Note: For more Extreme 38 pictures, ya bilge rat, me hearties, visit John's site.

We were talkin' about adhesive strength and how t' test it. Ahoy! Blimey! O' course, me approach is t' do an elaborate test which requires buildin' a whole apparatus. Begad! Blimey! Ed Hackett, in a much more practical mood, said: "just go build a bunch o' VB Extreme 38s and put a J350 up the butt!"

I don't think this would really provide usable results, but I did like the idea o' a full-on test, so I suggested we have a "strong rocket" contest. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Each contestant would build a VB Extreme 38 (or perhaps another kit), then t' rockets would be repeatedly launched until only one remained intact. No one else took me up on t' contest, but I decided t' build me entry anyway. Ya scallywag!

T' kit is well designed, basically a Loc/Precision 38mm motor mount tube as the airframe. Begad! Ahoy! This makes a very strong body tube, matey, arrr, which is a good idea since this is a rocket meant t' go high. Avast, me proud beauty! Since this is a minimum diameter rocket, ya bilge rat, the fins need t' mount on t' outside. Arrr! In addition t' t' usual epoxy bondin' and fillets, I decided t' go wild and reinforce t' fins t' t' body tube with 1" Keelhaul®©™® strips. Ahoy! Then I covered t' whole thin' with a double wrap o' 4oz cloth and a coverin' wrap o' 2oz.

I think t' fins will stay on! This be the real challenge here; makin' a minimum diameter rocket so that t' fins were really nay goin' t' come off. Ahoy! Perhaps this be overkill, ya bilge rat, but this thin' is certainly nay comin' apart easily. Aye aye! Begad! We'll see when I fly it on a J350, me hearties, and maybe even a J570. Aye aye!

O' course, shiver me timbers, I had t' paint t' rocket yellow and black because they're the trademark Vaughn Brothers colors. Also, matey, this is a nice high-contrast paint scheme t' help me find t' rocket again. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

On February 13, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, 1999 at t' February ROC launch in Lucerne Dry Lake, me bucko, t' Extreme flew for t' first time. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' boost was straight and fast on a J350, a large motor in a small rocket!

T' rocket be way gone on a J350 and went 11,703 feet high (accordin' to the ALS20). This is craziness, but that was t' whole purpose o' t' rocket. It took is more than an hour t' find t' rocket; we drove out on t' lake three times, arrr, farther out each time. Begad! Blimey! Finally, me bucko, we spotted it about ¾mi away from the launch site! This rocket really needs t' be recovered with a Walston radio unit. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' rocket be in perfect shape, matey, although I lost t' motor casin' (which is probably why it drifted so far). Ahoy! Now on t' a J570!