"Futuristic Starship Design"
"Long, me bucko, sleek appearance"
"Highly stable for fantastic flights!"
"Wind cheatin' design for extreme altitudes!"

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. Aye aye! T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, arrr, matey, perhaps one would say, futuristic, me hearties, fin/ring-fin configuration. Ahoy! It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, me hearties, me hearties, arrr, even after bein' surrounded by t' ring-fin.

T' Corona is classified by EMRR as a "longneck" because it has a 0.976" diameter and is 41.0" long, me hearties, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Begad! Way back when EMRR started t' site and was settin' up keywords, anythin' with a 30:1 and higher ratio was deemed a "longneck".

T' rocket includes two 17" long, 0.976" diameter, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, matey, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Begad! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, a thrust ring, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. Ya scallywag! T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, me bucko, 1/8" wide, shiver me timbers, me bucko, white elastic shock cord, a 3-fold paper mount, me hearties, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Avast! Begad! Lastly t' kit includes two 1/8" diameter launch lugs.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single page o' 8½ x 11" paper (folded in thirds for a nice 6-page instruction set). However, me hearties, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Blimey! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

FlisKits calls this a Skill Level 2 kit. Begad! We agree.

T' motor mount is built first. Begad! Ahoy! It is fairly typical with t' motor hook bein' held in place with maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! You have t' cut a section out o' t' lower centerin' rin' (cardboard) t' allow for t' motor hook.

T' fins are next. Aye aye! Aye aye! After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, matey, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby cutlass. Arrr! There are three upper and three lower sections for t' fins. Begad! These are then airfoiled and an upper is glued t' a lower t' make up a single fin. Begad! This is repeated for all t' fins.

Next, t' body tube is marked usin' a cardstock fin markin' guide. Avast! Lines are extended on t' tube. Begad! I used t' door jam method.

T' motor mount is then slide into t' lower body tube (the one just marked). It protrudes by 1/4". This step is important because dependin' on your glue (white or wood) you could get it stuck. Ahoy! It has t' be a smooth and quick motion t' get t' motor tube in without issue. T' instructions are clear on this.

Next, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' upper body tube is added usin' a 1" coupler.

Then, ya bilge rat, t' balsa fins are glued onto t' fin lines. They are aligned with t' bottom o' t' tube. Aye aye! Avast! T' launch lugs are also glued in place. Well, blow me down! Begad! Once all dry, t' ring-fin is glued in place.

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, arrr, me bucko, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Avast! T' parachute is then assemble. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! My only nay here, matey, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Blimey! Ahoy! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. Avast! I chose t' 7½" parachute since I anticipate fairly high flights.

FlisKits gives some basic finishin' guidance includin' sealin' t' balsa with 2-3 coats o' sandin' sealer, arrr, shiver me timbers, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

I have been surprised with several days just at 50 degrees F, shiver me timbers, so I have been able t' use me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. Begad! Ya scallywag! Then amazingly, arrr, arrr, on t' last day o' November, me hearties, it was warm enough t' paint. Blimey! I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. Aye aye! I let that dry for about 15 minutes, me bucko, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Avast, me proud beauty! Then after 2 hours, matey, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. I painted them with Walmart Fire Red paint on t' whole body (additional comments about Walmart paint).

Overall, me bucko, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Avast! Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts was excellent. Ahoy! Instructions are excellent. Begad! No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. T' latter is never a problem for me, arrr, but some may nay like it. Well, arrr, blow me down! If it keeps t' costs down, me hearties, arrr, then I can wield a hobby knife for some fin cutting. Begad! Begad!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, ya bilge rat, B6-4, C6-5, me bucko, arrr, and D10-5 motors.

FlisKits indicates that t' rocket should weigh 1.66 ounces.

My finished rocket weighed in at 1.7 ounces.

On December 29th, arrr, me son and I went sleddin' and I was noticin' that thar was absolutely no wind. Arrr! Since I be fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, me bucko, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Begad! Ahoy!

So we packed up a couple o' rockets and went for a few quick launches.

I used 3 sheets o' Estes waddin' and then loaded an A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' flight has nice altitude and it be very stable. Begad! Blimey! T' Corona has a sleek, long profile design, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Blimey! Blimey! Ejection was a bit before apogee. Recovery be good, but fast. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

Second flight be on a B6-4. Blimey! Zipped off t' pad and went quite high. Aye aye! Nay a single wiggle or spin... Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! straight as an arrow (as t' sayin' goes). Avast! Ejection was again a bit early, matey, however, arrr, ya bilge rat, no damage. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Recovered without problem.

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, ya bilge rat, I would rate this rocket 5 points. Sleek and low profile gives this rocket a nice look. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a very stable rocket. Arrr! Recovery system is fine, but I would go with a larger parachute than what I picked.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Blimey! Blimey! This longneck is more than 3-fins-and-a-nose cone utilizin' a ring-fin for looks and stability. Nice rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Let's get some decals and really turn it into a 5. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! Fliskits has made a "baffle" available for this kit, which I would have bought had it been available back when I purchased it. Begad!