Here is the latest project status update:

Wings & Fins - Again, the wings and fins occupied a large percentage of our time on Saturday.  First, all eight assemblies were wet-sanded with 400-grit sandpaper to make them ready for painting.  Then the motor-mount was installed and each of the four fins were test fitted into their respective slots and trimmed as necessary.  Finally, the moment we have waited months for, the fins were epoxied into the airframe.  This was accomplished by mixing a plastic cup full of 12-minute epoxy and then pouring it (carefully) through the fin slot into the fin channel, and then inserting the fin.  When the fins were completed, we did essentially the same procedure for each of the wings, test fit, trim and then epoxy in place.   Finally, we sealed the front bulkhead/airframe joint with epoxy and also added a short, six-inch section of tube coupler on top of the bulkhead for extra strength.

While the epoxy was being poured, a separate crew worked in parallel on the foam fairings.  First the foam was finish-sanded and then the outboard-facing surfaces of each fairing were covered with fiberglass.  At the end of the day, Tom Savoie volunteered to take the fairings home and continue working on them.  He has accomplished all the finish-sanding and prep work (thanks, Tom) so we will be able to install the completed fairings onto the wings next Saturday.

Nose Cone - Team Captain Joe Grasso delivered the nose cone to the construction site and some final shaping work was done.  Joe also brought a custom profile jig he constructed for this nose cone and the profile shaping was accomplished using the jig and a router.  Then a layer of Evercoat was applied to the nose cone surface to fill some minor imperfections.  By the afternoon, the team was doing some preliminary sanding on the cone.  We also test-fitted the avionics bay to the nose cone, and then test-fitted the nose cone assembly into the airframe for the first time.  We stopped and took a few pictures at that point!  Rick Norrgard is starting to feel better and has already been updating the web-site, so look for those new pictures soon.

Next week will also be very busy.  We will be applying epoxy fillets to the wings and fins and then installing the fairings.  We will also do some final applications of primer as well as more finish sanding.  Since our painting date at Flight Safety is rapidly approaching (June 8) we will also need to get the rocket prepped for travel this weekend.  Joe Grasso will be bringing his trailer to the construction site and Terry Drake will be delivering the cradle as well, so by the end of the day, we will need to have the rocket on the cradle, on the trailer and secured for travel.  Since the cradle will be available, we also need to perform the ejection test this weekend if we can, before the rocket gets painted.

Given all that we have to accomplish, we have decided to begin work at 8:30 Saturday morning, instead of our customary 10:00 AM.  Join us if you can.

T-Shirts - I am scheduled to pick up the Phoenix T-shirts Friday afternoon, so for those who per-ordered, you should be able to pick up your shirts on Saturday as well.

That's all for now, see you Saturday morning.

Hal