Long before I was buildin' rockets, arrr, ya bilge rat, a very small, matey, matey, tumble recovery rocket was introduced by Estes. Aye aye! Avast! It was t' 1/2A powered Astron Sprite. Aye aye! T' those nay familiar with this rocket, shiver me timbers, I would like t' explain a very unique characteristic o' this design. Ahoy! When scaled up enough t' be powered by a high impulse motor, t' air flowin' past t' fin rin' creates a high-pitched whistle when launched. This is sometimes drowned out by t' initial noise o' t' motor, matey, ya bilge rat, but is quite audible as t' motor burns out and continues durin' t' coast phase.

Back in 1999, durin' t' second launch o' me 4-inch airframe based Superscale Sprite, t' whistle was clearly heard by all those in attendance. Avast, me proud beauty! As t' rocket arced over, even before t' ooh’s and aah’s had subsided, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it be obvious that I had a major deployment problem…there be none! T' Sprite raced back t' earth, and a fact that I be previously unaware of, became perfectly clear. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! This amazin' rocket whistled comin' down, ya bilge rat, louder than when it be goin' up. Begad! In fact, it whistled right up until it impacted with t' rock-hard Pennsylvania soil at our Jones Farm launch site. Naturally, me fellow rocketeers were quick t' offer their condolences, but I be more amused by t' memory o' it whistlin' back t' Earth. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I collected t' remains, includin' diggin' t' nosecone out o' t' ground, and went back t' me truck t' prep me next rocket.

My son, Chris, almost immediately began urgin' me t' build another one. Arrr! Ahoy! Due t' t' amount o' work that be involved in t' project, I was unwillin' t' commit t' such an ambitious undertaking. Arrr! Over t' next twelve months or so, I did acquire a piece o' 15-inch diameter cardboard drum, me bucko, me bucko, which would make a fine fin ring, (my first one be 11.5-inch diameter) and a 24-inch long section o' 5.5-inch airframe. Aye aye! This would amount t' a 7.3X version o' t' original Estes model. Arrr! I also purchased a 3 x 6 x 36-inch block o' balsa wood, that I planned on usin' t' turn a scale nosecone. Well, blow me down! Begad! I cut t' block in two and laminated them together t' make a nice 6 x 6 x 18-inch blank, and then set it aside, where it would sit for almost another year. Begad! One weekend in February o' 2001, shiver me timbers, matey, I was turnin' a couple wooden nosecone patterns for a Tripoli Pittsburgh group project, me hearties, t' Gloria Mundi III. Ahoy! Avast! After completin' this task, I decided t' go ahead, and turn t' new Sprite nosecone from t' balsa block that had been collectin' dust. Avast! After finishin' t' outside form, me bucko, arrr, it was necessary t' hollow out a large section o' t' cone so that I would be able t' add t' one-pound o' weight needed for stability. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I cut a bulkhead from .5-inch plywood t' seal t' openin' that was epoxied into place after fillin' t' cone with expandin' foam. Well, matey, blow me down! Before I knew it, t' nosecone was complete, arrr, shiver me timbers, and I be plannin' me next steps o' t' project, that would soon come t' be known as "T' Lord o' t' Rings."

Next, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, I carefully cut a 5.5-inch section o' t' cardboard drum, me bucko, and prepared it t' be reinforced with a few layers o' fiberglass cloth. I opted for two wraps o' 6-ounce woven cloth and a finishin' wrap o' 1.5-ounce cloth. T' last layer be done solely t' make it easier t' get a smooth surface for painting. Avast! I used t' same process for t' airframe, which, me hearties, although it was made o' flexible phenolic, was nay strong enough for a project o' this size. Arrr! Aye aye! I printed patterns for t' fins and fin-caps usin' RockSim 5.0 and cut them from .25-inch aircraft plywood. Two centerin' rings were cut from t' same material, shiver me timbers, also usin' patterns created from RockSim. Blimey! Twelve inches o' 38mm motor mount tubin' be cut and I had all t' parts necessary t' complete t' project.

A large T-nut was installed in t' forward centerin' rin' for recovery system attachment, me bucko, as well as two in t' aft rin' for motor retention. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' forward rin' was epoxied t' t' motor tube, and this assembly was installed into t' slotted body tube. Ahoy! Begad! With t' rear-centerin' rin' temporarily put in place for alignment purposes, ya bilge rat, t' fins were epoxied into place. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' aft rin' be then removed, matey, me hearties, and internal fillets used at both t' motor tube and t' inside o' t' body tube. Since I was goin' t' be usin' rail guides instead o' launch lugs, t' guides were secured with nuts from t' inside o' t' airframe at this time. Before permanently installin' t' rear-centerin' ring, me hearties, matey, t' remainder o' t' cavity be filled usin' 2-part expandin' foam. Fillets were added t' t' fins at t' outside o' t' airframe for added strength, usin' a combination o' epoxy and micro-balloons.

It was now time t' attach t' fin rin' and fin caps. Begad! Careful attention was paid t' t' alignment o' t' caps so that minimal fillin' o' gaps was necessary. Avast! When t' assembly was completely dried, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I once again used t' epoxy/micro-balloon mixture t' create fillets both inside and outside t' fin rin' at each fin and fin cap. Avast! I used grain filler on t' plywood fins, me bucko, and after some extensive sanding, was finally ready t' prime t' entire rocket. Arrr! More sanding, matey, matey, fillin' and primin' followed, o' course, ya bilge rat, until I be ready t' paint. After addin' an 18-foot, matey, 5/8-inch tubular nylon shock cord and a Sky-Angle 52-inch parachute with Nomex protector, t' total weight without motor is just over 8-pounds.

I launched t' completed project at our first Dragon's Fire launch o' t' season, me bucko, ya bilge rat, April 7th, 2001. Blimey! Ahoy! Accordin' t' simulations done in both RockSim and wRASP, it reached a max altitude o' approximately 1900 feet on an Aerotech I284 reload. Begad! Avast! Unlike me first Sprite, matey, t' whistlin' only occurred on t' way up.