Scratch Gooney Sky Devil Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Gooney Sky Devil {Scratch}

Contributed by Brian Ray

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Brian Ray - 11/13/09) Scratch Goony Sky Devil

Brief:
After a disastrous failure destroyed the business end of a 4x18mm rocket, I cut away what survived and tucked it away for future use. I did a build with a Boy Scout troop and ended up with a set of fins copied from the Centuri Sky Devil. One thing led to another and the fins were attached to the surviving portion of the other rocket.

Construction:
My primary components were:

  • 2” Mailing tube – 8.25 inches
  • BT-50 – 3” for motor mount
  • Cardstock centering rings
  • 4 balsa Centuri Sky Devil fins, drawn and cut by hand.
  • Easter egg nose cone
  • Elastic shock cord.
  • Hartle Engineering parachute

To be honest I didn’t have much hope for this one as I built it. However, I put the same care into it as I typically do. I am a huge fan of the Elmer’s wood glue and used it throughout.

Finishing:
The painting process wasn’t overly challenging; it just took several steps of painting and masking. All of the paint was Wal-Mart spray paint.

Flight:
My concerns for this rocket (stability mainly) were absolved on its maiden flight, which was great. It has flown several times, each time on a D12. It puts on a good show without going overly high. It would probably be very entertaining on something more potent than black powder.

Summary:
As stated, my hopes were pretty low in the beginning. I was more or less just throwing together components. However, this is a fun rocket that flies really well. And it makes an interesting companion for my BT-55 upscale of the Centuri Sky Devil.

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