2+inch+(3+x+D)

EXERIMENTAL 2inch 3xD12 ROCKET BUILT BY DAVE THOMSON



**ROCKET CONSTRUCTION** EXPERIMENTAL 2inch DIAMETER ROCKET This rocket was designed to fly on D12-5 Estes motor. Concept was designed around the Aerotech 'Mustang'.

BODY The body is made from 2inch diameter postal tubing cut to the appropriate length. Cyno and PVA glues where used. The Fins are formica and are through the wall mounting onto the motor mount tubes. The motor mount tubes are made from standard Estes BT50 tubing. Three tubes can be mounted into the base of these tubes for a 3xD12 cluster. Scrap balsa is then used to fill in the gaps that are left. Care has to be taken to ensure the motor tubes do not twist when mounting into the airframe. Overall length was 30 inches. Weight without motors was 10oz.

NOSECONE The nose cone is home-made and turned on a Dlack and Decker drill from solid balsa. This is glued to a section of tubing making the nose cone and payload section around 8inches long. The nosecone is smoothed on the drill with fine sandpaper and then sealed with PVA glue before final coating/filling etc. Done carefully no balsa grain is visible.

RECOVERY SYSTEM Home-made 12inch diameter rip-stop nylon in yellow.

FLIGHTS First flight was at Broken bank the launch was spectacular and reached around 1500 feet and landed only 15 feet from launch pad. One was lost at a SERFS meeting at Yatesbury 1996. The flight was high but it drifted too far and was lost. Another nosed in because of the chute not opening during the same day.



Above image is first flight on 3xD12-5 motors at HMAC site March 1996