Scratch First Scratch Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - First Scratch {Scratch}

Contributed by Neil Thompson

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Neil Thompson (age 12) - 09/10/03)

Rocket PicBrief:
This was my first ever scratch built rocket and that is the ONLY reason I am submitting it. It has flown about 3 dozen times to date and is an 18MM minimum diameter using a full length of Estes 18mm tubing, but it gets a few inches shorter every half a year or so because of a tangled streamer. I really have to find a better recovery device for it. It also has a few spots where a fin has obviously been re-glued. This cannot have been any higher than my 12th rocket and not knowing about the importance, I used really thin balsa because it can crack on the easiest of landings. When it flys, it really soars. I am guessing about 1,500 feet or more on a C6-5 or C6-7. It goes really fast too, so I cannot tell if it is this rocket or some other rocket whenever I look at pictures.

Construction:
As I said, it has one full lenth of Estes tube, 18MM, one streamer, which frequently crumples up if I do not replace it once a month. (I will be putting a rip-stop nylon streamer in soon to see if I have better luck.) I also have two launch lugs which sneak ever closer to the nose cone with every few flights due to zippers and over-used streamers.

This was a very difficult build for me at the time, but I could make a rocket like this in under an hour now. (My record is the Star-Dart, which took me about 45 minutes, not counting glue drying time.).

Flight:
3 FLIGHTS!?!?!?!? How about 3 dozen? This is my most flown rocket. The streamer is not very reliable but I will be switching to nylon soon and hopefully that will solve the reliability issues.

Summary:
I love this rocket. I may enter it in an altitude contest in NARAM 46, if there is an A, B, C or D altitude competition.

Other:
Watch the alignment and make sure the fillets are there before you fly. severe consequences if you do not.

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