Brief:
This was a pre-production version o' t' kit and its construction varied somewhat from t' production model. Avast! Arrr! Nonetheless, me bucko, it is representative o' t' performance you should expect from t' production model. Aye aye! Arrr! I have tried t' indicate where t' production model varies, shiver me timbers, however, me bucko, these notes may nay be all-inclusive.

This rocket is a huge, 18" diameter, ya bilge rat, Level 2 capable version o' Art's Delta saucer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is built primarily from Gatorboard and includes both 38mm and 54mm motor adapters.

Construction:
Main saucer parts list:

• 3/16" Gatorflex, however, ya bilge rat, t' production version will use standard foamboard
• 1/2" Gatorboard
• 3" paper tube
• Fiberboard
• Fiberglass cloth
• 1/4" launch lug

54mm and 38mm Motor Adaptors parts list:

• Mount tubes
• 3" thrust ring
• 3/32" Basswood fins

Materials and tools required: utility knife, ya bilge rat, X-Acto knife with new blade, spatula or other spreadin' tool, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, Elmer's Glue-All, ya bilge rat, Easy release maskin' tape (the blue kind), sandpaper, slow settin' epoxy, and Devcon 5 minute Epoxy.

This build is very similar t' t' smaller delta saucers, arrr, only bigger. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' top and bottom shrouds were made from pre-marked Gatorflex and t' center plate was made from t' thicker and more dense Gatorboard piece. Begad! These materials are both multi-layer laminates o' dense polystyrene foam, laminated with plastic and paper. T' Gatorboard is laminated on both sides while t' Gatorflex is laminated on only one side, shiver me timbers, allowin' it t' be flexible. Begad! Cuttin' these components be much harder than standard foamboard, so new blades, arrr, patience, and good work surface are musts. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, t' Gatorflex is no longer available, me hearties, so in t' production model, t' top and bottom shrouds are made from standard foamboard. Avast! T' make it flexible, you make numerous cuts usin' a provided tool, me hearties, which holds a hobby-knife blade. Well, blow me down! Minus this cutting, ya bilge rat, t' rest o' t' construction should be almost identical.

You first prepare t' top shroud by wrappin' it around and connectin' t' seams with 5-minute epoxy and t' supplied fiberboard strip. Aye aye! Once dry, you sand t' hole t' fit t' 3" host body tube. Blimey! T' bottom is prepared similarly.

T' center plate really takes some effort and should be cut in short sections. Avast! As with t' smaller deltas, t' edge is beveled. Aye aye! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I didn't have t' recommended knife so I used a very sharp kitchen knife, which seemed t' work quite well.

In short, arrr, you glue t' mount t' t' top, me hearties, coat t' inside o' t' top with slow settin' epoxy, arrr, attach t' center t' t' top, and finally t' bottom t' t' center. Avast! In this beta version, matey, t' main trick be t' align t' holes for t' launch rod. In t' production model, me hearties, a ¼" launch lug is glued t' t' inside o' t' 3" host tube, thus avoidin' havin' t' cut additional holes in any o' t' components. Ya scallywag! T' removable adapters slide past this lug. Arrr! After t' first flight, I retrofitted a 1/2" lug.

T' last step is t' glass t' top with t' provided fiberglass sheet. Ya scallywag! This too is pre-marked. Begad! I won't go into t' details here, but make sure you use slow settin' epoxy as thar be a lot o' surface area t' cover.

For both size motor mounts, me hearties, arrr, you cut t' thin fins from t' basswood usin' t' provided pattern, matey, arrr, glue them t' t' tube, and install t' thrust ring. Aye aye! On t' 38mm mount, I used wood glue and added epoxy fillets. Begad! Arrr! On t' 54mm mount, ya bilge rat, I used only epoxy.

Finishing:
I chose nay t' paint me saucer.

Construction Rating: 4

Flight:
This will make for a great sport flight and/or a relatively easy certification attempt. Avast, me proud beauty! You lightly friction fit your choice o' adapters and motor. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' recommended motors include a wide variety o' I and J motors as well as t' Aerotech K185W and Ellis L330P. Ahoy! Blimey! In t' beta testing, arrr, shiver me timbers, a wide variety o' motors were flown. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Note that although t' saucer will fly on H motors, these motors are so short that they may nay allow t' saucer t' aerobrake properly and t' saucer may be damaged if it lands on t' edge o' t' shroud.

I first flew t' big Delta Saucer on an Ellis J228 at t' 3rd Annual TRF Reunion at t' Whitakers field in NC. T' saucer tore off t' pad with lots o' smoke and noise. Aye aye! It was a fantastic flight. Arrr! T' second flight be at a NOVAAR launch. Avast! Begad! This was a very interestin' flight. T' J110 had a nice long 7 second burn. Arrr! Because o' t' low average thrust and regressive thrust profile, arrr, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' saucer arched over and was still under power after apogee.

Recovery:
Big? No problem! In both cases, me bucko, aerobrakin' brought it down softly without damage. Begad! Begad! With t' longer J228, shiver me timbers, t' motor and adapter unseated from t' main tube upon impact. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is a feature, shiver me timbers, nay a bug and may help t' absorb some o' t' shock from t' landing.

On t' J110 flight, t' saucer aerobraked down and continued t' spew large amounts o' smoke, me hearties, causin' some concern with t' LCO. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It landed in an outcrop o' brush but that part o' t' field was damp and thar be no risk o' fire. Ya scallywag! T' ensuin' smoke cloud was described as a "mushroom cloud on t' horizon". Aye aye! Cool! Still, I'd recommend t' J228 over this motor.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary:
This is another fun rocket from T' Saucerman and it will make an economical certification rocket for Level 2. Blimey! Begad! T' beta version be an easy build yet was still enough work that you would feel proud o' your accomplishment. Begad! T' production model will take a bit more time. What do you expect from a Level 2 capable rocket anyway?!

Overall Rating: 4