Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 13mm (Plan) Plan

Art Applewhite Rockets - Cone Rocket 13mm {Plan}

Contributed by Donald Besaw Jr

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Art Applewhite Rockets

Art Applewhite Free 13mm Cone RocketBrief:
It appears that the 13mm Cone Rocket kit I reviewed previously has been discontinued in favor of this new free downloadable Cone Rocket. I however received this one free with an order.

Construction:
The kit was printed on a single sheet of cardstock with the top and bottom sections, motor mount tube and instructions.

The instructions for this rocket are very easy to understand. Even a beginner could build this rocket.

I started by cutting out the premarked launch lug holes and top section. The top was then formed into a cone shape as instructed. The bottom section was cut and indented along the premarked lines as recommended with a ball point pen. I found in order for it to fold and fit correctly, I had to cut four slits in the outer skirt of the bottom section.

I glued the bottom section into the top section and found out at this time that the rear launch lug hole needed to be enlarged for the launch rod to fit through properly. I then cut out the motor mount tube, rolled it around a 13mm motor as instructed and glued it together. After the glue dried, I glued the motor tube into place to complete the assembly. The whole build from start to finish only took about 15-20 minutes.

PROs: Easy and quick assembly.

CONs: Some extra cutting was required for proper parts fitting.

Finishing:
Due to the blue cardstock, no finishing was required. I however sprayed on a light coat of Krylon clear to protect the cardstock from moisture.

PROs: No finishing required.

CONs: None.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The only motor recommended for this rocket is the Estes A10-PT. Using a motor with an ejection charge would most likely result in blowing out the front end of the rocket, as it is closed off at this point. The motor was friction fitted in place for flight and the flight took place in my front yard. I used an A10-PT and the Cone zipped off the pad straight and fast to maybe 75 feet up, flipped over, and came straight back down landing in between my house and my next door neighbor's house.

PROs: Low altitude flights, great for backyard flights.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
This rocket uses tumble recovery or lawn dart recovery which is sufficient because of the rocket's light weight and best of all, it lands very close to the pad. If it hit a hard surface though, it would most likely suffer (non fatal) damage to the tip.

PROs: Recovers easy and close by.

CONs: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
I really like this Cone. It was free, took only a few minutes to assemble, and it is capable of being flown in my front yard. What more can I say?

 

PROs: Price (free!), ease of assembly, and flight performance.

CONs: The extra cutting required for proper fit during construction.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

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