Made In USAKit #04997Skill Level 4

Skill Level 3Average Skills Needed

What makes the Zephyr unique is the way the engine mount and fins are assembled. First, the rings have slots in them to accept the tabs on the fins, so they align per-fectly in the rocket tube. Secondly the aft ring is installed and then removed several times to make sure parts are aligned and to allow access so that they can be bonded more securely than other rockets. The Zephyr is a rocket on which the fins are rock-solid and will be extremely diffi-cult to pop off when the rocket lands.

This is intended for 38mm high power rocket motors. It would be great for your Level 1 certification flight, as well as stepping up to Level-2 power rocket engines later. It uses simple motor ejection to pop out the parachute, so you don’t have to worry about using electronics to compli-cate the fight. Just point it at the sky, and enjoy the show.

The Zephyr rocket is a fairly easy to build high power rocket. If you’ve built other model rockets before, you’ll find that this one isn’t any more complex. The difference is the size of the components, and the type of adhesives you’ll be using to put it together.

Zephyr Parts List

Needed Tools and Materials � Hobby Knife with Sharp Blades � Ruler � Pencil � Wood Glue (recommended) or White Glue � Liquid epoxy � Sandpaper 200 grit, 400 grit and Sanding Block � Masking Tape � Scissors � Paper Towel � Wood Dowel

Optional Tools / Finishing Supplies � Aluminum "Angle" to draw lines on the tube � Paint Supplies: Spray Paint, Brushes, etc � Plastic Sheet (to cover the work surface) � Safety Glasses (or general protection while building) � Super Glue (CyA Adhesive medium viscosity) � Wood Sealer/Sanding Sealer � RocketPoxy (paste-style)

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Manufactured in the USA by:Apogee Components Inc.

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USAVisit us online at:

www.ApogeeRockets.com

Item # Item Name Qty10137 Engine Mount Tube (AT-38/11) 110218 Airframe Body Tube (AT-98/18) 4" Thick Wall 110219 Airframe Body Tube (AT-98/18) Slotted 3-Fin 113061 Rail Button 213065 6-32 x 3/8 Flat Phillips Machine Screw 213066 Weld Nut for 1010 Rail Button 213125 Coupler (AC-98) 4" Thick Wall 113479 Centering Ring (CR-38/98) Zephyr Forward 113480 Centering Ring (CR-38/98) Zephyr Aft 115696 Zephyr Fin 315697 Engine Mount Alignment Rail 1/4" Plywood 219493 Plastic Nose Cone (PNC-98mm) 4" 129095 Printed Nylon Parachute 129334 12x12 Parachute Protector 129523 300# Kevlar x 3 Feet 129560 1/2" Nylon Tubular Webbing x 15ft long 129626 1/4-20 Turned Eye Bolt 129627 1/4-20 Finished Hex Nut 129628 1/4 USS Flat Washer 231222 Zephyr Instruction Sheet A 131223 Zephyr Instruction Sheet B 139100 Zephyr Face Card 141049 Zephyr Decal 147142 Plastic Bag 1

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Step 4

Assembly Steps � 1. Using an aluminum angle or a door frame, draw a

straight line along the length of the long engine mount tube.

� 2. Mark the end of the engine mount tube 1/2-inch (12mm) from one end. This will now be the aft end of the tube.

� 3. Locate the plywood centering ring with just one hole in it. This is the forward centering ring. Insert the eye-bolt through the ring with one washer on each side of the ring, and hold in place with the metal nut. Tighten the nut securely.

� 4. On one edge of the two spacer rails, round off the corners. This rounded edge will be faced rearward when glued as shown in Step 6.

� 5. DO NOT GLUE in this step! “Test fit” the engine mount components together as shown. The compo-nents are the forward and aft centering rings, and two plywood spacer rails. The aft ring should be posi-tioned just forward of the ½-inch (12mm) line at the rear of the tube. Align one of the plywood spacer rails along the line on the tube to make sure the rings are not twisted.

� 6. It is important to be able to remove the aft ring, so don’t get any glue on it! Using thick super glue, tack the other components together and to the engine mount tube in their proper position from the previ-ous step. Later, you will apply epoxy to the joints for a more secure bond. At this point, you just want the parts to stay in place. Remove the aft centering ring.

� 7. Tie the nylon shock cord to the eyebolt on the for-ward centering ring. You can wrap masking tape over the loose end piece to keep it from coming undone.

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Step 1 Step 2

Step 5

Step 6

Step 3

Step 7

RemoveRing

1/2" (12mm)

� 8. Take the thin yellow cord and weave it in and out of the holes on the aft centering ring as shown. Tie the ends of the cord together. This cord creates three handles that allow you to remove the centering ring from the engine mount tube in Step 13 so you can apply epoxy to make internal fin fillets.

� 9. Slide the aft centering back on to the engine mount tube as shown. Then slide the larger body tube with the slots over the shock cord and the engine mount. Rotate the tube so the notches in the centering rings align with the slots in the tube.

� 10. On the back tab of each of the three fins, round off the corners of the wood with sandpaper or a file in the location shown. This will make it easier to slide on the centering ring in Step 16.

� 11. Study the image for where to put glue on the bot-tom edge of the fins. Make sure there is no glue near the back edge, because you don’t want to glue the aft centering ring on yet. You only want to tack-glue the fins in place. They will be reinforced with epoxy in a later step.

� 12. Tack-glue the fins into the slots in the body tube using super glue. Make sure the tabs engage the slots in the centering rings. But DO NOT GET ANY GLUE NEAR THE BACK CENTERING RING!

� 13. When the fins are installed and the glue has set up, remove the back centering ring by pulling on the cord loops.

� 14. There are two rail buttons to be installed in the holes in between two of the fins. The shank of the weld-nut is inserted through the hole from the inside of the tube. The plastic rail button is inserted on the post with the countersunk hole facing outwards. The screw is then installed and tightened.

� 15. Mix up some paste-type epoxy (such as the Rock-etPoxy) and lay fillets inside the tube as shown, to bond the fins in place. The plywood spacer rails do not need epoxy on them, but everything else inside the tube where two parts come together need a fillet of epoxy. You can also put epoxy on the eyebolt threads, and cover the base of the weld-nut.

Step 8

Step 9

Step 11Step 10

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15 Page 3

� 16. While the epoxy is still wet, install and bond in the aft centering ring. Apply epoxy fillets along the fin joints and around the base of the aft centering ring. If the yellow cord on the aft centering ring is still in place, you can remove it after you have the ring installed in the rocket.

� 17. Mark the center of the large tube coupler as shown.Test fit the coupler in the tube. If it is tight, you can sand the coupler or remove the top layer of paper.

� 18. Using liquid epoxy, bond the tube coupler into the front end of the body tube so that the mark is just outside of the front end of the tube. Be sure to wipe any excess epoxy out of the inside of the tube, so it doesn’t get on the nylon shock cord.

� 19. Bond the other body tube to the front end of the exposed tube coupler using liquid epoxy. Wipe away any excess epoxy from both inside and outside tube surfaces.

� 20. Pull the nylon shock cord out the front of the tube. Tie the chute protector to it. The cloth should be posi-tioned so that it is just forward of the front end of the body tube when the cord is stretched out. If you wrap it through the hole twice, it shouldn’t slide along the shock cord if it is tied on.

� 21. Tie the free end of the nylon shock cord to the loop on the base of the nose cone.

� 22. Holding the parachute at the center of its top, pull the lines together to even up the ends. Thread the four looped lines through the loop at the base of the nose cone. Take the top of the parachute and pull it through all three string loops at the same time, and

then pull to tighten the knot. This securely at-taches the parachute to the rocket.Page 4

Step 19

Step 20

Step 22

Step 21

Step 18

Step 16

Step 17

4"

Tie close to tube

Chuteprotector

� 23. Paint the rocket. In our color scheme, the nose cone is black, the body tube is white, and the fins are black with the fin tips a light green (Rust-Oleum Paint-er’s Touch Gloss Spring Green #314751 matches the decal best).

� 24. Allow the paint to harden at least two days before applying the vinyl decals. Using an aluminum angle as a straight edge, draw a light pencil line from the front edge of the tube, in line with the middle of the fin on the opposite side from the rail buttons, to the approxi-mate center of the body tube. This line will be used to align the curved decal on the front of the rocket. After the decal is positioned in the next step, you can erase the pencil line.

� 25. The decals are somewhat stretchy, so be careful applying them. We recommend removing each one from the paper backing and then dipping them in soapy water to lubricate them so they will slide around and can be repositioned easily. Keep them wet by oc-casionally dripping some soapy water on them if they start to grab the rocket too quickly. When the decal is in the right location, press down firmly, and squeegee out any water underneath. When the decal dries, it will be permanently fixed. The soapy water will not affect the adhesion of the glue on the back of the vinyl decal.

� Congratulations! Your Zephyr Rocket is now complete.

To launch your rocket you will need the following: ● A model rocket rail launch pad and 12v controller ● Several recommended 38mm Rocket Engines for the

Zephyr are listed in the motor chart.* Go to our website for a broader motor selection for this

kit at https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket-Kits/Skill-Level-3-Model-Rocket-Kits/Zephyr#motors

� A. The high power rocket motors have the engine

block built into the back of the engine. You do NOT need an engine block inside the rocket tube.

� B. Slide the rocket engine into the rear of the engine mount until it butts against the back edge of the motor tube. If the engine is long, it may project forward out the front of the motor tube, inside the parachute location. This is OK! Just make sure the parachute is protected from the ejection charge in the rocket motor by the cloth chute protector. You can alway add recov-ery wadding or “dog barf” (cellulose house insulation) to the tube for extra parachute protection.

� C. The engine can be retained by wrapping masking tape around the perimeter of the joint where the motor butts against the engine tube. Yes… this tape does work fine for holding the motor in the rocket - even high power motors. You can also install a motor re-tainer on the tube if that is your preference.

Step 23

Step 24

H O2

Step 25

Step B

Step C

Step A

Rocket Preflight

Launch Supplies Needed

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*Zephyr Suggested Motor Chart

Motor Manufacturer Est. Altitude Delay Cert LevelFt m

G61W AeroTech 775 236 5 N/AG78 Cesaroni 1136 346 6 N/A

H283ST AeroTech 1723 525 9 L1H123W AeroTech 1824 556 8 L1H130 AeroTech 1853 565 9 L1

H100W AeroTech 1996 608 8 L1H110 Cesaroni 2302 702 9 L1H120 Cesaroni 2311 704 9 L1I140W AeroTech 2869 874 10 L1

Masking tape

Engine block

Align pencil line with fin

Countdown and Launch Procedure

Misfire Procedure

� D. Insert the reusable Nomex wadding into the main body tube of the rocket, blocking the tube. Fold the parachute and insert it into the tube with the shock cord. Then insert the nose cone into the tube.

� Fly your rocket on a large field that is far from any power lines, trees, or low flying aircraft. The larger the field, the greater your chances of recovering your rocket. The launch area around the pad must be free of dry weeds and brown grass. Launch only during calm weather with very little or no wind and good visibility.

� 10. Remove the safety key from the launch controller.

� 9. Slide the rail buttons over the launch rail to place the rocket on the pad. The rocket should slide freely in the rail chan-nel.

� 8. Attach the micro-clips to the igniter. The clips must not touch each other or the metal blast deflector.

� 7. Stand back from your rocket as far as the launch wire allows (at least 5 meters - 15 feet for G motors, or 12 meters - 40 feet for high power).

� 6. Insert the safety key to arm the launch system. The light (or buzzer) on the controller should come on.

� Give a loud countdown! 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… LAUNCH!

� Push and hold the button until the engine ignites. Then remove the safety key and place the safety cap on the launch rod.

Occasionally the igniter will burn, but the motor will fail to ignite. If this happens, the cause is that the pyrogen on the igniter was not in contact with the engines propellant. When an ignition failure occurs, remove the safety key from the launch controller and wait 60 seconds before approaching the rocket. Remove the old igniter from the engine and install a new one. Make sure that the igniter is inserted fully into the engine and touches the propellant. Secure the igniter as directed on the engine package and repeat the countdown and launch procedure. Always follow the NAR* Model Rocket Safety Code when launching model rockets.

*National Association of Rocketry **Kevlar® is a brand name of E.I. DuPont for their selection of aramid fibers. Only DuPont makes Kevlar®.

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Go online and order at www.ApogeeRockets.com or call us and order at 719-535-9335. We’re available M-F: 9:00am-5:00pm MST

Need parts or Accessories to go along with this kit?

https://www.ApogeeRockets.com/High-Power-Rocketry-Certification