Modification The 'Big Daddy' Educator

Modification - The 'Big Daddy' Educator

Contributed by Joy Sills

Manufacturer: Modification

Educator

Brief:
The Educator is a modified Big Daddy. The modifications include adding a 12" payload section and using basswood for fins and centering rings.

Modifications:
The first modifications were adding basswood fins and centering rings. The second modification was adding a payload section. This was accomplished by using an additional 12" section of body tubing. A MDF coupler was then epoxied into the 6" coupler. The coupler was then epoxied into the aft end of the payload section. The bulkhead contained an eye screw for the upper attachment point for the shock cord. Custom 1/4" launch lugs were then added. A motor retention system was created by two screw receptors being added to the aft centering ring. A basswood plate is then screwed down to hold in the motor.

Construction:
the parts used included:

  • Big Daddy Kit (3" Pre slotted Body Tube, Nose cone)
  • 1 Payload Section (3" Body Tube)
  • 1 6" Coupler
  • 1 MDF Bulkhead
  • (MODS) The Educator2 Eye Screw
  • 2 Basswood Centering Rings
  • 4 Basswood Fins
  • 2 1/4" Launch Lugs
  • 1 Motor Retention Plate
  • 2 Screw Receptors
  • 2 Screws
  • 1 24" Nylon Parachute
  • 1 Elastic Shock Cord

Finishing:
The Educator was finished to look like a school bus. It was primed then painted yellow with black fins. Pin stripes and custom decals were added to create the school bus look. Then the whole thing was cleared coated.

LaunchFlight:
I prepared the Educator for flight by attaching a Nomex shield to the shock cord so that it wouldn't require wadding. Then I friction fit an Estes E-9 in the Educator before I placed it on the launch stand. The flight was okay, but the rocket weathercocked considerably into the wind.

Recovery:
The shock cord was attached to a bulkhead in the bottom of the coupler and to the centering ring in the booster section. The parachute and Nomex shields were both attached to the shock cord. This made for easy recovery. The parachute deployed too slowly and the fin was damaged.

Summary:
The rocket was too heavy.

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