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

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, arrr, perhaps one would say, ya bilge rat, futuristic, me hearties, fin/ring-fin configuration. It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, me bucko, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Well, blow me down! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, a thrust ring, matey, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, 1/8" wide, white elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a 3-fold paper mount, shiver me timbers, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. 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, arrr, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Begad! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

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

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

T' fins are next. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby knife. Ahoy! Blimey! There are three upper and three lower sections for t' fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These are then airfoiled and an upper is glued t' a lower t' make up a single fin. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is repeated for all t' fins.

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

T' motor mount is then slide into t' lower body tube (the one just marked). Blimey! It protrudes by 1/4". Aye aye! 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. Begad! T' instructions are clear on this.

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

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

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Ya scallywag! T' parachute is then assemble. Arrr! My only nay here, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Blimey! Begad! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

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

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

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, B6-4, C6-5, 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, me son and I went sleddin' and I be noticin' that thar was absolutely no wind. Arrr! Blimey! Since I was fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Begad!

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. Blimey! Avast! T' flight has nice altitude and it was very stable. T' Corona has a sleek, long profile design, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Arrr! Ejection was a bit before apogee. Aye aye! Recovery was good, but fast. I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

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

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

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

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