Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Performance Rocketry - Competitor 4 {Kit}

Contributed by Kyle Cornelius

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Performance Rocketry
Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Brief:
This review is for an all fiberglass high performance rocket made by Performance Rocketry. It stands almost 8' tall and 4" in diameter. Avast! I tend t' overbuild so mine came out a little heavier than most, ya bilge rat, 15lbs without motor. Dual deployment is a must with this rocket.

Construction:
This kit comes with t' followin' parts:

  • 4' fiberglass body tube with fin slots
  • 2' fiberglass payload tube
  • 5:1 ogive fiberglass nosecone
  • 3 G10 fins, 3/16"
  • 11" long fiberglass coupler
  • 2 G10 bulkplates
  • 2 G10 coupler plates
  • G10 bulkplate for nosecone
  • 2' fiberglass 75mm motor mount
  • 3 G10 4"x75mm centerin' rings
Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

As you can see, t' parts list is very minimal, me hearties, which makes this kit very customizable.

No instructions are included, but if you're buildin' this rocket, you should have an idea o' what you are doing. Aye aye! I first test fit all o' t' parts. Arrr! T' only issue here was t' fin slots. Aye aye! All o' t' slots started straight at t' bottom but curved t' t' right as it got farther up t' tube. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! There be no way t' fins were goin' t' fit without adjustment. I took t' booster tube out t' t' garage and went back and forth down t' slots with a drill bit connected t' the Dremel until they were all straight and accepted t' fins easily. Begad! (This was t' best idea I could come up with at the time as I'm sure thar's a better way t' true up t' slot.) After this, matey, I sanded every part very thoroughly usin' 60 grit sandpaper on t' fin roots and centerin' rings and a flap wheel sander connected t' a power drill t' sand the inside o' t' airframe. Avast! Avast! Next, I dry fit t' motor mount/booster assembly and marked on t' motor tube where I wanted the top 2 centerin' rings then epoxied them t' t' motor mount tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! After this had cured, arrr, I applied a large amount of JB Weld t' t' top o' t' forward centerin' rin' and shoved it up into t' booster tube until t' bottom o' t' motor tube was flush with t' bottom o' t' body tube and t' middle centerin' rin' was right above t' fin slots. Avast! Ahoy! I then reached from t' top o' t' body tube and spread t' JB Weld around with a gloved finger makin' sure t' get the centerin' ring/body tube joint coated well. Ya scallywag! When this had cured, matey, t' back centerin' rin' be temporarily installed to keep t' motor mount centered in t' body tube while t' fins were bein' tacked into place. A fin jig be used to ensure t' fins were straight. Begad! Next, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' back centerin' rin' was removed and tape be applied t' t' outside fin/body tube joints t' prevent t' epoxy from leakin' while applyin' internal fillets. 2 pumps o' West Systems epoxy and slow hardener be mixed with chopped fiberglass and poured into t' back o' t' rocket. T' aft centerin' rin' was then reinstalled and pushed in until it reached t' back o' t' fins. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I then rotated t' rocket t' ensure that everything had been coated with epoxy then left it sittin' upside down t' cure. T' tape was then removed and showed that there were no leaks o' epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! I then mounted a screw eye onto t' center o' a bulkhead and used JB Weld t' attach this assembly 12" down into t' booster tube. Blimey! West Systems be poured on t' bulkhead for insurance. Ahoy! This would act as the shock cord attachment point for t' drogue but also limits t' motor size t' t' 75/6000 case (however, it could fit a 7600 case without t' bulkhead). Well, blow me down! Begad! If I was buildin' it again, I would epoxy a short "leader cord" of strong tubular Keelhaul®©™® directly t' t' motor mount or just attach t' shock cord t' an eye bolt mounted on t' forward closure o' t' case. After this, arrr, a final centerin' rin' o' wood be added t' t' very aft o' t' tube and holes were drilled for the Aeropack 75mm retainer. Well, blow me down! I then assembled t' electronics bay usin' a very basic and common design. I have dual altimeters runnin' in this rocket, a PerfectFlite MAWD and a PerfectFlite HiAlt-45. Avast, me proud beauty! I used Cannonball Works switches mounted on aluminum standoffs on t' sled and are easily accessible with t' screw driver from t' vent holes. Ya scallywag! When the bay was finished, it was back t' work on t' rocket. T' nose cone bulkhead was mounted past t' shoulder and epoxied heavily into place, and holes were drilled for rail buttons. Arrr! I drilled 2 holes at each button location--one for small rail buttons and one for large rail buttons just in case I need t' change out in t' middle o' t' field. Avast, me proud beauty! Next, external fillets were applied, but I wasn't happy with how they came out so another layer be applied, which looked much better. After this, vent holes, arrr, ya bilge rat, screw holes, and shear pin holes were drilled in their respective locations. The structural rocket be now complete.

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Finishing:
I didn't do anythin' special in t' finishin' process. Aye aye! Blimey! 3 heavy coats o' Rustoleum primer, shiver me timbers, matey, sandin' in between. Begad! Ahoy! Then 3 coats o' Krylon flat black on t' booster, 3 coats o' Krylon white on t' payload, and 2 coats o' Krylon white followed by 2 coats o' Krylon Red on t' nosecone. After lettin' this sit for a few days, ya bilge rat, me hearties, PPG 2 part Automotive clear was added to t' whole rocket. Very shiny and looked quite cool. Ahoy! T' auto paint is very durable, arrr, so t' paint underneath is protected.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This rocket flew this for t' first time at Southern Thunder 2007 in Manchester, shiver me timbers, Tennessee. Aye aye! Avast! It flew with an AMW K700BB in t' "Crazy Jim" drag race. Ya scallywag! Arrr! There were actually 8 people who wanted t' participate, ya bilge rat, but only 4 pads available for us t' use. I was in t' first round along with Jim Hendricksen with a Competitor 4 on a K700BB, Tim Lehr with a Mad Dog on a J365SK, shiver me timbers, matey, ya bilge rat, and Steve Temple with a 4" Patriot on a K555SK. Ahoy! Some copper thermite igniters were made up for us by John Clifton. These things were awesome and lit all o' t' motors at t' same time right as t' LCO said zero. Ahoy! T' liftoff was awesome and t' 4 rockets climbed t' apogee.

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Performance Rocketry Competitor 4Performance Rocketry Competitor 4

Recovery:
T' 2 altimeters did their job and deployed t' drogue at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Then t' rocket fell until t' first main charge went off at 700' followed by t' backup at 500'. Arrr! Aye aye! T' main parachute was a SkyAngle Classic 2 60", which provided a comfortable decent rate for t' 15lb rocket. Well, blow me down! My dad had made a D-bag out o' Nomex® cloth and Keelhaul®©™®, which worked like a charm. Ahoy! I used a 20" pilot chute t' pull t' main out o' t' D-bag. T' altimeters reported 4,411' and 4,352'. Blimey! Excellent flight and all o' t' rockets in t' drag race returned safely. Well, blow me down! Video o' t' flight on YouTube.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent kit for someone who has experience buildin' high power rockets. Ahoy! Blimey! T' price is very good (around $200). Blimey! Blimey! I know Performance Rocketry has some customer service issues, but if you go through Wildman Rocketry like I did, you shouldn't have any problem gettin' your kit or parts. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This kit is worth t' loot and will last for many flights.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Performance Rocketry Competitor 4 By Jason Vennard

    This is an all fiberglass, high performance sport rocket. It is a basic kit for the experienced rocketeer as it is short any recovery hardware, harnesses, and/or parachutes, all of which you'll have to provide yourself. The kit includes a nice 4" fiberglass nosecone, two fiberglass body tubes, fiberglass motor tube, 3 fiberglass centering rings, a fiberglass coupler, a fiberglass sled for ...

Flights

Comments:

avatar
unknown (October 19, 2006)
Please take into consideration: I, and many others, have had issues with this vendor after sending payment for products and not receiving them. Communication has been poor, therefore, buyer beware.
avatar
J.F. (December 6, 2007)
From my experience, Performance Rocketry has been nothing but a pleasure to deal with. Since 2004, I have ordered PR products directly from Curtis and through Wildmman Rocketry, and Rockets Magazine. Each and every time I have ordered from ANY of the three sources, I never once had an issue with availability, communication, or delivery. Around this time last year I ordered 48" of PR 54mm carbon fiber tubing through Tim at Wildman Rocketry. I was told up front that it may take 3-6 weeks for the carbon order to be completed and delivered. It was on my door step less than a month (4 weeks) later. I'm not trying to "sell" anyone on PR products, I'm just stating my first hand experiences.

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