Brief:
T' Escape Velocity is a single stage, me hearties, high power, dual or single deployment rocket for 38mm motors or 29mm with an adapter. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

Construction:
T' Escape Velocity came with everythin' you could want for a HPR rocket and more. Avast, me proud beauty! Included were 1 pre-cut phenolic body tube, me bucko, matey, 1 phenolic payload tube, fin can, payoad bay, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 1 18" drogue parachute, 1 36" main parachute, 2 strap nylon shock cords, ya bilge rat, 2 parachute protectors, 2 shock cord protectors, matey, me bucko, Slimline motor retainer, Nose cone, ya bilge rat, arrr, aluminum rail guides, and all necessary hardware. Begad! All parts arrived in good condition. Begad! Ahoy!

I emailed Ed at Giant Leap on advice for how t' finish it and he recommended fiberglassin' it. Ahoy! I went with a 6ft section o' Aerosleeve's 2.5 inch sleeve. Avast, me proud beauty! This was me first time glassin' an airframe and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was usin' a small paint roller, Great Plane's finishin' epoxy (picked up at a LHS), and t' Aerosleeve. Construction was fairly quick and straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a Dremel cuttin' disc t' re-cut t' fin slot after applying the Aerosleeve and I used an X-Acto knife, me bucko, me bucko, 150 grit sandpaper, and a level surface t' even out t' ends o' the airframe. Aye aye! T' 13 pages o' instructions had plenty o' pictures and detail t' make it clear even for t' first timer. Aye aye!

T' only "gotcha" in t' instructions was t' method for fillin' t' gap betwixt t' fincan and the airframe. T' fincan fits inside t' main airframe. When you epoxy in t' motor mount and fincan, matey, thar are significant gaps betwixt t' airframe and t' fins. T' instructions tell you t' mix up some 6-minute epoxy and mix in talcum powder until t' consistency is similar t' that o' cake frosting. Blimey! Blimey! Personally, I never could mix in enough talcum powder to get t' consistency right and have enough time left t' apply it t' t' airframe. Blimey! Mine always be a bit too thin and it took me 3 attempts per fillet, shiver me timbers, which was about 6 batches o' epoxy/talcum mix, t' get it right. Begad! Blimey! Even then, it took significant sandin' with a Dremel tool t' get t' final fillets t' look acceptable.

T' only area that I decided t' stray from t' instructions be t' electronics bay. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' method outlined in the instructions is a bit vague but sufficient. Ya scallywag! I prefer a bay setup similar t' that o' t' LOC payload bays. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Any method is good as long as it works for your altimeter. Ya scallywag! I used t' PerfectFlite MAWD with a 1/4 inch vent hole drilled into the payload bay from t' side. Begad! If you haven't done dual deployment before, matey, then I recommend gettin' someone experienced to help you through t' setup o' t' electronics bay.

Finishing:
This bein' me first time fiberglassin' an airframe, I almost used an entire can o' KILZ primer t' smooth out the texture o' t' Aerosleeve. If you use an Aerosleeve on t' airframe, me bucko, I cannot overemphasize t' need t' sand well between coats. Avast! Ya scallywag! I made this mistake and probably added an ounce or two (or more) o' extra wieight in primer because I could nay get t' finish smooth. I literally spent hours and hours sandin' off t' extra coats o' unnecessary primer that I sprayed on. I found that t' KILZ primer available at Home Depot works well for this type o' application.

T' kit came with a large decal, shiver me timbers, however, matey, ya bilge rat, I opted nay t' use this as it would nay look well with me chosen color scheme. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight prep is fairly easy and with t' parachute and shock cord protectors, I didn't have t' worry about waddin' too much. T' Slimline retainer held t' motors in just fine.

T' first flight o' me Escape Velocity be on an Aerotech I357T-M. Ahoy! Blimey! T' flight be wobbly off t' pad. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! This might have been due t' t' rail bein' a little loose at launch. Ahoy! Blimey! This was t' first flight o' me altimeter so I did use an ejection charge consistin' o' 1g o' BP and 2 Oxral E-matches. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' motor ejected t' main chute at apogee and I used the altimeter t' fire t' drogue at 500ft t' test me dual deployment setup without much risk. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' flight was t' 2632ft and landed a short walk away.

T' next flight be me L2 cert flight. Begad! I completed me L2 test, matey, me hearties, me bucko, built t' J350W motor, loaded up t' rocket, me bucko, and re-adjusted t' pad. Arrr! T' manufacturer projected an altitude o' 5200 ft for a J350W and RockSim be about t' same. Instead o' a drogue, I hooked up about 20ft o' yellow caution tape. I gave a short countdown and whoa momma! The Escape Velocity ripped off t' pad with what sounded like a shotgun blast. Avast! T' takeoff was neck snappin' and perfectly straight. Blimey! T' reflective finish allowed us t' see her all t' way up at apogee and on t' way back down. Ahoy! She landed about 100 yds away in t' middle o' t' field. Arrr! T' Perfectflite altimeter worked perfectly, shiver me timbers, matey, ejectin' t' main chute at 500ft, and reportin' back an altitude o' 5961 ft.

Eager t' fly again, I cleaned t' motor case, ya bilge rat, built t' I600R motor, and prepped t' rocket in about 40 minutes. I put her back on t' pad, gave t' countdown, me hearties, and oh boy! T' I600R motor put out a flame that be as long as the rocket. Flight be again perfectly straight and totally neck snapping! Just like before, she came back down in the middle o' t' field and t' altimeter popped t' main at 500 ft. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' altimeter read out 5737 ft and thar was essentially no damage t' t' rocket after all three flights other than some scratched paint.

Recovery:
T' provided strap nylon shock cord and protector worked well. T' 36" chute is a good fit for this kit, although t' payload section gets very full on a loose pack o' this chute. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' descent on t' 20ft streamer was just right for t' higher altitude flights. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! Any slower o' a descent and it might nay have landed in t' field. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Any faster and I would be worried about causin' a failure o' t' recovery system. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' chute protectors did their job great and the chutes showed no wear or damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great kit as it goes together smartly and is very tough when glassed with an Aerosleeve. Well, blow me down! Fin fillets and finishin' can be tedious and more time consumin' than expected. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' jury is still out when it comes t' flyin' on some of t' smaller motors, matey, ya bilge rat, but this kit is fabulous on t' big motors. Well, blow me down! Blimey! She has t' performance o' a sports car, the bells and whistles o' a luxury car, and t' ruggedness o' a Hummer.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5