15th March '98 - Launch Report
A typical late winter day, cool, overcast, wind gusting from about five to ten knots. First flight motor a Rocket Services F36-5 this is not a true F but more like an E.  A wRASP calculation based on the Pheonix was used as a guide, but the results were expected to be optimistic as the CD would be affected by the additional fin fillets.

Lower body and fins still in primer but looking good and waiting for a weather window. :) The orange blob at the bottom of the picture is a Mosquito.

A heavily modified Estes Pheonix.
The external difference is a 15" (380mm) extension to the body, and the less visible re-enforcing fillets linking the front and rear fins, these prevent collapse of aft part of the body which could jam the motor ejection pod, construction is 1/8"x1/4"x7" (3x6x77mm) bass wood and extends forward from the trailing edge of the rear fin, they should be fitted to the fins prior to fixing to the body.

Internally it is quite different with a rear ejection system which will hopefully protect the fins from landing damage: -

A ply bulkhead is installed behind the standard Pheonix BT coupler about 9 1/4" (235mm) from the tail.

Four 1/4" x 1/2" (5x13mm) balsa strips are glued inside the BT, extending back from the bulkhead to level with the trailing edge of the forward fins (These could also be arranged to allow TTW fitting of the forward fins).

The motor pod is made to take the motor/s configuration required, and should be designed so that the forward centring ring sits against the rear of the balsa strips. These strips take the thrust of the motor and also form the parachute/shock cord bay.

A cord is knotted, passed forward through the bulkhead and attached to the nose cone via a short length of elastic to hold the nose tight into the BT.
The shock cord is knotted and passed back through the bulkhead to the motor pod and chute. The forward knot being tied to the NC by a light thread to allow for easy removal.

First flight
5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 Wow. Straight off the pad to 100' and then settleing to a steady climb, 200', 300'... um errr... the next 100' or so was a struggle with the motor burning erraticaly but we made it to ejection at  between 400 and 450 feet. By 350' the nose was well down, with the chute and motor pod trailing behind. Why was the chute still wrapped in Nomex®?  300'... 250'... Yes! Out popped the chute, and a gentle touchdown 50 yards from the pad.

Second flight
A little shorter than the first. Up was good. Ejection was good for the motor pod, but the chute remained firmly wedged in the tube. Down was fast! The nose stopped first, about 4" below ground level. The BT stopped next, but 3" past the shoulder of the nose. Finally the motor pod (which until this time had been trailing quietly behind on 15" of cord) overtook the body, knocking off a rear fin, splitting  a forward, and putting a 5" zipper in the tail in the process.

Verdict
I'm pleased. Looks good and flies well. The deployment problems were my fault, and caused by the late addition of the Nomex® wadding. I had  just threaded a sheet in between motor pod and the tube, I should have made up a proper bag and attached it to be clear of the chute when the whole system is stretched out.

Future
After repairs the next flight will be on a "D" cluster. A "Jabberwoc II" will be made with ply rear fins and more care to final finish.