Note: For more Extreme 38 pictures, me hearties, visit John's site.

We were talkin' about adhesive strength and how t' test it. O' course, me approach is t' do an elaborate test which requires buildin' a whole apparatus. Ed Hackett, ya bilge rat, in a much more practical mood, said: "just go build a bunch o' VB Extreme 38s and put a J350 up the butt!"

I don't think this would really provide usable results, matey, but I did like the idea o' a full-on test, ya bilge rat, me hearties, so I suggested we have a "strong rocket" contest. Well, blow me down! Each contestant would build a VB Extreme 38 (or perhaps another kit), then t' rockets would be repeatedly launched until only one remained intact. No one else took me up on t' contest, but I decided t' build me entry anyway. Begad!

T' kit is well designed, me bucko, basically a Loc/Precision 38mm motor mount tube as the airframe. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This makes a very strong body tube, me hearties, which is a good idea since this is a rocket meant t' go high. Avast, me proud beauty! Since this is a minimum diameter rocket, me bucko, the fins need t' mount on t' outside. Arrr! In addition t' t' usual epoxy bondin' and fillets, me hearties, I decided t' go wild and reinforce t' fins t' t' body tube with 1" Keelhaul®©™® strips. Begad! Avast! Then I covered t' whole thin' with a double wrap o' 4oz cloth and a coverin' wrap o' 2oz.

I think t' fins will stay on! This be the real challenge here; makin' a minimum diameter rocket so that t' fins were really nay goin' t' come off. Ahoy! Perhaps this was overkill, me hearties, matey, but this thin' is certainly nay comin' apart easily. Well, blow me down! We'll see when I fly it on a J350, and maybe even a J570. Ahoy!

O' course, I had t' paint t' rocket yellow and black because they're the trademark Vaughn Brothers colors. Ya scallywag! Begad! Also, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me hearties, this is a nice high-contrast paint scheme t' help me find t' rocket again. Begad! Ahoy!

On February 13, arrr, 1999 at t' February ROC launch in Lucerne Dry Lake, matey, t' Extreme flew for t' first time. Blimey! Aye aye! T' boost was straight and fast on a J350, a large motor in a small rocket!

T' rocket be way gone on a J350 and went 11,703 feet high (accordin' to the ALS20). This is craziness, ya bilge rat, but that was t' whole purpose o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It took is more than an hour t' find t' rocket; we drove out on t' lake three times, farther out each time. Begad! Finally, we spotted it about ¾mi away from the launch site! This rocket really needs t' be recovered with a Walston radio unit. Begad! T' rocket was in perfect shape, arrr, me hearties, although I lost t' motor casin' (which is probably why it drifted so far). Avast, me proud beauty! Now on t' a J570!