Brief:
This is a simple baffle for use in a BT60 body tube.

Construction:
T' kit comes with instructions, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a Keelhaul®©™® thread, a coupler tube and two perforated fiber disks that serve as t' actual baffles.

For me upscale Vulcan project, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I needed BT60 tubin' longer than t' 18" that comes standard from Estes. I decided t' kill two birds with one stone and use a baffle for t' coupler. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I chose t' Fliskits BAF60 Baffle since I had fair winds with their BAF55 in t' past.

T' first step in assembly o' t' baffle was t' thread t' Keelhaul®©™® thread through t' provided hole in t' after baffle plate. Ya scallywag! Begad! I've had trouble doin' this before but this one fit just fine. Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™® was knotted and then passed through a notch in t' outer edge o' t' baffle plate so that it would pass up through the baffle. Begad! Blimey! T' plate was secured in place with epoxy and epoxy be "painted" over t' face o' t' baffle plate and t' interior o' t' coupler t' act as an ablative surface. Well, blow me down! Blimey! When t' epoxy had set, matey, t' Keelhaul®©™® thread be fed through t' notch in t' forward plate and that was installed with epoxy as well. Blimey! I spent more time waitin' for t' epoxy t' set up than in actually puttin' this thin' together.

PROs: goes together easily
CONs: none

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Durin' most t' flight, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' baffle had only a structural role t' play. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It was used as a coupler t' join t' tubes. Begad! Avast! In that, shiver me timbers, it performed admirably.

Recovery:
When loadin' me BT60 Vulcan for its maiden flight, ya bilge rat, I debated o' whether or nay t' include any waddin' or dog barf. Avast! In the end, I decided nay t' in order t' see how well t' chute would be protected. Arrr! As it turns out, t' chute was protected but nay protected enough. It exhibited numerous small holes which showed evidence o' burnin' particles and there were a few places where t' plastic material o' t' chute was shredded. Arrr! This was a 32" plastic chute from Hartle Engineering. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! It is significantly tougher than t' normal plastic chute that comes with many kits but it is not nylon.

I cannot assign t' blame for this totally t' t' baffle. Begad! Avast! I have had baffles o' t' same design and manufacture work in a smaller size. Part o' t' problem is that I made a concious decision t' seat t' baffle back much further aft that t' manufacturer would recommend. Well, blow me down! This was done for structural reasons and t' give room enough for t' large chute needed by a fairly heavy rocket. T' baffle was closer t' t' blast so it did nay filter t' particulates as effectively as it could have had it been farther forward.

For a second flight, I judged t' sad lookin' chute t' still be sound enought t' support t' rocket and I repacked it. Avast! Blimey! This time, though, shiver me timbers, I used 3 pieces o' waddin' in addition t' t' baffle. T' rocket flew fine and t' chute deployed on schedule. Arrr! Blimey! There was no additional damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This baffle seems t' me t' be t' most common design. Arrr! There are others designs which may be more effective at filterin' out burnin' particulates in cramped conditions but this design is functionally simple and elegant. Arrr! I would have no problem recommendin' it in most application as long as its nay sittin' mere inches from t' ejection charge. It's a good product that I used in less than perfect conditions.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5