Brief:
This is a great sport scale kit that can be easily modified for dual deployment.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 4" nosecone
• 1 17" payload bay
• 1 34" airframe
• 4 1/4" plywood fins
• 1 tube coupler
• 1 laser-cut bulk head
• 3 laser-cut centerin' rings
• 1 54mm motor mount tube
• 1 36" parachute
• 1 tubular nylon shock cord
• Vinyl decals
• Motor retention, shiver me timbers, rail buttons, and assorted hardware

Added for dual deployment:

• 3 bulkplates
• 1 1/4" U-bolt
• 1 tubular nylon shock cord
• 1 24" drogue chute
• 1 70" main (saved t' stock chute for a later project)
• 2 chute protectors
• more assorted hardware

T' instructions were well written and photographed. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! There be a parts list included, and each part be crossed off showin' that BSD had checked t' make sure that all t' parts were there. Aye aye! Aye aye!

T' assembly order made sense and started with t' motor mount. Ahoy! Blimey! T' centerin' rings were glued on t' t' motor tube, then t' assembly was glued into t' rocket. Begad! T' fins were next. Epoxy be placed along t' root edge and along the edge o' t' fin slots. Each fin be glued in, me hearties, then fillets applied. Begad! T' bulk plate for t' payload bay be glued into t' coupler about 1/2". T' nose cone went into t' forward end o' t' payload bay. Begad! No instructions were given on how t' hold it on, me bucko, me bucko, but thar are instructions about t' removable rivets, which are nay listed on t' parts list.

That bein' said, matey, I tossed t' instructions aside and built it as I would have built a scratch built. Ahoy! T' fin tabs were too long, resultin' in several hours o' sanding. Avast! T' forward two centerin' rings were glued with a 40 min epoxy and small pieces o' fiberglass. Avast! T' eye bolt be replaced with a U-bolt. Aye aye! T' motor tube be then sanded and inserted into t' airframe. Arrr! Begad! I tacked t' fins in with super glue then used t' same 40 min epoxy and shredded fiberglass t' do the internal fillets on t' fins. Blimey! T' fins were foamed with a 2-part expandin' foam. Begad! T' motor retention consisted of two inserts, me hearties, two Allen head screws, and Giant Leap style clips. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' was epoxied in. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' fin can is now completed.

T' payload bay was me biggest hurdle as I had never built one before. I cut two airframe bulkheads and one more coupler bulkhead then drilled two holes all t' way through them. Arrr! I bolted in two 1/4" threaded rods for the altimeter sled t' rest on. Begad! Ahoy! T' altimeter bay is similar t' a LOC/Precision bay minus t' outside length o' airframe. Blimey! I attached a U-bolt at either end and a PVC cup for t' main ejection charge.

T' shock cords are tubular nylon. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 20' for t' drogue and 15' for t' main chute.

T' construction be very straightforward and, by t' instructions, you could get a very nice 4" sport scale to be proud of.

PROs: Fun rocket t' build. Plenty o' room for dual deployment

CONs: Fin tabs were too long. Aye aye!

Finishing:
I finished t' IRIS with red fins and added some detail t' it. Avast! Tape can be added t' make t' scale rings on the actual IRIS, matey, but I opted nay to. Aye aye! T' decals for t' IRIS name are included but ones for Atlantic Research Corporation are not. Well, blow me down! Begad! I had several sheets o' 1/2" vinyl letterin' in t' workshop so I decided I would make me own. Begad! I also created t' ARC logo with some clear label paper. Begad! T' letters were spaced evenly and painted over with black paint. Removin' them was difficult but left very nice lines.

Finishin' this rocket is difficult, but nay unable t' be accomplished. Avast! It definitely needs standard Atlantic Research Corporation decals.

PROs: Challengin' t' finish. Ya scallywag! Looks good

CONs: Challengin' t' finish. Arrr! Nay enough detail.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was north o' Billings, MT, ya bilge rat, in t' middle o' October. It was surprisingly warm for Montana. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! The rocket was prepped for dual deployment usin' a gram o' black powder for each event. Arrr! T' motor, an I284W, arrr, also had an ejection charge. Begad! Begad! T' motor be put into a Slimline 54-38 adapter then loaded into t' mount. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket was ready to go.

With t' igniter in place and t' altimeter armed, me hearties, matey, I was ready t' launch. Blimey! After a quick 5 count, I pressed the button. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' I284W came up t' pressure quickly. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' IRIS ripped off t' pad on a large flame and a pillar o' smoke.

T' dual deployment worked perfectly, me bucko, bringin' it back safely although a little fast. Blimey! T' PML 48" chute still seemed small... Well, blow me down! T' PerfectFlite miniAlt/WD beeped 2328', almost 1K feet short o' t' predicted altitude. I still think it broke 3K.

T' second flight was t' take place at our high altitude site near Twin Bridges, arrr, MT, at t' end o' October. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The only reason it did nay fly be me own procrastination. Aye aye! Blimey! However, me dad and I flew our Frankenrocket (essentially a stretched PML Tethys) on a K185W t' 6228' for our personal best altitude. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' weather be perfect, ya bilge rat, me bucko, about 60 degrees and not a cloud in t' sky or enough wind t' ruffle a parachute.

T' second flight did take place on November 10 at t' Twin Bridges site. Ahoy! T' weather be less than perfect: highs in t' mid 40's, me bucko, shiver me timbers, wind at about 10 mph, arrr, me bucko, and high clouds t' makin' it hard t' see any kind o' trackin' smoke or rocket. Aye aye! T' motor be a J540R. Begad! T' rocket was mostly prepped from t' previous launch, ya bilge rat, me hearties, only needin' t' leads for the charges t' be hooked t' t' altimeter and t' motor inserted.

After another quick 5 count, me bucko, t' J540R came up t' pressure almost immediately. Blimey! T' four t' five foot flame was incredible, pushin' t' IRIS t' 5464'. Again, ya bilge rat, t' dual deployment worked without a hitch, me hearties, deployin' our homemade 70" parachute at 700'.

PROs: Very strong rocket that can be launched on a large variety o' motors.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
PROS: Very strong rocket that can be launched on a large variety o' motors.

CONS: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' BSD IRIS is a very well designed rocket that can easily be modified for dual deployment. Ahoy! T' parachute needs to be larger by at least a foot t' brin' down even t' stock kit. With proper modifications, me hearties, t' IRIS can fly on many 54mm hybrid motors and maybe some full Ks. I highly recommend this rocket for anyone who has a little high power experience or a fair amount o' mid power experience. A solid choice for L1 and L2 cert flights.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5