Brief:
A rocket glider made by T' Union Stadt Zeppelin Works, arrr, called "die Fledermaus" that I got off eBay. Ahoy! Begad! It dates back t' t' seventies. Aye aye! Ahoy! It be nay a great performer for me. Begad!

Construction:
T' kit consists of:

• two sheets o' printed balsa
• one instruction sheet printed both sides, arrr, one o' which shows what t' plane will look like.
• a bit o' drinkin' straw as a launch lug
• a block o' balsa
• BT5

T' instructions are terrible. Avast, me proud beauty! Lookin' through them, arrr, it looks like t' modeler has t' think their way through t' kit.

T' block o' balsa is t' make t' nose cone. Ahoy!

Step one is t' cut t' two fuselage side out, me bucko, and then glue them together at t' rear.

As this joint will be takin' some stress durin' t' next stages, me hearties, where t' front end has a bulk head and nose cone fitted, t' glue has t' have set hard.

Next step is t' glue t' nose cone in place--the nose cone is a block o' balsa! Blimey! I did this a step later. Aye aye! Blimey! Instead I put in t' two struts for bulkheads. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Even though t' two sides came from t' same sheet o' balsa, ya bilge rat, one o' t' sides is stiffer than t' other and thar be some warping. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! It still should help with a circular glide!

At this stage, ya bilge rat, I think I'm treatin' this as a prototype and I'll build a second one with better balsa afterwards.

Next comes gluin' in t' motor tube. Arrr! T' BT-5 in t' kit was too long so it is cut down t' size. T' motor must pop out at ejection, matey, matey, which means t' bulk head--a thin sheet o' balsa--is goin' t' take a hit each time. And t' tube must be flush with t' bulkhead--no gaps. Avast! I filleted t' tube and t' fuselage wall, me hearties, arrr, as I don't want this bird t' rip herself t' pieces and I risked t' extra weight.

T' balsa block supplied is far too big and is very hard for balsa. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions show it bein' glued t' the front edges o' t' fuselage. Ahoy! I opted for sittin' it back by about 5mm as this will give it a lot more strength. Avast, me proud beauty! Heavy sandin' later would take t' front nose mass back t' where it should be. Avast! Begad! T' block was pinned whilst it dries. Ahoy! Again, the one stiff fuselage is distortin' t' weaker side.

T' next step is t' start addin' t' wings, etc. Avast! I'm nay sure about t' lack o' dihedral, me bucko, or that t' tail and win' are perfectly aligned with no liftin' surface on either. T' model plan shows a large curve for t' wing, me hearties, but that is impossible t' achieve with t' thin balsa supplied. I then added t' bottom o' t' fuselage and t' rudder, which also has t' grain in t' wrong direction, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and then more o' t' fuselage sections. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone be sanded t' a better profile. Begad! I still got t' lug and t' bottom piece added too, and it was nearly finished.

Stupidly I gave it a quick hand toss in me lab. Arrr! Blimey! It looked like it needs more nose mass but t' last piece may take care o' that. Arrr! Blimey! I put a small dent in t' tail. Arrr! Silver foil was added t' t' base t' prevent motor flames from settin' it on fire. T' launch lug was added t' t' top o' win' off center t' avoid t' rudder.

It needed t' be trimmed as it was tail heavy at t' moment. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' open cockpit was a perfect place for clay weight. I needed 2g t' make it balance.

Finishing:
I have nay gone for any sealing, matey, as I reckon that thar would be some warpin' on t' thin balsa.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight. After trimming, I prepped her with an 1/2A3-2T. Aye aye! T' instruction recommend a 4 second delay, ya bilge rat, which would be too much. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I popped her on a rod with a stand off and launched. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! And thar she sat: rod bind. Begad! T' ejection charge was powerful enough t' eject t' motor and t' blow a 13mm hole through t' front bulk head. Begad! Ahoy! T' silver foil on t' rear fuselage held up well, and was coated in black power residue. Begad! Ya scallywag! On t' positive side, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, this would probably have happen even if she had got into t' air. I double checked t' make sure that t' motor (and therefore t' line o' thrust) was in line with t' lug, me hearties, which it was.

I mended t' bulkhead, trimmed down t' launch lug t' 8mm, cleaned and graphite rubbed t' rod, arrr, so I hoped for a better second flight...

Second (and final) flight. Ahoy! No rod bind this time. Blimey! Begad! She arched straight off t' rod, hit ground under full power, and snapped into two halves.

T' be fair t' t' kit, matey, others have cloned this rocket--plans have been posted t' TRF, and with some modifications their planes flew, me bucko, returnin' with over 40 seconds o' glide, arrr, which isn't bad.

Recovery:
I can't really comment on flight recovery, as she never flew!

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I liked t' build o' this unusual rocket, and judgin' by t' amount o' rocketeers on TRF that wanted t' plans, so do other people. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! My rocket might have failed just down t' me poor build or bein' unlucky. Avast, me proud beauty! Hopefully, ya bilge rat, others will build her and if they have better luck, then I'll rebuild.

There are some modifications that are needed--better balsa, a heavier bulkhead, shiver me timbers, thrust ring, and maybe canting the motor mount.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5