Pseudo Missile Attack

[Mitchell_Leary]

This is an interesting idea I came up with several years ago for messing with the police helicoptor. I later found out that these toys actually show up on radar as either UFOs or missiles.

I was launching these babies out of my makeshift missile silo, otherwise known as my fireplace chimney.

Ok, all I did was take a bottle rocket and wrap it once around with silver adhesive muffler tape (auto supply store). This comes in a roll and looks like aluminum foil, but it's sticky on one side. Trim it to fit the bottle rocket exatly, careful attention must be paid not to obstruct the escape nozzle in any way or the rocket will go astray. Also, weight is a factor so don't wrap the tape around more than once.

TIME DELAY FIRING PRINCIPLE: I'm sure most of you know about this trick, but for the new "MacGyver's" in the audience I'll repeat it. This idea can be used with ANY type of fireworks to create a time-delay so you are far removed fro the scene when the thing goes off. Basically, you poke a hole in a lit cigarette near the filter but still in the tobacco, use a needle. Poke the hole all the way through. Now simply insert your fuse from the firecrcker (or in this case the bottle rocket). That's it. You now have about 5 to 7 minutes to high-tail it out of the area.

I launch my prepared bottle rocket missiles from glass beer bottles, plastic soda bottles have a tendancy to fall over when the rocket first ignites.

Other than that I only have one word of caution: DON'T use these anywhere near an airport unless you want to have your door broken down by the authorities.

Have fun kids!



-Mitch Leary-