Brief:
This rocket is a modification o' a plastic pie plate into a 24mm powered saucer.

Construction:
T' Bill o' Materials for Pi-R-Feared is extremely short:

• 1 bottom o' store bought pie packaging
• 1 3" long 24mm Motor Tube
• 1 2.25" Centerin' Ring
• 1 3.75" Centerin' Ring
• 1 piece o' body tube slightly larger than motor mount tube
• 2 launch lugs for 3/16" rod

As we finished up a store bought pie and I prepared t' throw away the vacuformed packaging, I noticed t' complex molded rings, shiver me timbers, ribs, and indentations used t' stiffen t' thin, shiver me timbers, black PETE 1 plastic. Avast! When turned upside down, t' angled sides o' t' packagin' reminded me o' a classic '50s Sci-Fi saucer shape. After a quick rinse, arrr, matey, into t' project bin it went. Cost: $0.00, if you consider t' pie it contained worth t' price o' admission.

I used a section o' scrap 24mm motor mount tube t' mark t' center o' the pie plate. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A razor knife smartly produced a central hole. Begad! Blimey! A set o' sprin' steel circular saw blades for a drill was used t' fashion a 2.25" centerin' ring from Clementine fruit crate plywood. Well, blow me down! Blimey! An appropriate hole was also drilled into a piece o' luan plywood roughly cut into a 3.75" centerin' ring.

T' bottom side o' t' pie packagin' base became the top side o' t' saucer. Blimey! I used Gorilla Glue t' glue t' small rin' t' the saucer top, t' large rin' t' t' inside o' t' saucer, and t' motor mount through t' assembly. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' tube extends 3/4" below t' inside rin' and 1 1/4" above t' upper ring. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I cut two sections o' scrap, ya bilge rat, black body tube that was a loose fit over t' 24mm motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I Gorilla Glued these black tubes t' cover t' two sections o' exposed motor tube. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A Gorilla Glue fillet was formed where t' black body tubes contacted t' centerin' rings. Begad! The Gorilla Glue foamed up t' fill t' slight gap betwixt t' black tube and the motor mount. With this arrangement, shiver me timbers, me hearties, matey, t' motor mount was locked in place between the black tubes and centerin' rings. Arrr! Ahoy! T' glue joint t' t' plastic is nay load bearing, as t' glue t' t' black sleeves, motor mount, and centerin' rings traps t' plastic betwixt t' rings.

I used a drill t' bore a hole alongside t' black tube through t' upper ring, ya bilge rat, plate, and lower ring. Begad! I used yellow carpenter's glue t' glue a launch lug for a 3/16" rod up against t' black body tubes. Avast! In hindsight I realized that a motor with a thrust shoulder would overhang t' motor mount and block t' launch lug, shiver me timbers, so I installed another lug on t' other side o' t' motor mount about 1/4" away from t' tube.

That's all thar be t' it. Begad! No positive retention device be installed so that a variety o' engine lengths could be used. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Longer engines simply extend up above t' upper motor tube end.

Flight and Recovery:
T' first flight o' Pi-R-Feared (In Crust We Thrust) was on a D12-5. Avast! I expected the ejection would be well past apogee but would still be in t' air. Aye aye! Masking tape was used t' create an engine thrust rin' and t' motor be friction fit. T' bargain basement saucer leapt off t' pad, matey, shiver me timbers, arced over at t' end o' thrust, and blew its ejection charge like a retrorocket as it neared t' ground. Begad! Begad! The best part is that t' charge knocked t' saucer t' t' side, and it landed squarely in a 5 gallon spackle bucket placed under t' launch rack a few feet from where it launched from. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 2 points! T' crowd at NyHiPower was duly amused. Hoots and hollers rang out.

Another flight o' Pi-R-Feared was on an E15-4. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This time, "the little saucer that could" leapt from t' pad with a wagglin' boost t' a respectable altitude. Avast! When t' ejection charge fired just past apogee, me hearties, me bucko, a spot of bright flame could be seen as t' saucer descended. Arrr! I raced t' t' landing spot, arrr, in fear o' findin' a tube on fire, shiver me timbers, but it turned out t' flame be from the burnin' o' t' white paper disk that seals in t' ejection charge. Avast, me proud beauty! No harm, no foul, me hearties, arrr, no fire.

Summary:
This was an extremely easy build that was done in under an hour and was a virtually free project if you have a few scrap tubes in your bin.