be simple: 

     1.  T' rocket must be safe!  In other words, even though we are makin' design and construction desicions based on availability and cost vs. Aye aye! t' optimum -"in a perfect world"- parameters, thar will be no compromises in t' construction techniques used. 

     2.  T' rocket must survive repeated launchin' and recovery on at least a 29mm "H" motor.  (Most o' us would consider this t' smallest "real" L1 high-power motor) 

     3.  T' rocket should have some sweet bells and whistles too.  How bout an acoustic locator?  Altimeter?  On-board video?

     4.  Last and most important!!  At no point in t' design, construction, finishin' or flyin' o' our beast may we give THE WIFE a reason t' look at us and say "You spent, "HOW MUCH", arrr, on that?!?!

So thar you have it.  It is January now and I hope t' have this beast completed and ready t' go by April 1st.  I am writin' this teaser as a challenge t' myself t' get this project "off t' ground" as well as an experimental excercise in frugality o' design. 

More t' come soon!!

OK, we have assembled some parts and made a few purchases and it looks like we can begin.  

What we bought:

 - We found a super deal at an online hobby shop for 6-15" BT-60s for $5.00!  (Yes Virginia, arrr, these are t' low-power, thin wall type but we will be remedyin' that later!)

 - A Dr. Rockets RMS 29/180 motor with an H128 reload already installed for $40!  (Thank you t' t' L3 seadog who, shiver me timbers, after sufferin' through me lengthy project description, said "hey, me bucko, I might have somethin' for that!". Blimey!  JOIN A ROCKET CLUB!)

 - A 29mm motor tube from t' same online hobby super center for $1.60. Well, blow me down!  More than we need (34 inches long!) so it will be used for at least 2 other projects in t' future.

 - A 30 foot length o' 400lb. Begad! braided kevlar.  OK, ya bilge rat, here's where it gets weird.  Did you know that t' same lines we use for flame-proof shock cords are also used by spear fishermen as a water proof retrieval line for spearfishing?  Me either!  $6 online.

 - 121 ft o' 1/4 inch dia braided tubular nylon bungee/shock cord - $12!!  We ordered 50ft from a guy on ebay and instead o' choppin' off t' required length, he just sent t' rest o' t' spool - At least a 5 year supply!

What we salvaged:

 - A sweet "Sears-Haak" style long plastic nose cone.  This will be t' 4th rocket that this nose cone has lived on.  At some point I epoxied 28 grams o' lead shot into t' tip but this is fine and t' shape is just way cool. - $0.00

 - Multiple chunks o' BT-60 tubin' from wrecked rockets, ya bilge rat, left over project bits, me hearties, a tube fin kit I never assembled etc. Avast!  These will be sliced and used t' stiffen t' inside o' t' new BT-60s we bought online.  $0.00

 - 4 1/8 inch balsa fins o' unknown origin. Aye aye!  Found them in t' bottom o' me parts box. Well, blow me down!  There's 4 o' 'em and they're about t' right size.  We're gonna turn these low-power tail feathers into exotic, laminated, 500 MPH plus, bad-ass stabilizers!  Yes . . Begad! . really.

 - 2 rainbow colored nylon kite-streamers and a small 15in orange nylon chute.  Left over from past low power projects. Well, blow me down!  We are goin' t' try t' combine these parts into a recopvery system that will slow t' rocket just enough t' allow it t' survive impact while at t' same time bein' visible at 4000 feet and (hopefully) allowin' t' rocket t' land in a horizontal attitude t' t' ground. More on this later too.

 - Various and sundry bits o' balsa, cardboard and construction paper, epoxies, wood glues, CA glue, maskin' tape and t' rest o' t' basic shop tools that you should already have on hand when undertakin' a project o' this type.

Next step - parts prep!  We are goin' t' have t' brin' many o' these parts up t' strength in order t' survive t' demands o' High-power flight - but on t' cheap!

GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!  As often happens on this mortal coil, fate and bad luck have intervened t' end this project for now. Avast, me proud beauty!  While moving/ consolidatin' all things rocket related t' a new basement workshop, arrr, one o' me "helpers" tripped on t' staris while holdin' t' box containin' (among other things) t' partially completed rocket. Begad!  T' body tube and 2 fins are a total loss despite t' stiffenin' job (50 lbs o' 4 year-old vs. cardboard and balsa wood = Victory for t' 4 year-old!).

It's all good though, shiver me timbers, Look for a review o' me 4 inch dia. Blimey! mailin' tube, tube fin, arrr, 38mm powered L1 and L2 cert. rocket comin' soon!!