Brief
Paper shroud construction and dual chute recovery.

Construction
This was t' first Quest kit I have built and was pleased with almost all aspects. Aye aye! T' kit came in t' common bag; no parts were missin' or broken. Begad! Well, blow me down! This kit is a finless, shiver me timbers, Skill Level 3 features paper shroud construction and dual 12-inch parachute recovery. Aye aye! More on t' 'chutes later.

T' instructions were easy t' follow and assembly, usin' white glue throughout, went very smoothly, matey, and t' build was surprisingly quick. T' framework out o' stiff cardboard went together well and t' dry fittin' showed a well-manufactured kit. Ahoy! T' first thin' be t' paper shroud comes rolled up. Ahoy! This needs t' be flattened out. Ya scallywag! I accomplished this with a couple o' phone books and about 1/2-hour time. Avast, me proud beauty! This left just enough curl t' help in t' assembly latter.

T' only difficult part was t' markin' o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' black tube did nay show t' lines very well, arrr, nay a problem, arrr, a sharp crayon works wonders.

I really liked t' shock cord attachment with t' Keelhaul®©™cord tied t' t' motor mount. Begad! I test fitted this and made sure that t' Keelhaul®©™was even with t' end o' t' body tube. Begad! Then I tied t' elastic as shown. Arrr! I hoped that this would keep t' tube from zippering.

I added t' clay for t' nose weight as shown, with very little effort. After addin' t' weight I decided against usin' only one 'chute and built t' recovery system as directed.

Take t' time t' carefully cut t' shroud out, me hearties, this makes t' fittin' o' t' assembly with t' double stick tape conceals t' seam easier. T' instructions come t' a point o' addin' t' maneuverin' flaps and nozzles for display only. Ahoy! I deviated here. Well, blow me down! After I had it finished, it looked t' me as if somethin' was missing. I added t' nozzles. Arrr! Ahoy! Rappin' t' cutouts around a pencil I acquired t' correct shape. Arrr! Aye aye! After gluin' t' nozzles in place I could see that they were out o' line o' t' exhaust o' t' motor.

Finishing
There is no finishin' t' be done as t' shroud is preprint, but t' decals leave somethin' t' be desired. Arrr! They are self-adhesive and on an opaque (white) backing. Arrr! T' picture card with t' kit shows t' letterin' directly on t' gray body. Ahoy! Arrr! T' nose cone letterin' be on a black background and with careful trimmin' came out lookin' good. Avast! T' US flags I was able t' trim close enough t' make them work. Ahoy! Ahoy! As for t' USA, well… I had decals left over from a kit bash o' a 2 stage Estes Nike-Arrow so I made t' USA from that.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight
T' first flight be on February 7, 1999 at a C.R.A.S.H. launch in Denver. T' only recommended motor is a C6-3. Begad! T' prep is standard, matey, waddin' and recovery system. Begad! Avast! Blimey! As I loaded t' Space Clipper on t' pad I got more questions than ever. Arrr! T' flight was better than I imagined. T' DC-Y lifted off with a slow assent, me bucko, and rose close t' t' estimated height o' 200 ft. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! T' delay was just about right. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' second flight be straight and true. T' next chance I had t' fly was at a C.R.A.S.H. Aye aye! launch in Denver on March 7, me hearties, 1999 and again t' flight was great.

Recovery
Recovery was another story. Avast! Begad! On t' first flight t' nose cone came down on it 'chute openin' cleanly, me bucko, t' body on t' other hand returned on wad recovery. Arrr! T' Clipper was nay damaged, but I had t' try again. Ya scallywag! T' Keelhaul®©™® was blackened, but no damage was observed. Figurin' that t' stiff Quest 'chute was t' culprit, I pulled an Estes 12 inch 'chute out me range box. T' second flight was a duplicate o' t' first. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' body is just too light t' fully deploy t' 'chute. Aye aye! T' third flight I replaced t' "chute with a 3 ft Mylar streamer. Aye aye! I think I have t' streamer just t' right length. Begad! Ya scallywag! It brought t' body down more gently and it landed near t' pads without a thud.

Flight I give a 5. Begad! Blimey! Recovery built as instructed 1, however, with t' recovery modification a 3.

Flight Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Summary
Overall this is a great kit. Begad! Avast! I really enjoy watchin' it fly and has become one o' me favorites. For t' price, me hearties, ya bilge rat, matey, I paid $12.95 at a local hobby shop; it is a good value. Ahoy! I like that it is different. Arrr! Arrr! Replacin' t' body 'chute with a streamer makes me feel better about havin' t' DC-Y Space Clipper for a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5