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Category: Scratch Built Rockets

About 2 years ago I came across a 4' length of 6" cardboard tube, an old post pack, in the recycling pile out the front of a local shop. I didn't actually see it as a cardboard tube, instead I saw it as the beginnings of a rocket.

I sat the tube in the corner and pondered what I could do with it. At the time I had only just started thinking about building and flying my Level 1 project, a Binder Design Excel.

Now, with my L1 under my belt, I thought it was time I started to work towards my L2. At the end of December 2010 I started work on "Freefall". Once I had everything worked out in Rocksim, I was able to start work. The nose cone came first.

The nose cone was built up using a central core of dowel, with foam rings slid down over it and glued into place to give the basic shape. I purchased a tin of builders filler (2-part bog) from a local hardware supplier and layered that over the foam. Once dry, the bog was easy enough to sand to the final shape with a belt sander. A final layer of fiberglass was applied over the top to hold everything together.

The motor mount consists of a 54mm motor tube held in place by 3 centering rings. Through the wall fins complete the back end of the rocket. Internal fillets were applied to the fins and the root edge was bonded to the motor tube by strips of fiberglass tape.

I am waiting on delivery of a 70" parachute and motor hardware. Recovery will be handeled by a medium delay on a J275 and the predicted alititude is just over 2,000'.

The finished rocket stands about 6'2" and weighs in at 4.5kg without parachute or motor.