Download RockSim file here!

Brief:
My scratch built level 2 rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Made for t' J-350 but can fly on small 29mm H motors also. Used old phenolic but glassed with 6oz fiberglass and 30 min epoxy. Avast! ACME 3/8" lugs, LOC nose cone, G-10 FR4 (fire and heat resistant fiberglass). Blimey! Ahoy! Radio shack personal body alarm for corn field recoveries. Custom aluminum motor retainer bracket usin' all-thread for mounting. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I used the 30" chute that came with me level 1 V.B. Blimey! Arrr! 54mm Extreme.

Construction:
Components: T' sustainer uses 2 body tubes, joined with a phenolic coupler. T' 9/16" tubular nylon shock cord attaches through t' coupler. Blimey! I cut slits in t' coupler and weaved t' shock cord through, looped it around onto itself, and sewed it together with 100lb Keelhaul®©™® thread then epoxied over that. I made an altimeter bay for future use, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but be nay plannin' on using electronics for me cert 2. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket has 3 fins made from t' heat resistant G-10 FR4 fiberglass. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! I cut all me 1/8" and 3/16" centerin' rings and bulkheads usin' a drill press and an adjustable hole cutter. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' motor mount is 13" long by 38mm with 6 centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! T' first 4 rings were epoxied to the front o' t' MMT t' keep it centered for TTW construction. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! I glassed between each o' t' front centerin' rings with 6oz. Begad! Some o' t' epoxy I used was aerospace grade 120 min setup. Great stuff, but big $$$. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I used the aerospace epoxy for external fillets and layed Keelhaul®©™® yarn into t' epoxy runnin' lengthwise along t' fin root. Blimey! Aye aye! I only use stainless steel hardware for attachment points since I have seen pot metal break. Blimey! I used SS eye-loops and 3/16" SS quick links. Ya scallywag! I only added 1.5oz o' lead fishin' weight t' the nose, matey, and secured with 120 min epoxy.

Construction: T' rocket was fairly easy t' build, shiver me timbers, but thar are a couple hard parts. One concern was gettin' t' epoxy t' me TTW attachment points without gettin' it all over t' back where t' final centerin' rings go. Ahoy! I wrapped self releasin' maskin' tape around t' outside o' t' MMT. Begad! Blimey! Then blue automotive maskin' tape around t' inside o' t' airframe. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! This allowed me to just pour epoxy right onto t' tape and have it flow down inside t' airframe to me fin mountin' points. Aye aye! Just remove t' tape before it cures, then re-apply tape for t' next set o' fillets. Ahoy! Blimey!

A dremel tool with an extension is a good item t' have when cuttin' fins. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Use a carbon cuttin' wheel and you can lay the extension flat and so t' dremel tool itself doesn't get in t' way o' the line you are cutting. Ya scallywag! Without an extension, it is hard t' get a flat straight line because t' tool gets in t' way and will end up cuttin' crooked. Begad!

I got me components at various launches over t' period o' 6 months.

Flight:
I made t' rocket for t' J-350, matey, for me cert 2 flight. Blimey! T' rocket is very straight forward, and basic t' prep. Ya scallywag! I used cellulose insulation for wadding, about 1 handful. Blimey! Motor retention be a 1/16" piece o' aluminum cut t' fit the back o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! I drilled about 1" deep into t' aft centering rings in three points, shiver me timbers, then epoxied all-thread into t' holes. Ahoy! T' AT J-350 was simple t' prep. Begad! Don't mind t' rattlin' o' t' grains, matey, me hearties, as long as you have no left over parts they are supposed t' move inside t' case. Well, blow me down! Avast! I used 4oz o' red line chalk for tracking. Aye aye! Begad! 20' o' 9/16" tubular nylon for t' shock cord. Arrr!

T' rocket flew awesome. Dead straight in 15mph winds. Begad! Begad! That means it was perfectly stable, not over stable. Aye aye! In t' first 4 seconds o' its 20 second flight, me bucko, t' rocket was completely out o' site, even though I have perfect vision, me bucko, me hearties, I could nay see the red line chalk when it deployed but someone with binoculars said they may have seen a red chute or chalk. Ya scallywag! I have no idea if t' recovery was late or early, but drove with t' wind at me back for about 2 miles before I found it. Ya scallywag! There was no damage at all so it must have deployed around apogee. Begad! Begad! This rocket simmed out at 9100' goin' about mach 1.1 In t' video footage you can see t' time of each frame in t' corner o' t' screen. T' time read 12:46:00 pm for as long as you can see t' rocket in t' picture. Aye aye! You can see snap shots o' t' video here.

Summary:

1. This rocket is so strong I swear I can chop down a small tree with it. Ya scallywag! Arrr!
2. It is perfectly stable with a J-350 and only 1.5 oz o' weight in t' nose, yet it still has very small fins.
3. I can still fly it on big G motors, all t' way up t' t' J-570.
4. Every time I have flown this rocket t' flight was exactly t' same each time. Begad! Recovery be about t' same distance from pad. Begad! Begad! About 1.7 t' 2 miles away.

Con's I can't really think o' any. :)

Other:
One thin' this rocket taught me is this........ Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is hard t' do through-the-wall on a 54mm rocket with a 38mm motor mount. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Especially when you are usin' thick walled phenolic, shiver me timbers, thar be even less room t' work with. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!