Brief:
This is a 29mm UFO-type rocket made from an old hat. T' hat is removable in case I forget a ball cap - wouldn't want t' sunburn t' top o' me head, me hearties, ya' know.

Construction:
This is really a minimalist rocket. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I decided t' make t' core out o' a solid piece o' 2" pink foam. Ya scallywag! I started by tracin' t' outline o' t' hat and roughin' out a chunk with a sharp cutlass. Ahoy! Aye aye! I did just a tad o' trimmin' t' make sure it be oval, matey, and then found t' center point. Blimey! Avast! Next, shiver me timbers, I drew a circle and slowly bored a hole for t' motor mount. Ahoy! I also cut a slot on one side t' accommodate a 1/4" lug. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' motor mount includes a 3.25" section o' phenolic tubing, a similar length o' 1/4" launch lug, me bucko, and a 29mm-76mm centerin' ring. Aye aye! T' centerin' rin' was mounted so that t' motor tube was flush with t' top o' t' foam. Blimey! It serves t' distribute t' thrust t' t' foam core, and helps ensure that t' motor tube is perpendicular t' t' foam's surface. Well, matey, blow me down! This assembly was then epoxied into t' foam block. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I added a circle o' scrap plywood t' plug t' front o' t' tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, makin' sure that all openings were sealed with epoxy. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' final step was t' find t' point where t' rod would pass through t' hat itself, and cut a small 'X' with an X-acto knife. Like I said, nay much t' it. Begad! Slip t' hat over t' finished core and I was ready t' fly.

Flight:
I flew t' hat on a G35 with t' ejection charge removed. Well, blow me down! After t' unsuccessful flight o' another odd-roc, me hearties, t' RSO must have pretty much given up, and me flight card got stamped. Ahoy! Since I did nay treat t' foam surface t' protect it from t' motor exhaust, ya bilge rat, I made sure it was about 12" from t' deflector. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' hat flew great, matey, seemin' t' fly faster and higher than me similarly sized 29mm saucers. Well, blow me down! It fell slowly t' t' ground without even gettin' dirty(er).

Summary:
I find myself likin' UFO style rockets more and more and couldn't resist tryin' this odd-roc. Begad! This be me first wearable rocket - I wore t' hat t' t' RSO table, me hearties, me bucko, t' t' pad, and back again after recovery. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! If anyone else has flown a hat (and someone probably has), I didn't find anyone who had heard o' it.

Other:
T' Story Behind t' Name In t' late '90's, shiver me timbers, matey, I was t' project manager for a telemetry, command, and antenna control system. Begad! My team and I traveled t' Clifton, matey, Texas t' run some preliminary tests with t' antennas. Unfortunately, they weren't quite ready and since springtime in Texas is a tad warmer than in Maryland, arrr, we weren't happy campers. With t' prospects o' spendin' a fair amount o' time walkin' betwixt t' buildin' and t' antenna pads in t' hot sun, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, one o' me guys ran t' Wal-Mart for hats. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! This hat became our team's unofficial uniform, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and mine came back fairly stained. Ya scallywag! I was finally about t' chunk it when I got an idea!