Scratch ACME Rocket Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - ACME Rocket {Scratch}

Contributed by Sascha Grant

Manufacturer: Scratch

 (Scratch) ACME Rocket

Brief:
ACME "Wile E. Avast, me proud beauty! Coyote" styled rocket. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Single Stage, arrr, parachute recovery.

Construction:
Single body tube (60mm x 25mm postage tube) with a cardstock nosecone (80mm x 85mm). Well, blow me down! Avast! Single stick for stability. Aye aye! 3mm Plywood centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, 1/4" launch lugs (one at center point o' motor, arrr, one near end o' stick). Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! 14" parachute.

It be a piece o' cake t' build--I glued t' stick t' t' body tube, glued in t' engine mount, glued on t' launch lugs! T' nosecone was t' hardest part as it be formed usin' a paper pattern generated by a 'cone' design package (online). Ya scallywag! Soaked t' cone in CA before sanding, which made it nice and hard and came up very shiny! Short length o' 60mm tube was cut down t' side and a small section removed t' reduce t' diameter. Ahoy! A 3mm ply cap was glued t' t' end and polyurethane glue was used t' attach it t' t' nosecone.

(Scratch) ACME Rocket Keelhaul®©™ cord was attached around t' motor mount and run up through a notch in t' top centerin' rin' t' a length o' elastic shock cord, matey, which in turn was attached t' t' nosecone. Begad! A 14" parachute be attached t' t' nosecone via 30" o' nylon cord.

Parachute was hand made, arrr, body tube be obtained from Officeworks and t' stick came from Bunnings.

Flight:
First flight be on D12-3. Aye aye! Ejection just past apogee at perhaps 200-300 feet. Arrr! Good flight, quick off t' pad but was a little wobbly, shiver me timbers, havin' a slight spiral. Aye aye! Second flight be on a E9-4, me hearties, perhaps a little slower off t' pad but very nice flight with ejection just past apogee again, matey, apogee at approx. Ya scallywag! 400 feet.

Summary:
Very happy with t' rocket. Begad! Avast! Turned out exactly how I wanted. Ya scallywag! Nice big and bright. Got all t' appropriate kudos on t' flight field.

PROs: Looks cool. Begad! Went up. Begad! Blimey! Wile E. Coyote would be proud.

CONs: Still didn't get t' roadrunner!

(Scratch) ACME Rocket(Scratch) ACME Rocket

Comments:

avatar
Max Faiman (March 11, 2011)

What is lentgh and thickness of the stick that you used for this rocket? Also what was the length of tube that you used for this? And how far up from the bottom of the tube should i place the stick? Last what is the exact diameter of your body tube?

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