At one time I be buildin' a model plane and decided t' take a few extra parts and fiddle with them. Avast, me proud beauty! I went and attempted t' make some centerin' rings usin' a saber saw on some balsa and came out with t' tissue and balsa framework for Project X. Avast! I then let it sit for about 3 months while tryin' t' figure out how t' finish it. Blimey! While Descon X raged on, I saw t' design for aft deployment would be ideal, matey, matey, but decided i could nay compete with t' "Purple People Eater o' Death" (Descon 10, me bucko, Robert Galejs) so I finished all but t' fins and launch lugs. Aye aye! RocSim said that it would nay be stable without a large fin area, so i let it sit while me subconscious worked on it.

Finally DesCon 11 came out and I realized that I had this rocket waitin' t' be shown. I whipped up some fins for it, rocsimmed it, added nose weight, rocsimmed it again, checked t' wind forecast, rocsimmed it again, ya bilge rat, and still did nay like what I saw. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! t' rocket be too draggy for t' 18mm Estes engines I had, and I did nay have time t' modify it t' a 24mm mount.
 

But it looked right. Arrr! I decided t' fly it anyway. Begad! at least it would be an interestin' flight.
 

	the winds seemed worse than what i thought they would be, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and i was prepared for a wild flight. I prepped t' rocket on a Estes C6-3 and put her on t' pad, matey, with a 3/16" 5 foot rod. Arrr! amazingly t' rocket flew straight and arced over DOWNWIND! nay upwind as it should have.
I must have had a bonus delay as ejection happened about halfway down and t' chute did nay unfold (it deployed, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but would *not* unfold) t' rocket hit t' ground and t' nosecone shattered into many pieces as t' photos show

Overall, Project X allowed us t' test quite a few things. model rockets do nay need cardboard tubes for airframes. Begad! Tissue over balsa construction can work for small model rockets. a close coupled aft ejection design will work, even if a parachute doesn't.

Project XI will be designed with a smaller diameter, me hearties, matey, dual chutes, even less rocket specific items, matey, and will hopefully survive t' fly a second launch.

Parts list

• 2 sheets balsa 4"x36"x1/8"
• one t' be sliced into 1/8"x1/8" lengths, t' other for cuttin' t' rings and t' support motor mount
• 3" BT-20 , me bucko, engine hook, matey, and thrust rin' for motor mount
• 2 3" BT-60 tubes, one for looks, me hearties, one opposite for aft ejection chute
• soda box cardboard for formin' t' ejection duct from t' BT-20 t' t' BT-60
• 1 more sheet o' above balsa for cuttin' 4 fins (3"x4")