FlisKits Corona-2 Booster

FlisKits - Corona-2 Booster (FR001-B2)

Contributed by Lance Alligood

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Length: 5.23 inches
Manufacturer: FlisKits

FlisKits Corona-2

Brief:
T' Corona-2 is a separate kit that compliments t' FlisKits Corona creatin' a 2-stage rocket. What also makes this stand out is that it takes t' tube fin design o' t' Corona one step further.

Construction:
Before startin' t' Corona-2, you must have a built FlisKits Corona kit. Begad! Avast! If you built your Corona with t' motor retention clip, matey, you will need t' cut it off t' rocket so that you can direct stage t' motors in t' Corona and Corona-2.

T' kit contains:

  • 3 laser cut plywood fins
  • 1 BT-70 ring
  • 1 BT-101 ring
  • 1 BT-50 body tube
  • 1 BT-20 motor tube
  • 2 CR5020 centerin' rings
  • 1 BT-50 coupler
  • Instruction manual

T' instructions are very simple. Aye aye! First, matey, you must have a fully built FlisKits Corona kit as it is needed t' place t' forward (smaller) rin' and align t' 3 fins.

T' motor mount is typical LPR: a couple o' centerin' rings with a motor tube glued together and then inside t' larger body tube. Arrr! That is followed by a coupler glued halfway into t' forward end o' t' body tube t' connect t' t' Corona kit.

FlisKits Corona-2 That assembly is slid into t' aft end o' t' Corona. T' small rin' is slid around t' Corona's rin' fin and taped into place t' keep it from moving. Lines are drawn on t' Corona-2 body tube t' match t' fins o' t' Corona. Begad! Begad! T' perfectly cut plywood fins are glued onto t' body tube and forward rin' with plenty o' attention needed t' ensure that they are lined up with t' Corona's fins. Begad! Begad! Once all o' t' fins are dry, fillets are applied.

T' last step is t' glue and fillet t' BT-101 rin' onto t' fins.

Finishing:
Fillin' t' grain o' t' fins was arguably t' most difficult part o' t' entire build--and it wasn't even that hard. Arrr! It merely required patience more than anything. I used diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish along with an epoxy spreader t' help press t' filler into t' grain o' t' wood while also wipin' away as much excess as possible (and reduce t' amount o' sandin' I needed t' do!) I sanded t' fins smooth with 320 grit sandpaper.

Paintin' was less o' a challenge than I originally anticipated. Begad! Avast! I was concerned about gettin' overspray on t' coupler or inside t' motor mount as well as potential runs when tryin' t' paint t' inside o' t' large aft rin' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! [NOTE: You do nay want t' paint t' inside o' t' forward rin' as this may cause t' overall fit t' be too snug when attachin' t' stages together!] My fears turned out t' be unfounded--or maybe I just plain got lucky! A couple coats o' Krylon white primer with some light sandin' in betwixt followed by Krylon Sun Yellow Gloss had it matched up perfectly with t' paint job on t' Corona. Ahoy! I added some silver automotive pinstripin' tape as an accent.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Corona-2 was mated up with me fully prepped Corona. Aye aye! Usin' clear tape, a C6-0 was mated up with a C6-7. A little maskin' tape was needed on each motor t' make sure that neither would kick undesirably. Ya scallywag! With t' motors loaded up in t' rocket, matey, I set it up on t' pad.

It left t' pad with plenty o' thrust pushin' t' rocket up t' about 400 feet before successfully stagin' t' Corona sustainer. Blimey! T' Corona is a very sleek rocket so it got some altitude when staged C6 t' C6! Don't try this on a small field. Blimey! I pushed t' limits o' t' schoolyard I was at causin' t' sustainer t' drift on t' way down across t' street into some neighborin' woods. Thankfully t' sustainer didn't get caught up in a tree and was recovered successfully.

FlisKits Corona-2FlisKits Corona-2

Recovery:
T' Corona-2 booster has a tumble recovery typical o' BP staged designs. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It backflipped all t' way down (much like t' CD spool rockets I have built) t' land safely within 40 feet o' t' pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' already unique FlisKits Corona kit is definitely enhanced by t' very complimentary design o' t' Corona-2 booster. I dig tube fin and rin' fin rockets so what could be cooler than a 2-stage rin' fin design?!? Any existin' Corona owners can add t' Corona-2 t' their fleet after modifyin' t' Corona's motor clip. If stagin' with a pair o' C6 motors though, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, be sure t' have plenty o' room at your launch site!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • FlisKits Corona-2 By Geof Givens

    Brief: The Corona II is perhaps the sleekest, best looking futuristic staged rocket I know. In the summer of 2005, I learned that FlisKits was developing this kit, and immediately inquired about one after reading Lance's preview on EMRR. Finally, in February 2006, the model was on the market and I snapped up one of the first kits. Construction: Lance's review covers the basics ...

Flights

Comments:

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A.D. (April 28, 2009)
Sounds cool. I finished building one recently and hope it works when I launch it.

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