Brief:

Hybrid motors have always fascinated me. T' extra complexity o' a fuel and oxidizer in different states and tryin' t' get them t' combust makes adds a new challenge t' rocketry. Also, since t' fuel is inert, thar are no permits required for storage, shiver me timbers, and ideally (except for Aerotech) require no haz-mat fee for shipping. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! Until recently, shiver me timbers, t' only hybrid motors on t' market are in t' Level 2 range and above. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Hypertek system required expensive ground support system, matey, and you must have a tank o' N20 and O2 on t' field. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Aerotech.s system had t' advantage o' allowin' you t' fill t' tank before comin' t' t' launch, matey, but had t' disadvantage o' havin' a complex pyrotechnic valve system that is expensive, me hearties, complex t' set up, and requires a haz mat fee for shipping.

Recently, ya bilge rat, hybrid technology has come down t' t' Level 1 arena. Ahoy! Ratts Work.s was t' first company that offered a certified hybrid system that any level 1 user can use. T' ground support is pricey, matey, but t' design o' t' motor is a lot simpler than what Aerotech and Hypertek have t' offer. Begad! T' reload kits do nay require a hazmat fee, arrr, matey, but they do nay come with igniters or pre-heater charges. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! However, me hearties, ya bilge rat, some dealers (ie Pratt Hobbies) throw these components into t' kit for you. Arrr! T' Ratts Work Hybrid motors are designed t' fit in a 29mm motor tube, matey, with slight modification t' t' rocket for venting. Also, t' fuel tank be t' same cylinder as t' oxidizer tank. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' fuel and oxidizer are separated by a .floatin' bulkhead.. Blimey! T' fuel is consumed from t' top t' t' bottom. This means that t' pressure o' t' N2O pushes t' bulkhead down as t' fuel is consumed. Begad! Well, blow me down! They have three motor designations, shiver me timbers, H70, I80, and I90. T' H70 and I80 use t' same size grain, me bucko, but t' case is longer.

Construction:

I won a H70 case and a few loads on a ROL auction. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Robert Galjes already had t' ground support system for t' RATT's work system and offered CMASS members access t' it, matey, so t' only thin' that I required for it was a rocket t' fly it in. Avast, me proud beauty! T' H70 has a 3 second burn time, ya bilge rat, and only has a total impulse o' about 180 n/s. I wanted a rocket that was light enough t' launch with t' motor, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and t' added weight o' t' recovery hardware, ya bilge rat, and stay within 2000 ft so I can don.t risk loosin' t' rocket in t' tree filled New England area. Blimey! I decided that t' Aerotech Mirage be t' perfect candidate. Avast! It can launch on a motor as small as a F25, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and with me calculations, shiver me timbers, will go about 1,500 ft with a 180 n/s motor. Well, blow me down! My fifteen year old friend Ryan Sebastian wanted t' help out with t' project, so he became me partner in designing, and buildin' t' rocket.

There were a couple conditions that I wanted for this rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It had t' carry electronics t' deploy t' recovery system. Ya scallywag! I wanted t' put a bulkhead near t' engine that will hold t' charge, yet protect it from any leakin' N2O. Blimey! But I also want t' option o' launchin' t' model with conventional motors. Ahoy! So t' charge bulkhead had t' be removable. Aye aye! Because o' this, matey, t' three sections o' t' Mirage have t' be removable. I decided t' use screws t' hold t' rocket together.

T' Hybrid Mirage be built with three main sections. T' Booster Section, Parachute Bay, matey, and Payload section. Ahoy! T' Motor Section be t' lower section o' t' Aerotech Mirage, matey, and is heavily modified. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' motor hook is still used, but t' motor hook is trimmed t' allow t' longer H70 motor t' pass beyond t' motor hook. It is attached in t' position that t' hook locks over t' aft closure o' t' Hybrid, and standard 29mm High Power motor. Begad! Also, this section has t' ventin' tube permeably attached t' t' airframe.

T' parachute bay, me hearties, obviously, ya bilge rat, arrr, is where t' recovery system o' t' rocket is kept. Avast! It is also t' section that t' ejection bulkhead is attached to. A paper rin' is attached inside t' tube so t' forward face o' t' bulkhead rests against it. Aye aye! When t' booster section is attached, arrr, arrr, t' tube coupler presses t' bulkhead against t' ring. Avast! Arrr! This creates a nice seal betwixt t' motor bay and t' parachute bay. When t' Mirage is flown with a regular motor, me bucko, t' bulkhead is simply omitted.

T' Payload Section o' t' rocket is mostly empty space. Begad! Begad! T' electronics for t' recovery system is located in t' tube coupler. Ya scallywag! I decided that I would use me custom built timer for recovery. Blimey! I designed t' timer t' use a .burn wire. Ahoy! Blimey! t' start t' timer. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' utilizes this, me bucko, I had a couple short bolts stickin' out o' t' side o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Each bolt is a terminal which a .jumper. Blimey! wire is connected too. Blimey! Blimey! T' jumperwire is fastened t' t' launch rod. Begad! When t' Mirage takes off, matey, t' jumper pulls free from t' bolt, thus startin' t' timer.

Flight:

T' first opportunity t' try out t' Hybrid Mirage came on July 27th, 2002. Avast! Blimey! It did nay work very well though. Aye aye! Blimey! There was a N2O leak in t' vent tube. Blimey! Blimey! T' N2O filled t' motor section, me bucko, and spread into t' parachute compartment. Just before t' countdown for ignition be started, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' N2O in t' parachute compartment pushed t' payload section off t' rocket, arrr, which started t' timer. T' countdown was aborted, arrr, and t' N2O dump button was pushed. Ahoy! Blimey! While t' oxidizer was bein' drained, shiver me timbers, t' charge went off. Paper, me hearties, ya bilge rat, Wood, matey, me hearties, Oxidizer.... now a heat source? You guest it. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Fire. Aye aye! Blimey! For about five seconds, matey, t' insides o' t' parachute compartment be engulfed in flame. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did nay know this until I dismantled t' rocket, me hearties, hopin' t' reload it. T' charge bulkhead be completely chard. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It disintegrated just by handlin' it. About a quarter o' t' inside wall o' t' body tube be burned away from t' heat.

When t' Sept 14th rocket launch came, shiver me timbers, arrr, Ryan and I decided t' launch t' Hybrid Mirage again. Avast, me proud beauty! Robert Galjes could nay make it t' t' launch with t' ground support equipment and t' tank o' N2O, so Ryan and I decided t' launch it with a conventional motor, a G75-10J. I decided t' arm t' timer too& just t' make sure it works. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' lift off o' t' Hybrid Mirage was beautiful. T' black and silver rocket streakin' skyward, me bucko, leavin' behind a dark smoke trail& nice :-). Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' timer deployed both chutes right at apogee, and t' rocket recovered without a scratch.

At NSL 2003, Ryan and I launched our Hybrid Mirage with t' motor we built it for. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' prevent t' same problem we had last time, I secured t' vent hose t' t' motor with hot melt glue. Blue Thunder propellant cut off a F39, and a Magnelite igniter was used t' start t' motor. Begad! T' H70 motor ignited instantly, shiver me timbers, and lofted t' Mirage off t' pad with ease. Begad! Ya scallywag! Beautiful motor; small bright flame, ya bilge rat, very little smoke. I don.t think it burned for t' full three seconds, shiver me timbers, maybe t' N2O tank was t' warm, so t' motor did nay get a full fill o' oxidizer. Aye aye! T' timer deployed both chutes a couple seconds after apogee, endin' its perfect flight.

Summary:

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' Hybrid Mirage project be a success. Avast! We built a rocket that could fly on a Hybrid motor, and convention motor. Begad! Future plans include more H70 launches with a PICO altimeter, shiver me timbers, and don't be surprised if you see a I80 case in me hands in t' near future ;-).