Brief:
Let me start by tellin' you that me Level 2 certi-fication flight was not successful. Begad! Blimey! But that has nay deterred me from recommendin' this kit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The re-build be very successful and t' rocket re-built won Model o' t' month for the Novem-ber meetin' o' NIRA. With a few adjustments, I know this model will make it durin' me second attempt. Completed, arrr, this model is quite impres-sive.

T' Velociraptor was nay only a challengin' rocket t' build it be a lot of fun. Begad! Begad! T' start, me bucko, me bucko, matey, t' buyin' experience o' selectin' and orderin' through Binder Design was incredible. Begad! I ordered t' Velociraptor on-line on a Sunday and re-ceived it in t' mail on t' followin' Thursday. You could tell I just bought a top shelf kit. Aye aye! T' packagin' be done with care. Aye aye! Everythin' was wrapped individually and all o' t' parts were in place and in excellent condition. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 11 page instruction manual with illustrations was very well thought out and easy t' follow. Begad! T' website is very well thought out and the and very easy t' order a number o' different kits and supplies. Blimey! This website is the best kept secret in Rocketry, me bucko, t' buyin' experience alone scores a (5). Mike Fisher, me bucko, t' owner o' Binder Design an-swered all o' me questions on e-mail or on t' phone. He was very accessible. Ahoy!

Kit specifications:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, t' Velociraptor is a 4” diameter High Power Rocket with an aggressive look. Begad! Begad! It comes with unique anti-zipper baffle design, aluminum motor retainer, me bucko, and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your level one certification, me bucko, then stick a J motor in it for your level two flight and watch it scream. Begad! Begad!

Kit included cut and sanded 3/16” aircraft quality plywood fins, high strength airframe tube and couplers, me bucko, arrr, centerin' rings, bulkhead plate, me hearties, arrr, high quality hardware package, 54 mm motor tube, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. A 45” premium nylon parachute was included. Begad! Blimey!

Construction:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thor-ough, all you need t' be able t' do is read left t' right. T' longest part o' this project was t' buildin' o' the aft section. Well, blow me down! With a boat tail as-sembly and 9 fins t' sand and align, ya bilge rat, the slower I went produced terrific results. Blimey! As t' instruc-tions tell you, shiver me timbers, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, ya bilge rat, especially with t' talon fins.

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that be in-cluded with t' kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I am sold on these, me bucko, matey, me hearties, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Arrr! Blimey! Sleek, arrr, easy, matey, shiver me timbers, strong and better than maskin' tape. This rocket also incorporated a Binder Baffle System, the first time that I had built and used a baffle. This also worked well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, me bucko, but chose nay t' use it. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! The rocket and can be built two ways, with or without t' bay. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I did nay feel that I was ready for t' electronics, matey, but I now realize that if I am goin' t' play in t' higher power stuff, ya bilge rat, I am goin' t' have t' get involved with electronics.

I took me time and made sure that t' rocket was goin' t' be solid. Begad! Aye aye! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. Arrr! Blimey! So I built it strong. Blimey! T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. Aye aye! loaded and ready t' go. Aye aye! Begad!

Finishing:
I had built this stock, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. After sandin' and prep, me hearties, me hearties, I applied two coats o' primer followed by three coats o' finishin' paint. Begad! I used white high gloss paint for the aft section and Green Krylon for t' forward section. T' Nose cone was finished in silver. Binder pro-vided excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give its great look. Avast! Blimey! Usin' me garage as me paint studio never sits well with my wife, me hearties, but she has gotten use t' it.

Flight:
My level 2 certification flight was set for WTGG in September. I arrived at the field a late morn-ing, t' find that a lot o' people were lookin' for me; I had the only rail for t' launch. It became very popular that day. I checked in with every-one that was goin' t' help me with t' flight. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After watchin' 4-6 flights t' gage t' wind, shiver me timbers, I started t' build t' J350W motor that I was gong to use. Aye aye! Begad!

As I said in t' first paragraph, this be nay a successful flight. When you start t' investigate why somethin' went wrong, arrr, here be me first mistake o' the day. Aye aye! T' motor came with a long delay. Begad! Blimey! I be advised based on what Space Cad had recommended t' change t' a medium delay. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Goin' with t' medium delay led to a premature separation. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! After talkin' t' Binder, t' long de-lay should have been t' choice. Arrr! Space Cad does nay do a very good job when usin' boat tails. T' Rocket probably reached an altitude o' 3300-3500 feet. Avast! Where Space Cad had it topin' out at 2800 feet, this extra 500-700 feet was t' difference in comin' in perfect or with w 9 inch zipper. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Back t' t' launch. Begad! As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, and I believe this was t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. Begad! So it got a little o' attention. Avast! T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, and we were readin' t' go. Avast! T' wind be at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. Aye aye! I adjusted t' angle o' t' pad t' take advantage o' the wind and t' try t' keep t' rocket out o' t' corn field. Aye aye!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, me hearties, me hearties, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. It looked great. Arrr! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Avast! T' chase was on. Blimey!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Aye aye! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. Arrr! After two hours and a sec-ond attempt I was able t' recover the rocket with t' help o' a flag pole and walkin' talking. Avast, me proud beauty!

I was very disappointed in findin' t' zipper damage. Arrr! I also lost two talon fins. Well, blow me down! When t' post opt be completed, me hearties, ya bilge rat, we realized t' followin' things that could have lead t' a successful flight:

1. A Long delay. Ahoy!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Avast! Begad! Blimey!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Arrr!
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Begad! Arrr!

Summary:
T' next day I had e-mailed Mike Fisher at Binder and had t' parts that I needed t' rebuild t' rocket. Arrr! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, shiver me timbers, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. Ahoy! I will continue t' learn and gain experience, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me. Arrr!

This is a great rocket, matey, and I recommend it t' anyone. T' failed attempt was not that o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but a lack o' experience – I know I won’t make t' same mistakes again.