Type

Ole Blew is a scratch, 18mm motor, BT-50 body, piston recovery bird built for testing large competition streamers and parachutes.

Construction

This rocket is more similar to the Mk II than it is to it's namesake. I used a full length 18" BT-50 tube for the airframe because the 8" and wider competition streamers do not fit into the Mk II's smaller airframe.

The nosecone is an ancient (over 20 years old) BT-50 to BT-20 balsa transition piece sanded to an aerodynamic shape. Three expoxy coated 1/16" balsa trapezoidal fins are surface mounted to the airframe. One fin root contains the external Kevlar cord recovery mount. A standard 18mm motor mount with hook extends 1/2" aft of the airframe. Tube spirals and fin surfaces are poorly filled with Fill'n'Finish. There's a couple coats of Krylon blue paint over a thick layer of white primer.

The piston is a CA soaked and sanded balsa coupler which slides inside the waxed (Future floor polish) airframe. About two feet of Kevlar cord connect the piston to the external fin root and a one foot section of round elastic attaches the NC.