Brief:
QuickKit, 4FNC, 18mm motors, matey, Parachute Recovery

While bein' bummed out about havin' various projects under construction or repair and still bein' unable t' work on anythin' in me available time due t' dryin' glue, me bucko, paint, me hearties, etc, I decided that one more wouldn't hurt and looked for an easy one near t' top o' t' stack. Ya scallywag! T' Quest Super Eagle was t' "winner".

T' Super Eagle is a Quick Kit that goes together smartly and easily. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a 4FNC design with an 18mm motor mount and intended for separation and recovery in two parts, both under parachute.

Construction:
T' first step given in t' instructions is t' tie t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ thread t' t' end o' t' elastic cord with an overhand knot. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' opposite end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ was then supposed t' be slipped through t' loop on t' plastic fin can and secured with a pair o' overhand knots used as stoppers. Avast! Instead o' doin' that, I tied t' Keelhaul®©™ t' t' loop.

T' instructions then called for insertin' t' preslotted motor tube into half o' t' plastic fin can and then slidin' t' other half o' t' fin can in place and cementin' t' two halves together. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Although me kit seemed t' be sealed when I opened it, t' motor tube be already in place and t' two halves o' t' fin can were together and bein' held in place with t' provided end ring. It be nay cemented. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I pried apart t' two halves and applied Plastruct t' cement them together.

T' instructions next called for me t' use tube type cement t' glue t' lowest o' t' body tubes t' t' fin can. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead, I used a few drops o' epoxy and also used t' epoxy t' further fasten t' end o' t' shock cord.

T' fins were o' plastic and were slotted t' be received by t' slots in t' plastic fin can. Arrr! Blimey! I had some trouble with 3 out o' t' four and needed t' do some trimmin' with a razor t' get them t' fit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! When I did, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, they slid into place and I secured them with Plastruct instead o' t' recommended tube cement.

T' kit comes with two plastic couplers t' join t' body tubes which are identical in every respect. Arrr! It also comes with a single read plate designed t' be glued into one o' t' couplers. Ahoy! Arrr! I used Plastruct again and then fitted t' coupler into what would be t' foremost o' t' body tubes. As with t' aft tube, matey, I used a drop o' epoxy t' make t' connection.

T' instruction say nay t' glue t' nose cone into t' body tube. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Presumably this is so that t' forward section can serve as a payload bay. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Since I don't do payload flying, I almost went ahead and glued it but I decided it would hurt nothin' t' leave it free. I did test fit t' nose cone into t' forward tube and found that it be extremely loose. Arrr! I fitted a piece o' maskin' tape onto t' shoulder o' t' cone and it then fit nicely. Aye aye! That completed t' payload bay

It took a while t' get back t' t' Super Eagle after gettin' t' this point because life got busy and because I needed a long piece o' 1/8" rod t' align t' launch lugs before gluin' t' coupler into place. Begad! I had 12" pieces lyin' around t' shop but I needed a long piece for this long rocket. Arrr! When I got a standard rod, me bucko, it was a simple matter t' mix a few drops o' epoxy and smear them onto t' inside o' the body tube. Arrr! T' upper section o' t' tube was then pushed into place and t' rod was used t' align t' lugs before t' epoxy set.

With that, construction was done but I had a slight modification t' make.

T' kit is designed t' recover in 2 sections. Ya scallywag! I prefer t' brin' it all back down together. Well, blow me down! With that in mind, matey, I tied an extra 20" o' elastic t' t' elastic already provided and then tied that t' t' nose cone.
Finishing:
T' rocket was mostly pre-finished. Ahoy! Blimey! T' fin can, shiver me timbers, couplers and nose cone were all molded from red plastic. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' body tubes were already red. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! All that was needed in t' way o' finishin' be t' application o' some stickers.

I am nay a fan o' crack and peel stickers but they are appropriate for a kit o' this level. That said, ya bilge rat, t' ones I received were o' good quality and nicely complemented t' existin' colors. Ahoy! Ahoy! Four blue rings o' white stars were applied around t' BT at locations indicated by t' face card.

Four US flags were provided. Begad! I placed one on each fin.

T' last stickers were a pair o' name logos. Begad! Blimey! One was applied t' each side o' t' lowest section o' body tube.

With that, shiver me timbers, me Super Eagle had only t' wait for t' next launch window.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' day o' t' maiden flight arrived and it was cold and still. I installed a 15" nylon chute and loaded an Estes B6-4 motor. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It was then taken t' t' pad and set up. Arrr! Avast! Lift off looked good with t' rocket goin' straight up. Begad! It was a nice, fairly slow takeoff. T' coast phase looked pretty good as well. Ya scallywag! It did nay go very high and started t' arc over. Ya scallywag! Avast! Ejection occurred when t' rocket was horizontal and t' chute deployed perfectly. It drifted down and landed a few yards from t' pad.

For t' second flight, I wanted some more power and I had a new bag o' Quest C6-3s sittin' handy so I reloaded with one o' those. Avast, me proud beauty! I set up next t' t' beautiful Dr. Ahoy! Booty Soyuz that Stu Young had gotten for Christmas and I be glad t' wait a bit so I could see it fly. Begad! Avast! My turn came after waitin' a bit more so we could all help t' find t' pieces o' t' Soyuz that had its Keelhaul®©™ burn through. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Then it was time. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor ignited and t' rocket lifted even slower than before. T' rocket started out fairly straight. Begad! Blimey! It soon started t' lean into t' direction o' travel, me hearties, though. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It was like t' motor be strugglin' t' keep it goin' fast enough. Avast! It was easily horizontal or ever a bit down pointin' as t' coast phase began. It be definitely point down when ejection occurred. Begad! It came down safely but it be a bit o' a near thing.

For t' third flight I wanted t' use an Estes C6-3 t' compare it t' t' Quest version. Thus one was installed and it was taken t' t' pad for its third flight o' t' day. Ya scallywag! Ignition occurred right when t' button was pushed and it took off well, nay much faster than it had with t' Quest motor. It boosted straight and did nay arc over. Blimey! Arrr! It soon passed t' altitude t' which t' Quest motor had taken it. Blimey! It then coasted a good deal farther. Arrr! Ejection occurred while it was still movin' up but t' chute be good and it came home safely.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, me hearties, this was a nice simple kit that looks reasonably good with its precolored parts. Aye aye! T' performance be nay stellar but it had close t' a perfect profile on t' B6. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Quest C6 be disappointment but t' Estes C6 worked perfectly. Avast! My supposition is that this bird be designed and t' motors specified when t' Quest ones still came from Germany.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Persons wishin' t' keep track o' this rocket can do so here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157622765370685/