Overview

T' Tall Tail 10 is a big honkin' single-stage rocket designed t' fly on one 24mm or 29mm motor. Blimey! T' basic design is three 3-foot sections o' decreasin' diameter on t' way up, with balsa transitions betwixt each section. T' bottom section has three long elliptical fins and t' motor mount. Each 3-foot section comes apart for transport. Avast! Arrr! In flight, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' rocket breaks into two segments at ejection: t' upper 6+ feet with t' nose cone, and t' lower 3 feet with t' fins and motor mount. Each segment recovers on its own 6-foot shock cord and 30-inch mylar parachute.

Kit Specifications (from instruction sheet)

• Length: 118"/2997mm *
• Diameter - 2.25"/57mm
• Weight - 390g
• Skill Level: 1

* T' printed spec sheet does nay quite match t' actual parts in me kit.

Measured Dimensions

• Length: 115.65 inches (24mm motor adapter adds another 0.5 inches)
• Component Weight (no glue or paint): 13.26 oz (29mm mount) 13.61 oz (w/24mm adapter)

Background:

I won this kit a first prize in EMRR Virtual Rocket Contest #6 (Longnecks) in early March. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! My kit was t' first production unit, #001. Begad! Due t' some component procurement problems, me bucko, me bucko, I did nay receive t' kit until early May. Well, blow me down! Nay a problem, though. Begad! Jerry from USR kept me up t' date on t' status with periodic e-mails.

T' kit arrived packed in a standard clear plastic bag with a paper hang tag. Well, blow me down! No shippin' damage. Avast, me proud beauty! My first reaction: WOW! There's a whole lot o' rocket in that bag!

Parts List

• 2 BT-22-18 Airframe Tubes
• 2 BT-60-18 Airframe Tubes
• 2 BT-55-18 Airframe Tubes
• 2 TC-22-2 Tube Couplers
• 1 TC-55-2 Tube Coupler
• 1 NC-55-Parabolic Nose Cone
• 1 BR-22-60 Large Balsa Reducer
• 1 BR-60-55 Small Balsa Reducer
• 2 CR-22-11 Centerin' Rings
• 1 BT-11-4 Motor Tube
• 1 CT-11-9-2 Conversion Tube
• 1 BT-9-3 Motor Tube
• 3 Sheets 3"x9"x3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
• 1 Elliptical Fin Pattern
• 1 SE-1 Screw Eye
• 1 SA-1 Screw Eye Anchor
• 1 LL-1/4-2 Launch Lug
• 2 SC-7 Shock Cord
• 1 SCM-1 Shock Cord Mount
• 2 PAR-30 Parachutes
• 1 Tall Tail 10 Instructions
• 1 Report: "Motor Installation"

T' largest tubes are similar t' Estes BT-70 but twice t' thickness. Avast! Arrr! They have a smooth white glassine finish with minimal spiral. T' other tubin' looks like standard brown BT-60 and BT-50.

I was disappointed t' see that t' big tubes had suffered some obvious water damage before they were packed into t' bag. Avast, me proud beauty! T' tubin' had swelled enough that t' couplers would nay fit, shiver me timbers, and t' tubes smelled o' mildew. Begad! I ended up trimmin' off 1.5 inches from each large tube.

T' large tube couplers are nay standard brown kraft paper; they have t' same white glassine coatin' as t' large body tubes. Avast! Arrr! T' shock cords are a very generous 72 inches long.

T' instructions are printed on four 8.5x11-inch pages on orange paper. Blimey! T' directions have lots o' text and plenty o' computer-generated illustrations.

Construction:

This kit is rated as Skill Level 1, me hearties, but I think it should be more like Skill Level 2. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It's nay that t' construction is difficult, but flyin' it successfully will require skills that a beginner is nay likely t' have.

T' first step is t' cut t' fins from t' provided fin stock. These fins have a 3-inch chord, me bucko, 9-inch semi-span, matey, and 3/32" thickness. I was a bit concerned by t' amount o' flex in t' fins when I cut them out. Well, blow me down! Flight testin' would later validate me concerns. Ahoy! T' fins are surface-glued t' t' bottom-most large body tube. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' launch lug is cut into two pieces and glued onto each end o' that same tube.

Next, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, an adapter is built t' allow usin' 24mm motors in t' 29mm native motor mount.

T' balsa transition section that couples t' middle section t' t' bottom has an interestin' layout. Aye aye! A plywood reinforcement disk is glued t' t' bottom o' t' transition. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' screw eye is inserted through this disk into t' balsa. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' result is very strong without addin' a lot o' weight. Avast! Next a 2-inch length o' tubin' coupler is glued t' t' bottom o' t' transition. Arrr! Blimey! When questioned about t' reason for this, Jerry at USR informed me that this was added t' prevent flexin' o' t' body. I can attest that it works quite well at preventin' t' flexin' that is common in SuperRoc designs.

All three pairs o' matchin' 18-inch tubin' are glued together usin' couplers. Ahoy! T' top two 3-foot sections each have a balsa transition glued t' its bottom. T' nose cone is friction-fit into t' top o' t' upper section.

One shock cord is glued into t' lowest section usin' a paper shock cord mount. T' other shock cord is tied t' t' screw eye in t' base o' t' largest transition. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Parachutes are tied t' each shock cord.

Finally, t' 29mm motor mount is assembled and glued into t' bottom o' t' large tube.

Modifications

Okay, that be a description o' how t' kit be supposed t' be built. Begad! Now I'll tell how I actually built it.

Fin Braces - I be a bit concerned about such a thin gluin' surface for such a large fin, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so I decided t' experiment by makin' fin braces from 1/4" balsa angle stock. Begad! Avast! First I glued t' angle stock near t' root edge o' t' fin. Avast! Then I wrapped a piece o' sandpaper around t' tube and sanded t' root t' match t' contour o' t' body. They turned out okay, but it was a tedious process t' get them shaped without havin' them off-center or crooked, shiver me timbers, and I don't necessarily recommend others attempt this.

After paintin' t' fins and body, I glued t' finished fin assembly t' t' body usin' 5-minute epoxy. Well, blow me down! T' matin' surfaces were masked off durin' paintin' so that t' epoxy could grip bare wood and tubing. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' maskin' tape shown in t' photo below was just an aid for gettin' t' vertical alignment consistent.

Weight Reduction - I be very concerned about t' weight o' this rocket. Even with minimal paint or glue, ya bilge rat, this kit comes in right around t' FAA weight limit o' 16 ounces when loaded with an E9 or an F21. Even with no paint at all, t' takeoff weight would exceed t' rated Maximum Liftoff Weight for an Estes E9 or D12 engine. I started lookin' for places t' shave weight.

1. Since me tubin' had some water damage, I cut 1.5 inches from each BT-70 tube. Net savings: 0.37 oz.
2. T' twin 30-inch mylar parachutes are way too big for this kit. Avast! Aye aye! Swappin' them down for 21-inch mylar chutes reduces t' drift and saves 0.49 oz.
3. T' SE-1 screw eye provided be t' same one that is used in USR's much larger kits. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! There is nay much stress on it durin' deployment, arrr, me bucko, so a smaller SE-0 screw eye is easily strong enough and weighs 0.13 oz less.

Total savings so far: 0.99 oz. That got me under t' FAA limit, but it be still marginal for use with E9 or D12 engines.

Modularization - I noticed that if I did nay glue t' coupler t' both pieces o' tubin' in t' middle o' each 3-foot section, ya bilge rat, I would be able t' add or remove segments at will. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! By removin' one 18-inch piece o' heavy tubin' from t' bottom section, I could save about 2.5 ounces. Arrr! Blimey! That would get me well into t' safe weight range for a D12 or E9, while still bein' a respectable 8+ feet tall. Begad! Blimey! By removin' additional tubin' segments, shorter configurations o' 6.5 and 5 feet tall are also possible.

As an added bonus, arrr, t' disassembled 18-inch pieces can nest together, me hearties, makin' it possible t' put t' entire rocket back into its original bag with just t' fins hangin' out. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! This makes transport very convenient.

Interchangeable Motor Mounts - After readin' about t' USR Interroc with its modular "Interchangeable Motor Mounts-TM", ya bilge rat, I thought this would be a slick addition that would allow me t' choose either a single 24mm, single 29mm, shiver me timbers, or 3x24mm cluster. I used t' Tall Tail 10 kit parts t' make a removable 29mm mount, matey, and Jerry kindly sent me t' extra parts t' make a 3x24mm mount.

Jerry is a firm believer in t' use o' maskin' tape for thrust rings and motor retention. Avast! Begad! I find that tape has its uses, matey, but I prefer other methods when they are available. Avast! For that reason, I used strips o' t' water-damaged tubin' t' make thrust rings on t' outside o' each interchangeable mount (painted red in t' photos above and below).

I also added a threaded rod with T-nuts on each end t' retain t' motors in t' cluster mount. Begad! T' threaded rod is long enough t' hold E motors. It retracts into t' body when flyin' D motors so that thar be nay a hot metal spike stickin' out o' t' bottom durin' landings.

I will still be usin' tape t' hold t' mounts into t' airframe, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but nay as much.

Finishing:

Because I was concerned about t' weight, me hearties, I skipped me usual routine o' spiral filling, matey, priming, matey, and sanding. Ahoy! Instead, me hearties, me bucko, I went straight t' t' final finish colors: Apple Red Gloss for t' top section, arrr, me hearties, White Gloss for t' middle, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, and Brilliant Blue Gloss on t' bottom. Ahoy! Begad! One coat o' white be nay enough t' cover t' brown kraft tubin' so I added a second coat o' white paint on t' middle section. T' nose cone got a coat o' Flat Black. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! All paints were Rustoleum Painters Choice.

T' fins got one coat o' Kilz Primer, me hearties, sanded down t' almost bare wood, then a coat o' Flat Black. Blimey! T' balsa transitions also got a coat o' Kilz Primer mostly sanded off, and a coat o' Red or Blue.

T' kit comes without any decals. T' jazz things up, matey, I took a leftover US Rockets logo sticker from a USR MR-2B kit I be buildin' and put it on t' blue bottom section. Ahoy! T' make t' decal colors show up better, shiver me timbers, I added a small square o' white paint where t' decal would go.

I stuck some patriotic window clings on t' white middle section. I intended t' use Future acrylic floor polish t' bond them in place, me bucko, but after three flights none o' them has peeled off yet.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery

Recommended Motors

T' instructions list many recommended motors that are no longer available.

T' instructions show predicted altitudes for some motors, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, but most o' t' predictions are too high. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Below are some altitude predictions usin' t' measured weights. T' first table also includes recommended rod lengths t' reach 30 MPH safe flight speed.

In most o' these tables, shiver me timbers, I recommend AGAINST flyin' with single Estes motors because o' t' slow takeoff speed. Begad! Blimey! Out o' fairness t' Jerry, low performance flights were exactly what he intended when he designed this kit. Aye aye! Blimey! He even makes light o' it on t' Tall Tail 10 web page, shiver me timbers, changin' his company motto t' "LESS Power T' You!" Your mama needs more drama, ya bilge rat, and drama is what you'll get launchin' it with a single Estes engine.

* Single Estes engines nay recommended unless very calm wind

* Single Estes engines nay recommended unless very light wind

* Single Estes engines nay recommended unless light wind

* Single Estes engines nay recommended unless light wind

Flight Preparation

Here are t' steps for flight preparation:

1. Wrap a band o' tape around t' base o' t' engine t' form a thrust ring. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey!
2. Insert motor into interchange mount.
3. Wrap a layer o' tape over t' joint.
4. Insert t' interchange mount into t' body.
5. Wrap a layer o' tape over t' joint.
6. Insert a 2-inch layer o' waddin' into t' lower body tube.
7. Fold and insert t' TOP parachute into t' lower body tube, me bucko, along with its shock cord.
8. Fold and insert t' BOTTOM parachute into t' lower body tube. Avast! Blimey! This order is important t' ensure that both chutes get pulled free in case o' weak ejection charges.
9. Connect all t' remainin' sections. Ahoy! Maskin' tape should be applied t' t' couplers t' get good snug fits at every joint except t' one with t' shock cord anchors. Blimey! Ya scallywag! That one should be able t' slide out freely.

Test Flights

Flight 1

T' debut o' t' Tall Tail 10 be at a Cub Scout launch in June. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! After all t' boys had flown their rockets t' first time and while they were preppin' for their second flight, I quietly slipped t' TT10 out o' its bag and began assemblin' t' parts. Aye aye! Blimey! When I held it up and said "Hey guys, arrr, matey, do you think I should fly this one?", you should have seen t' looks on their faces! Blimey! They totally freaked out at how big it was and began askin' all kinds o' questions about it. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Even t' parents gathered around t' get a closer look at it!

I loaded an Aerotech E30-4, matey, me hearties, figurin' that should have enough oomph t' get it up t' safe flyin' speed right off t' rod, matey, but still keep t' flight low enough t' stay in t' field. As expected, arrr, it zipped off t' rod quickly, wiggled just a little, then climbed straight and smooth until just before engine burnout. All o' sudden, all 3 fins shredded! T' airframe lurched around t' sky for a few seconds until both chutes opened. Aye aye! As a cloud o' balsa confetti rained down on t' field, t' huge 30-inch chutes carried t' body sections gracefully away, far beyond t' edge o' t' field in t' nearly-still air.

Post-flight inspection showed that t' fin braces did their job. Well, blow me down! They were still firmly attached, but t' fins had splintered. Arrr! Suspectin' that t' cause was fin vibration, I put out a plea for help on T' Rocketry Forum. Arrr! My plea be answered by rocket simulation wizard Bruce S. Levison. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Bruce used AeroFinSim t' analyze t' fins and confirmed that an E30 will reach speeds fast enough t' shred t' long thin fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Note that E30 is one o' t' smallest engines that can safely launch this model. Ahoy! It is supposed t' be capable o' usin' small H engines. Begad! Begad! Obviously not.

When I sent an e-mail t' Jerry tellin' him that I had found "the speed o' balsa", he good-naturedly congratulated me on t' dubious accomplishment. Ahoy! Arrr! He also asked for suggestions on how t' change t' fin design t' make it safe.

Bruce and I spent many hours over t' next few days simulatin' alternative fin configurations. Blimey! We determined that shortenin' t' semi-span from 9 inches down t' 6-inchs and usin' thicker 1/8" stock would allow t' fins t' survive any single 24mm composite engine or any 3x black-powder cluster. Arrr! Some 29mm engines could still shred t' 6"x1/8" fins, matey, but increasin' t' thickness t' 3/16" should allow them t' survive most 29mm engines (assumin' t' glue joints hold). Jerry is lookin' at makin' this change in later production kits.

I didn't plan usin' an H in mine and I wanted t' re-use t' fin braces that were still attached t' t' body, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, so I created a new set o' shorter fins usin' some new 3/32" fin stock. Aye aye! T' new fins were only 4.5 inches long, with a reverse clipped delta planform like t' USR Transformer. Avast, me proud beauty! RockSim said that despite havin' only half t' area o' t' originals, shiver me timbers, they would still be stable even with clustered engines. Accordin' t' FinSim, me hearties, shiver me timbers, these short thin fins should be able t' handle a single F engine or a D cluster easily. Well, blow me down! A cluster o' E9's or a single G may be still be enough t' damage those fins. Arrr! Ya scallywag! If I was startin' from scratch I would have used thicker stock and avoided t' risk.

Flights 2 and 3

About 3 weeks later, I flew at a high-power field in Wisconsin. We had FAA waivers in place, so I assembled t' full 9.5-foot configuration and loaded up t' 3x24mm cluster adapter with D12-5's. T' takeoff weight was about 19 ounces. T' wind was blowin' about 8-10 MPH, and we had t' put sand-bags on t' pad t' keep it from tippin' over. Aye aye! Begad! Since t' pieces had drifted so far on t' 30-inch chutes in much calmer air, shiver me timbers, I replaced them both with new Rockethead 24" mylar chutes.

All three engines lit simultaneously and t' TT10 zipped nicely off t' pad. Blimey! Blimey! I thought it looked straight but one bystander mentioned a wobble durin' t' flight. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At apogee around 1000 feet, both chutes opened perfectly and carried t' body segments t' gentle landings about 2000 feet down-range. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' 24-inch parachutes are still too big.

For t' third flight, matey, I replaced t' chutes with two 21-inch Rockethead mylar chutes and loaded an F21-6W motor into t' 24mm adapter. Takeoff be fast, followed by a nice straight flight. Ejection occured somewhere near apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord from t' upper segment got wrapped around t' chute for t' lower segment, preventin' it from inflating. Avast, me proud beauty! Both segments came down together supported by a single 21-inch chute. Ahoy! Blimey! T' landin' was a bit fast, but caused no damage. Arrr! Aye aye! It looks like twin 21-inch chutes would be about t' right size.

Even though other rockets were flyin' on H and I motors that day, me bucko, t' Tall Tail 10 was t' tallest rocket at t' launch and got a lot o' attention.

Flight 1 Rating: 2 out o' 5
Flight 2 & 3 Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary o' Suggested Modifications

Overall Rating: I have t' give this two different scores. Arrr! Ya scallywag! When built usin' t' original parts and directions, matey, I can only give it 2 out o' 5. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins shredded in mid-air when usin' a relatively small engine, which is a definite no-no. Arrr! It's a little too heavy t' fly safely on t' recommended black-powder motors, and unless it is flown naked, it will exceed t' 16-oz FAA weight limit at takeoff.

Pros (Stock)

• HUGE. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A real attention-getter.
• Balsa transitions make it a bit more stylish than many other SuperRocs.
• Very sturdy for its size.

Cons (Stock)

• Flimsy fins shredded in flight usin' small motor.
• A little too heavy t' fly legally without FAA notification.
• A little too heavy t' fly safely with Estes engines.
• Twin 30-inch parachutes are way too large.
• Preppin' requires plenty o' maskin' tape.
• Parts arrive water damaged.
• For t' $69.95 price, I would like it t' use "Interchangeable Motor Mounts-TM" like t' $39.95 Interroc.
• A set o' stickers would be nice

After bein' modified with shorter stronger fins, arrr, modular sections, interchangeable mounts, arrr, and smaller chutes, this is a great rocket, me bucko, worthy o' a 4.5 ratin' at least.

Pros (Modified)

• HUGE. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! A real attention-getter.
• Several length configurations t' match available engines and wind conditions.
• Adaptable t' fly on a wide variety o' engine configurations.
• Sections nest for easy transport.
• Very sturdy for its size.

Cons (Modified)

• Preppin' still requires plenty o' maskin' tape.

After t' bad experience on t' first flight I could just written a lousy review and moved on. However, I saw that this kit had potential greatness and I'm glad I spent t' time t' make t' modifications. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It's a fun rocket t' fly. Avast! Aye aye! Hopefully, US Rockets will include many o' these changes in their production units.

Overall Ratin' (Stock): 2 out o' 5
Overall Ratin' (Modified): 4.5 out o' 5