AOL.CON

It's a food container! It's a CD! It's a snow paperweight! No, it's AOL.CON!

This is a second generation flying food container built from an ice cream sundae lid, an AOL CD, scrap parts from the rocket shop, and assembled with hot melt glue. It's a great small field sport flier, along the lines for the former Redi_rocs.

You will need:

1 sundae lid (see photo)

• 1 AOL CD (free just about anywhere)
• 1 scrap of light plywood or cardboard about an inch around
• 1 scrap of 13mm body tube
• 1 soda straw launch lug (NOT the fat one that came with the shake)
• glitter (optional)
• hot melt glue (low temperature glue preferred)

Note: I don't include any precise meaasurements, since everything depends on the size of your sundae lid. I can't be sure that the lid you find will match mine.

1. Visit your local fine ice cream store, order a sundae or shake, consume the ice cream, and save the plastic lid. Wash the lid of any ice cream!
2. Measure the ID of the sundae lid rim, which should match the OD of the container it was on top of.
3. Optional: You can craze the CD substrate by putting it in a microwave for 5-10 seconds. USE CAUTION! KIDS, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Refer to Toasties! and Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments!
4. Using a fly cutter and drill press, cut the CD diameter down to snap fit the base of the lid. This is easier to do if the CD is fastened securely to a base plate, so the center drill of the fly cutter has something to drill into. You can tack the outside edge of the CD to a hunk of corrugated cardboard with some hot melt glue. If you don't have a drill press and fly cutter, the CD can be cut to size with a jig saw after carefully marking a cutting line. Crayons make good temporary marking tools for plastic objects like CDs. Test fit the CD into the base of the Sundae lid. It should easilly snap in place without deforming the lid.
5. Cut a piece of BT-5 scrap just longer than the height of the sundae lid.
6. Cut a piece of soda straw the same length as the BT-5.
7. Cut a disk from the plywood or cardboard to plug the hole at the top of the sundae lid.
8. Mark the center of the disk for the BT-5, and mark the location of the launch lug.
9. Use a rotary tool to cut a notch in the center hole of the CD for the launch lug. Also drill a hole in the 1" disk for the launch rod to exit.
10. Glue the BT-5 to the 1" disk so that the launch lug is alligned with the hole. Hot melt glue will do fine.  
11. Glue the 1" disk into the top of the sundae lid, with the BT-5 onthe "inside" of the lid. Again, use hot belt glue.
12. Test fit the CD into the base of the lid. I did mine with the silver side down, but it's up to you. If the tube is very loose cut a second short (about 1/4") piece of BT-5 and slit it open. Remove the CD and glue the extra BT-5 ring to the end of the MMT.
13. Optional: for the paperweight snowflake effect add a bit of glitter to the dome.
14. Slip the CD back in place. Hot melt glue it in around the perimeter of the CD, and also around the MMT. Do not block the launch lug, but glue around the lug. Be sure to seal everywhere, or the glitter will leak out and get everywhere.
15. Allow to dry (cool) at least 5 minutes.
16. Fly with 13mm motors. I use a wrap of 1/4" masking tape to keep the motor from sliding up the motor tube. Do not tape the motor in, as it is ejected from the model. 1/4A is Micro Maxx class backyard power. 1/2A3-2T gives a bit more altitude. I prefer A3-4T over A10-3T as the model is drag limited, but it will fly on either. It will even fly on the A10-0T if that really does come back. Flight and recovery is very much like the UFO, the rocket will flip over at apogee, and gently fall to the ground.

This makes a great small field rocket, especially for school demos. I've built 2 of these so far. The first one (with cardboard centering ring instead of AOL CD) has logged 33 flights, the second AOL version shown in the photo is up to 20 flights. After enough rough landings the sundae lid may crack, If it does, cut it off, cut off the extra hot melt glue, and replace the lid with another. After all, they're FREE! And you get to eat more Ice Cream!