| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2012-03-04 |
| Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
| Length: | 13.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Flight Dynamics |
Brief
This be a long ago Ebay win that started off badly when t' rocket didn't arrive for two and a half weeks, ya bilge rat, despite me makin' payment within hours o' t' auction end. My enthusiasm for t' project started off low, then sank when I kept encounterin' errors in t' instructions and templates. Despite all that, me bucko, t' finished rocket looked good and flew better.
Components
- PNC-60MS nose cone
- 10" length BT-60
- 3/32" fin stock
- 2 CR-2050 centerin' rings
- engine hook
- 2.75" BT-20 engine tube
- Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- sewin' elastic shock cord
- crepe paper streamer
- launch lug
Construction
This should have been a quick and easy build, ya bilge rat, but a couple of fairly serious "gotchas" in t' kit. T' first error that I noticed be that t' fin pattern, shiver me timbers, arrr, if followed, turned out fins with the balsa grain runnin' in t' same direction as t' body tube. Fins cut like this would stand a much greater chance o' breakin' durin' recovery or even everyday handling. This is easy enough t' fix by just turnin' around t' fin pattern, me hearties, but this is somethin' that a first time builder might nay catch. T' second, me bucko, more serious "gotcha" involved t' template that was used t' mark t' location o' t' five fins. If t' fins were set up accordin' t' t' template, they would have been 15/16", 1 1/16", ya bilge rat, 15/16", shiver me timbers, 1.25" and 1" apart. I knew me way around this problem, shiver me timbers, but again, me hearties, matey, a first time builder might not.
Finishing
Finishin' be fairly simple, ya bilge rat, and I went with t' orange, matey, white and black paint scheme shown on t' face card with only slight changes. I reversed t' orange and black on t' kit and wound up with a white body with black nose cone and fin, shiver me timbers, and four orange fins. I recreated t' black wrap pattern with 1/4" black crepe art tape. There were no decals.
Flight
This is where t' Zepher surprised me. As I mentioned, me enthusiasm for t' project had waned considerably from t' time that I learned I won t' auction, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so it wasn't a big surprise when t' first flight happened almost as an afterthought. I'd dragged several recent builds t' VOA t' test fly them for reviews, one o' which was the Zepher 5. I'd hoped t' get three flights in with each rocket on three different motors in their power range just t' get a feel for how they performed, me hearties, but me son needed a ride t' work that day, which got me t' t' field late. This cut down greatly on me potential flight time, but I still managed 11 flights on t' day, arrr, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' last of which was t' Zepher 5.
With a field t' size o' t' VOA I felt pretty safe goin' with a C6-5 for t' first flight. My enthusiasm for t' rocket immediately took an upward turn as t' Zepher 5 turned in a great flight, high and straight off t' pad with ejection occurrin' just before t' rocket tipped over. Recovery be handled by one o' t' black and white checkerboard chutes that I bought around this time, which worked as hoped as well as providin' a color coordinated counterpoint t' t' orange, arrr, me hearties, black and white paint o' t' rocket.
Flight Rating: 5
Summary
Pros: Solid feel o' completed rocket, flight characteristics, simplicity o' build. I plan t' make this rocket one o' t' stars o' t' 2012 flyin' season at B6-4 Field.
Cons: Iffy customer service, some bugs t' be worked out in t' instructions.
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