"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, ya bilge rat, perhaps one would say, futuristic, fin/ring-fin configuration. It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Begad! Way back when EMRR started t' site and be 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. 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. Blimey! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, matey, a thrust ring, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. Avast! T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, 1/8" wide, white elastic shock cord, arrr, shiver me timbers, a 3-fold paper mount, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! However, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Ahoy! 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. Arrr! Blimey! We agree.

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

T' fins are next. After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby knife. Aye aye! There are three upper and three lower sections for t' fins. 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. Begad! Lines are extended on t' tube. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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". Ahoy! This step is important because dependin' on your glue (white or wood) you could get it stuck. It has t' be a smooth and quick motion t' get t' motor tube in without issue. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions are clear on this.

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

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

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' parachute is then assemble. Avast! My only nay here, me bucko, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. Aye aye! Aye aye! 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, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Then amazingly, on t' last day o' November, it be warm enough t' paint. Ahoy! I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. I let that dry for about 15 minutes, arrr, ya bilge rat, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Ahoy! Then after 2 hours, me hearties, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. Well, blow me down! 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. Aye aye! Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts be excellent. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Instructions are excellent. Aye aye! No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' latter is never a problem for me, but some may nay like it. Arrr! Begad! If it keeps t' costs down, shiver me timbers, then I can wield a hobby knife for some fin cutting. Well, blow me down!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, me hearties, me hearties, B6-4, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! Blimey! Since I be fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

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

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

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, I would rate this rocket 5 points. Sleek and low profile gives this rocket a nice look. It is a very stable rocket. Recovery system is fine, matey, 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. Aye aye! Nice rocket. Let's get some decals and really turn it into a 5. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Fliskits has made a "baffle" available for this kit, me hearties, matey, which I would have bought had it been available back when I purchased it.