(Contributed - by Bill Eichelberger - 01/22/10)

Brief:
I've long flown t' Goony flag, but a recent thread at TRF showcasin' different Goony creations got me wonderin' if I was neglectin' t' Goony side o' me brain. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! After much introspection it be determined that nay only be I neglectin' t' Goony side, matey, but t' rest o' it as well. Begad! Blimey! With that decided, I began spendin' time at www.ninfinger.org studyin' t' Estes catalogs tryin' t' find suitable candidates for "goonification". Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I came up with a couple before switchin' t' t' Centuri catalogs, where I had an Epiphany. Aye aye! Blimey! I realized that Goony was a life force all its own and that no rocket could be safe from parody. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Nay even t' Centuri Vector V.

Construction:

Parts List:

• PNC-60 nose cone
• 7.5" BT-60 main body tube
• 1.75" BT-80 lower body tube
• 2 CR-2060 centerin' rings
• 3 CR-6080 centerin' rings
• 6080 paper transition
• BT-20J engine tube
• engine hook
• CR-520 engine block
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 24" length Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 24" length 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord

I've forever been intimidated by rockets with paper transitions, and that, coupled with t' need t' eventually make me own 6080 centerin' rings (this was a "spare parts" build,) made me put this idea onto t' back burner once I had gathered t' bulk o' t' parts. Avast! My first attempt at a paper transition had come t' a bilge-suckin' end due t' some apparent miscommunication betwixt t' program and me printer, matey, an occurrence that took t' wind out o' me sails in a big way.

I got reinterested in t' project one Friday night with a Sunday launch breathin' down me neck. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I found t' tools I needed t' successfully make t' rings and transition, shiver me timbers, and Jay Goemmer pointed me in t' right direction t' find a widget that allowed me t' print off a five fin BT-80 fin markin' guide.

Things went pretty smartly from that point. I decided t' stick with t' stock size fins, so that meant goin' with t' Estes Viking-style fin orientation. I also decided t' go with an internal launch lug mounted on t' side o' t' BT-60. This meant that I'd need t' make holes in me beautiful handmade centerin' rings, arrr, so I found and icepick and gouged me way through both. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! It also meant that I'd have t' find a way through t' transition, ya bilge rat, also nay a problem, but also nay an aesthetic high point o' this bird.

Finishing:
T' basswood fins didn't need a lot o' help hidin' t' grain, so I went with one coat o' thinned Fill & Finish and a couple o' coats o' primer, shiver me timbers, which be how it looked for t' first two flights. Ya scallywag! Blimey! From thar I sprayed t' fin can with a no-name blue, matey, Valspar silver and Testor's Candy Apple Red that I'd wanted t' try for a long time. T' nose cone had been sprayed silver when I did t' mid-section o' t' rocket, which played right into t' Testor's, matey, which is supposed t' be sprayed over silver or gold metallic. I be a little concerned about t' possibility o' crazing, matey, but t' Candy Apple coated nicely and looked great without a hint o' crazing. Aye aye! I had planned t' print up a set o' stock decals t' finish t' project, but some o' t' no-name blue metallic pulled away from t' scrap o' BT-80 that made up t' lower body tube durin' t' unmaskin' and I kind o' lost me enthusiasm for t' project. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! For those who might be interested in followin' in me clown shoe footprints, arrr, Sandman has a decal set that he put together.

Flight:
Flight day turned out t' be beautiful from t' start, matey, and with t' sun already up and warmin' things up by t' time I awoke, I decicded that t' time be right t' spray a coat o' primer on t' rocket t' improve t' looks a little. Ya scallywag! Begad! By t' time I had everythin' ready t' leave a couple o' hours later, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' primer be dry and I thought everythin' was goin' me way.

Ten minutes later I was parked off t' side o' US 27, matey, realizin' that despite t' beautiful day, t' convertible may have been a mistake. Begad! Blimey! Despite me careful packin' o' t' days birds, two were damaged, matey, one o' them bein' t' Vector G. Begad! Blimey! Turns out that t' hasty fin attachment on Saturday evenin' was over a painted section o' t' scrap BT-80. I didn't think t' sand t' paint t' rough it up, and somethin' as slight as fallin' over in t' back o' t' car was enough t' sprin' a fin despite t' double fillets. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Once at t' field I roughed up t' area where t' fin had been, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then re-glued it with LocTite Gel CA. Avast! Blimey! Good enough for a couple o' flights, me hearties, arrr, I hoped.

With a field t' size o' t' VOA, I felt comfortable tryin' with a C6-5 for t' first flight. Avast! I checked t' fins for any wiggles I might have missed and announced it as a heads-up flight. T' Vector G leapt off t' pad smartly and arced t' t' north in t' light breeze. Blimey! Arrr! Much better than I had hoped for. Ejection be perfect and recovery, while a decent walk into t' tall grass, was likewise.

T' second flight, ya bilge rat, also on a C6-5 (because it was all I had,) was almost a carbon copy o' t' first. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' only difference was a fin breakin' off on recovery, shiver me timbers, but again it be easily reattached with gel CA. Ya scallywag! Subsequent flights are planned on cozy B6-4 Field usin' A8-3's and B6-4's, likely after I break off and reattach t' remainin' fins.

Recovery:
Several years ago I won an Ebay auction for some clear plastic parachutes that came 10 for $1. Ya scallywag! They got shuffled around durin' our move in 2005 and recently resurfaced. Ya scallywag! I hadn't thought o' a parachute when I left t' house, me hearties, me bucko, so I had t' scramble come flight day. Aye aye! T' chute performed perfectly, me bucko, and it would be difficult t' find fault with t' deal now.

Summary:
Pro's: Performance. T' sheer gooniness o' it all.

Con's: Some o' t' "spare parts" I used had been previously used as paint tubes which made fin attachment a challenge. Avast, me proud beauty! T' pizza and win' ad that I used for t' transition be too thin and slick and wouldn't accept t' thin CA that I normally use t' beef cardstock up.