Brief:
Single-stage parachute recovery, shiver me timbers, matey, suitable and simple t' adapt t' a level 3 project.

Hosts a 3 or 4 inch motor mount and can fly on M and above class motors.

Engineered t' employ single event recovery, ya bilge rat, but can be set up for dual event deployment as well. There is ample room in t' payload compartment for several avionic devices.

Construction:
T' nose cone is Maximum Thrust Rocketry's own creation, and appears t' be cast fiberglass. It's very strong yet nay overly heavy. Aye aye! Blimey! This nose cone as well as t' payload section, was drilled t' accept 6 large wood screws that keep t' nose cone in place durin' flight.

T' airframe is ultra thick and strong paper tubes that are unglossed and take on epoxies and fiberglass readily. These are t' same strong tubes I used and reviewed in me latest pair o' scratch cluster designs, Hazmat and Shockwave.

T' airframe be reinforced internally from t' top o' t' motor mount all t' way t' t' middle o' t' payload section with thick coupler tubes made o' t' same thick material, but without t' white coating. These were liberally soaked with West Systems slow epoxy and fitted into place. Blimey! Avast! T' outside o' t' airframe be double fiberglassed with two layers o' cloth, t' first heavy, t' other medium grade, me bucko, adhered again with West Systems epoxy. T' grains o' t' layers were placed perpendicular t' one another. Avast! T' fin faces were glassed continuous with t' face adjacent with one large piece o' medium grade cloth. Arrr! Avast! T' top layer o' epoxy is Z Poxy finishin' epoxy.

There are 4 fins made o' Baltic birch honed t' an actually sharp airfoil shape. Blimey! They were expertly cut and matched well. Begad! They were nay warped at all. Their size is impressive, creatin' a 30 inch fin span betwixt adjacent tips when t' rocket be assembled.

T' motor mount is 4 inches and comes with a 3 inch adapter with 4 centerin' rings. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I chose t' fiberglass and foam it permanently in place t' prevent any chance o' a free flyin' motor. T' main motor mount comes with 3 centerin' rings, nice thick 1/2 inch birch. Aye aye! I used these t' reinforce t' airframe betwixt t' couplers. Arrr! Blimey! I also used 2 part polyurethane t' foam in t' gaps in t' airframe inside where t' fins were. Begad! Avast! Blimey! All joints o' t' fins t' t' motor tube and t' t' inside o' t' body tube were fiberglassed with strips o' medium grade cloth and West Systems slow epoxy. Avast! Blimey! T' fiberglassin' o' t' main body was extended over t' aftmost centerin' rin' t' add extra strength. Ya scallywag! T' main body tube be further affixed t' t' aft centerin' rin' with 4 wood screws under t' fiberglass.

T' shock cord is 20 feet o' 1 inch wide tubular nylon. Arrr! As per t' recommendation o' both me TAP advisors, ya bilge rat, I installed a parallel redundant shock cord twice as long, with a 20 foot length o' 1/2 inch wide tubular nylon quick linked t' 20 feet o' 1/2 inch thick bungee cord. Blimey! Arrr! Both cords are quick linked t' MASSIVE 4 inch u-bolts through bulkheads made o' 1/2 inch thick birch in t' booster and in t' payload section bulkhead.

T' instructions were hand-drawn but adequate. Aye aye! Arrr! Since this isn't for a new rocketeer, arrr, details are probably nay as important t' spell out. Avast! Begad! I also modified this kit anyway, t' suit me level 3 requirements and t' incorporate me past reinforcement ideas. T' instructions were in a simple, logical order and thar are a couple simple pictures that mainly illustrate t' big picture, me bucko, nay fine details.

I created me own motor retention system usin' a pair o' 5.5 inch by 1/4 inch thick centerin' rings from Space Modelin' Solutions. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I ordered these rings with 3 inch holes t' accept me Kosdon 76/6000 hardware. T' first o' t' pair o' rings was permanently epoxied and bolted t' t' aftmost centerin' rin' o' t' main body. T' motor's thin metal thrust rin' rested against this ring. Avast! Begad! then t' second rin' was screwed with 4 wood screws until it lay flat and tight against t' first ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Two steel mirror hangers were screwed in through both rings and their hooked ends held t' motor 180 degrees apart from each other.

T' parachute is a decommissioned 15 foot white nylon military chute. It came with links t' add it right into t' recovery system.

T' rocket comes with two very thick and strong launch lugs that can take one inch rods and I glassed them onto t' rocket, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but TAP members seemed t' prefer t' rail system, so I came prepared with a set o' rail guides and a friend with a rail launcher. Aye aye! Blimey! (Thanks, matey, Marc Casanova!)

T' only difficult part was cuttin' t' grooves in t' body tube t' fit it over t' motor mount/fin assembly.

T' result is a strong rocket that can fly well unglassed, but I glassed it just t' be certain o' strength.

Finishing:
I used teal and purple Krylon spray paint for t' nose cone and fins and Monokote for teal, me bucko, black, and purple color fields along t' length o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! This was meant t' be an Arizona Diamondbacks tribute, and was named T' Big Unit. T' parachute had red markings t' make it look like a giant baseball in t' sky.

Metallic band accents separated t' color fields. Begad! Ya scallywag! These bands are self adhesive mylar.

While this looked nice, ya bilge rat, it doesn't stand up t' near-mach conditions. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! A small section o' t' black field on t' payload section was shorn off durin' t' flight. But t' rocket still returned t' me flyable.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Any M class motor is recommended. Aye aye! I didn't see whether any N types were recommended, but I think that with me glassing, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it could withstand that.

I chose t' Kosdon M1130 and recovery was accomplished with 3 altimeters. Yes, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, three. Avast! This be me level 3 cert that I'd lived and breathed durin' every free minute off work for a month before it finally flew. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be havin' paranoid thoughts and decided on a second backup. Avast! Blimey! My primary altimeter is a Blacksky AltAcc, and accelerometer. Blimey! Blimey! T' first backup is a Skyward Electronics barometric altimeter. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I added a G Wiz 800, another accelerometer. Aye aye! 7 grams o' FFFF black powder proved t' be sufficient on me front yard tests...yes, it sounded like a small cannon too. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! T' chute was protected with a pair o' Nomex/Keelhaul®©™ round protectors.

Everythin' went together easily, but mainly because I chose t' mount t' electronics at home and place t' charge in t' field.

I had been nervous all week, but now I was simply cool and said t' t' guys, "It's showtime."

T' RSO had already made his rounds, arrr, so all I had t' do was march t' t' pad...500 feet away. Aye aye! Begad! Yes, me bucko, I had added 300 more feet o' cord t' me system t' prepare for this, and guys had helped me clear lots o' area t' prevent fires. Begad! Thanks, me bucko, Randall (my husband) and Bryan Foss (a friend in t' club).

Placin' t' behemoth on t' pad be a 3 man job. Avast, me proud beauty! I realized this when I actually saw me creation full standing.

Than it came time t' arm all t' altimeters. Well, blow me down! One had a screw t' turn and t' other two had banana jacks t' pull out. Avast! Begad! But t' rocket was so tall that I had t' stand on top o' t' cab o' me husband's truck t' reach!!! If anyone has a photo o' that, me hearties, I'd love it.

T' igniter be a pair o' magnums from Fire in t' Hole, with an extra 3 inches o' thermalite dipped in Igniterman pyrogen. Blimey! Aye aye! I would these igniters around a wooden dowel rod and put it up into t' motor and taped it securely. Begad! Ahoy! I didn't want pressure t' blow them out.

Then I was about t' hook up me system. Begad! Begad! I always tap t' alligators together t' be sure it's nay live. IT WAS!!! When I heard t' continuity piezo signal, matey, me bucko, I blanched for sure. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I'm SOOO glad I didn't have an M go off near me face.

Well, when it flew, me bucko, me bucko, it roared so straight that I could have climbed t' smoke trail. Arrr! It seemed like t' chute tangled, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, but opened without any body tube zippering. Begad! Begad! But it seemed like thar was an bilge-suckin' lot o' smoke up there. Ahoy! When t' RSO said thar might be a fire, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I was lookin' up. Ya scallywag! maybe 7 grams be too much...but t' RSO was worried about t' ground. Ahoy! T' motor had churned up so much dust that it looked like extra smoke and created a hole in t' ground!

Yahoo! Blimey! 4736 feet t' altimeter said. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! that was fun. Aye aye! Blimey! I think I'll do it again.

Recovery:
I think t' recovery be at t' right time. Arrr! Nay too early and nay late. Blimey! Aye aye! T' chute took a moment t' open, but maybe that was due t' its great size.

Other than a little Monokote bein' peeled, ya bilge rat, t' rocket was flyable again and unharmed.

T' only thin' I'd change is t' use paint instead o' Monokote, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, or t' apply more heat t' apply it. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' last coat, which was t' one torn, matey, was a rush job t' night before and I could have applied more heat for longer. Begad! Maybe it would have stayed on then. Monokote does look really great, though, shiver me timbers, and can hide rough bits on fiberglassed surfaces.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Great project, huge and magnificent. Avast, me proud beauty! A real attention getter. Arrr! Simple and straightforward and a performer. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Really, no CONS.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5