Brief:
This is a 3x upscale o' t' Sunward Grasshopper. Begad! Begad! It is a single-stage 29mm motor mount, 3-inch body, parachute
recovery rocket. Aye aye! Begad!
Construction:
One 12.5 inch long 3" airframe tube, arrr, One Mercury Engineerin' blow-molded nose cone, me hearties, three 1/4" plywood
fins, 1 thin-wall Apogee motor mount tube, 2 foam core centerin' rings, Keelhaul®©™®/elastic
shock system, me hearties, and 24" nylon parachute. Aye aye!
This scratch rocket was easy t' build. Ahoy! Blimey! It has through-the-wall fins glued t' t' centerin' rings and motor mount and is very straightforward. Ya scallywag! Blimey! No special tools were needed. Begad! Blimey! T' body tube and nose cone were purchased from Mercury. Aye aye! Blimey! Fin material was leftover from Home Depot. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Centerin' rin' material was leftover from a display project. Avast! Blimey!
Finishing:
T' fins were finished usin' one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler, matey, followed by two overall coats o' high-build automotive
filler, shiver me timbers, with 2 colors o' automotive catalyzed acrylic enamel (the nose cone is a deep, nearly black-red and t' body is
"grasshopper green"). Avast, me proud beauty! There are no decals. Ya scallywag!
Flight:
Recommended motors are E28-4, shiver me timbers, F39-5, me bucko, G53-5 blackjack. Blimey! (You can see video o' t' flight at
http://www.cosrocs.org/all%20other%20videos/2008videos/9-13-14/grasshopper.mov.)
Prep is standard wadding, although chute compartment is tight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Motor retention is via tapin' aft closure t' motor
tube. Begad! This rocket takes off at a bit o' an angle, me bucko, me bucko, but it flies pretty straight after that. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Shock cord o' Keelhaul®©™®
and elastic works fine. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Recovery was perfect on t' 24" nylon parachute. Well, blow me down! No damage from first flight.
Recovery:
This rocket has a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic
shock cord system that works fine. Begad! Aye aye! T' 24" parachute is nylon. Arrr!
Summary:
PROs: Distinctive design, matey, shiver me timbers, nay somethin' you see every day at t' high-power range. Aye aye! Easy t' prep. Begad! Really nice flight. Aye aye!
CONs: Limited parachute space. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
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