Brief
Paper shroud construction and dual chute recovery.

Construction
This was t' first Quest kit I have built and was pleased with almost all aspects. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' kit came in t' common bag; no parts were missin' or broken. Avast, me proud beauty! This kit is a finless, ya bilge rat, Skill Level 3 features paper shroud construction and dual 12-inch parachute recovery. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! More on t' 'chutes later.

T' instructions were easy t' follow and assembly, me hearties, usin' white glue throughout, me hearties, me hearties, went very smoothly, and t' build was surprisingly quick. Blimey! Begad! T' framework out o' stiff cardboard went together well and t' dry fittin' showed a well-manufactured kit. T' first thin' be t' paper shroud comes rolled up. Arrr! This needs t' be flattened out. Aye aye! Avast! I accomplished this with a couple o' phone books and about 1/2-hour time. Begad! Blimey! This left just enough curl t' help in t' assembly latter.

T' only difficult part was t' markin' o' t' tube. T' black tube did nay show t' lines very well, arrr, me bucko, nay a problem, me bucko, a sharp crayon works wonders.

I really liked t' shock cord attachment with t' Keelhaul®©™cord tied t' t' motor mount. I test fitted this and made sure that t' Keelhaul®©™was even with t' end o' t' body tube. Then I tied t' elastic as shown. Avast, me proud beauty! I hoped that this would keep t' tube from zippering.

I added t' clay for t' nose weight as shown, me hearties, arrr, with very little effort. Aye aye! After addin' t' weight I decided against usin' only one 'chute and built t' recovery system as directed.

Take t' time t' carefully cut t' shroud out, this makes t' fittin' o' t' assembly with t' double stick tape conceals t' seam easier. Arrr! Arrr! T' instructions come t' a point o' addin' t' maneuverin' flaps and nozzles for display only. I deviated here. After I had it finished, ya bilge rat, matey, it looked t' me as if somethin' was missing. Begad! Aye aye! I added t' nozzles. Avast! Rappin' t' cutouts around a pencil I acquired t' correct shape. After gluin' t' nozzles in place I could see that they were out o' line o' t' exhaust o' t' motor.

Finishing
There is no finishin' t' be done as t' shroud is preprint, shiver me timbers, but t' decals leave somethin' t' be desired. Arrr! They are self-adhesive and on an opaque (white) backing. Arrr! T' picture card with t' kit shows t' letterin' directly on t' gray body. T' nose cone letterin' be on a black background and with careful trimmin' came out lookin' good. Arrr! T' US flags I be able t' trim close enough t' make them work. Aye aye! As for t' USA, well… I had decals left over from a kit bash o' a 2 stage Estes Nike-Arrow so I made t' USA from that.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight
T' first flight be on February 7, me hearties, 1999 at a C.R.A.S.H. launch in Denver. T' only recommended motor is a C6-3. T' prep is standard, arrr, waddin' and recovery system. Avast! As I loaded t' Space Clipper on t' pad I got more questions than ever. Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight be better than I imagined. T' DC-Y lifted off with a slow assent, me hearties, me hearties, and rose close t' t' estimated height o' 200 ft. T' delay was just about right. Ya scallywag! T' second flight be straight and true. T' next chance I had t' fly be at a C.R.A.S.H. Aye aye! launch in Denver on March 7, 1999 and again t' flight was great.

Recovery
Recovery was another story. Ahoy! On t' first flight t' nose cone came down on it 'chute openin' cleanly, ya bilge rat, t' body on t' other hand returned on wad recovery. Begad! T' Clipper be nay damaged, but I had t' try again. T' Keelhaul®©™® was blackened, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, but no damage was observed. Blimey! Figurin' that t' stiff Quest 'chute be t' culprit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I pulled an Estes 12 inch 'chute out me range box. Well, blow me down! T' second flight was a duplicate o' t' first. T' body is just too light t' fully deploy t' 'chute. Ahoy! T' third flight I replaced t' "chute with a 3 ft Mylar streamer. Well, blow me down! I think I have t' streamer just t' right length. Arrr! Arrr! It brought t' body down more gently and it landed near t' pads without a thud.

Flight I give a 5. Avast! Recovery built as instructed 1, however, with t' recovery modification a 3.

Flight Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Summary
Overall this is a great kit. I really enjoy watchin' it fly and has become one o' me favorites. Begad! For t' price, me hearties, I paid $12.95 at a local hobby shop; it is a good value. Begad! I like that it is different. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Replacin' t' body 'chute with a streamer makes me feel better about havin' t' DC-Y Space Clipper for a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5