This is really a pretty basic rocket. Aye aye! I really got it t' try somethin' other than an Estes kit, and figured that it would be best t' start with somethin' simple. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! One o' t' cool things about this rocket (and every other rocket I have from Custom) be t' mylar parachute. Ya scallywag! T' rest o' t' rocket (motor mount, shock cord mount, me bucko, fins, etc) is all just like Estes stuff. Arrr! I'm not a big fan o' paintin' and detail-finishing, so a major plus in me book was that it's just two colors o' paint, arrr, matey, and a few easy decals for a nice looking rocket.

Probably t' best thin' about this rocket, arrr, ya bilge rat, though, me bucko, is its performance. It's fairly light for its size, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and (at least compared t' most o' me other rockets) screams off t' pad. Avast! Ya scallywag! In fact, on its very first launch, t' motor be announced to t' bystanders, me hearties, and got quite a reaction for its lift-off speed. It goes pleasingly high on a B6-4, arrr, and goes out o' sight on a C6-7. Aye aye!

After t' first day o' launching, me bucko, I noticed that t' shock cord be nearly burned through just above t' shock cord mount. This and other, similar experiences have led me t' believe that this is a weak point o' Estes-style shock cord mounts. Ahoy! As t' hot ejection charge gases and burnin' particles move forward durin' ejection, t' waddin' (or other protective equipment) keeps the chute and most o' t' shock cord from gettin' fried until they can get out of the tube, shiver me timbers, but t' part o' t' shock cord that stays in t' tube, t' part just above t' shock cord mount, isn't fully protected, shiver me timbers, arrr, and gets burnt. Well, blow me down! Arrr! As a test remedy, me bucko, I tore out t' shock cord and put in another mount, me bucko, only this time I used Duco Cement t' glue in a bent piece o' paper clip, t' which I attached a steel fishin' leader. Arrr! I then tied t' remainin' elastic shock cord (with nose cone and chute) t' t' other end o' t' steel leader. Aye aye! No burn-through problems any more.

Unfortunately, matey, durin' t' 1997 Oct 4 launch, me bucko, I lost t' excellent mylar chute because I forgot t' close t' snap swivel shut before launchin' it. Ahoy! Begad! Even without t' chute, it recovered fine with simple nose-blow recovery. Ahoy! This has led me t' believe that this model is a good choice t' test alternative recovery devices. Begad! Ya scallywag! I have built a small, 6" wide X-form or cross-form parachute (out of one o' those anti-static plastic bags that computer hardware comes in) for use in this model. Aye aye! As o' 1997 Nov 8, I haven't had a chance t' test it yet, arrr, due to t' incredibly lousy weather around here (3 straight weekends o' nothin' but rain! :( )

Update... Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, that x-form parachute failed, matey, but t' rocket recovered just fine on with nose-blow recovery again. Avast! Blimey! I have, matey, for t' moment given up on x-form parachutes. Avast! Blimey!

Update...I got frustrated tryin' t' stuff t' waddin' and streamer or parachute into this rocket with that steel fishin' leader and bent paperclip in the way, so I ripped them out. Arrr! I went with a LOC-style shock cord mount, using a short piece o' Keelhaul®©™® line (about 8 inches) tied into a big loop, ya bilge rat, with one end o' t' loop epoxied into t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' shock cord is then tied t' the part o' t' Keelhaul®©™® loop that is exposed.   This has worked well so far. Avast!

In conjunction with t' shock cord mount change, I also made a very large streamer (7" wide, 70" long) from gold-colored mylar sheets leftover from christmas wrappings. Arrr! I'm plannin' t' time this rocket with this chute to get some idea o' what it might take t' make a streamer duration model.