Brief:

This be t' third rocket I built t' enter t' EMRR Spaceship Design Contest. This looks t' be a simple 3FNC rocket with one heck o' a span and some interestin' engine pods. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

Characteristics:

• Height: 24 inches Fin Length: 6.8 inches Weight (without engine): 5.9 oz
• Motor Mount: 18mm (single) Recovery: Parachute

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE Solar Flare Characteristics Height: 24" Fin Length: 7" 18mm Motor Mount 5.9 oz empty

Construction:

T' followin' are t' major components used:

Narrative:

I started with a left over kit rocket (Surefire X-19) I had from a summer class I taught. Arrr! I built t' engine mount without t' engine hook and placed an engine block at t' edge o' t' tube. Begad! I then glued one center rin' at the forward end o' t' tube and t' other in t' middle. Once dried I glued it just inside t' BT-50 leavin' t' engine mount stickin' out over an inch. Avast! Usin' Matt Stum’s Template Widget, me bucko, I created a transition/boat tail from heavy weight paper and glued it on.

I sketched a fin design on a piece o' matt board. Arrr! When I had a design that looked like t' photo, shiver me timbers, I cut it out and used it as a template. Ya scallywag! Because o' the overall size o' t' fin and t' balsa I had t' work with, I cut t' fin in to three parts. Hopefully this will allow t' fin t' be stronger.

Usin' t' fin template and some modelin' clay, shiver me timbers, I created one half o' the engine pod. Ahoy! Blimey! This gave me a positive t' make a mold from. Usin' a plastic dish with a flat bottom (mine be t' blister pack from a video card) I sat t' clay mold inside. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I then lightly sprayed ‘Bakers Joy’ over t' mold and dish t' act as a release agent. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After mixin' up a small amount o' ‘Plaster of Paris" I pored it over t' clay. Begad! Blimey! I let it dry over 24 hours before takin' it out o' t' dish. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once out o' t' dish I carefully removed t' clay and trimmed any excess that seeped in. Blimey! Blimey! I let t' mold dry another day.

Usin' Crayola’s Model Magic and t' mold, I created 6 engine halves. Blimey! I allowed them t' dry one day before trimming. Trimmin' t' sides be easy enough, arrr, t' saw them t' t' thickness I wanted, I used t' mold. Ahoy! Aye aye! I placed the halves back in t' mold and carefully sawed t' excess off. Aye aye! T' Model Magic was not dry in t' center. Aye aye! They needed another day just t' dry.

I attached t' fins (without pods), shiver me timbers, shock cord, and t' launch lug t' the body tube. Ya scallywag! Usin' wood glue I place t' pods on t' fins and secured them in place with painters tape. Aye aye! Once dried, arrr, arrr, filled any voids with body putty and sanded smooth. Aye aye!

Because o' t' size o' t' fins I created paper fillets that went from pod to pod. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I took small sheet o' paper and spread white glue thinly over one surface. Then I carefully placed it on t' rocket, trimmin' where necessary. Avast!

I began paintin' by coatin' t' whole rocket with a coat o' gray primer. Taped off areas and painted t' gloss red. Ahoy! Begad! Then I painted t' design on the nose cone and body. Ya scallywag! Finally I gave t' engines a coat o' gray with black detail. I also created a removable display cap made out o' t' foam clay.

Now be t' time t' see if it will fly. Aye aye! I put t' design in t' RockSim and found out it is very marginal. Avast! T' stability be brought up t' over 1 by lengthenin' t' body tube 3 inches. Begad! I found a small piece o' BT-50 and added 3 inches t' t' 15 inch body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! (To avoid this splicin' start with an 18" BT-50.) Since I hadn’t attached t' shock cord yet, me bucko, I tied it t' t' tube coupler before attachin' t' 3 inch extension.

Paint’s dry, me bucko, chute and wadin' is loaded, me bucko, an Estes C6-3 engine is friction fitted with igniter. Arrr! Ahoy! Now I wait for a clear, calm day t' launch.

After t' first launch t' body tube suffered some damage. Aye aye! Blimey! I split t' tube and put in some reinforcement. Added a longer shock cord and attached it closer to t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' landin' o' t' second launch caused a stress crack along the body tube and fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I also lost t' lower fin tip. Blimey! Blimey! T' impact o' t' third launch cause complete separation o' t' fin from t' body tube.

Overall I like this rocket. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I like t' slow laborin' liftoffs. Arrr! Aye aye! I’m sure this will be repaired and flown again, for now it’s retired till summer.

FLIGHT #1

FLIGHT #2

FLIGHT #3