Brief:
T' BMS School Rocket is a basic four fin and a nose cone streamer recovery beginner rocket that is well thought out and well executed. It has a few interestin' features includin' through-the-wall fin mountin' for extra ruggedness and laser etched lines t' tell you where t' put t' centerin' rings on t' motor mount and t' launch lug on t' body. It's a little larger and more complex t' build than some starter rockets, but this, t' me, me hearties, is a good thing. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' fins are laser-cut balsa, me bucko, and t' nose cone is a typically high-quality BMS balsa turning. T' School Rocket is also good lookin' (in me opinion).

All o' that would be for nothin' though if it weren't a nice flyer. But it flies very nicely indeed.

At $5.25 each, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, it's also an extremely good value.

Construction:
Introduction:

I'm a BAR comin' back t' t' hobby after well over 30 years, matey, ya bilge rat, at t' behest o' a group o' homeschool students for whom I be teachin' an "Aeronautics" course last school year. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I'm also an engineer by trainin' and have a penchant for testin' and evaluatin' things. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! As such, me bucko, after last spring's foray into rockets, arrr, I was lookin' for a rocket for t' this year's students that met a particular set o' requirements. I laid them out in a post on Ye Old Rocket Forum in a thread askin' for what aspects o' a model rocket one be lookin' for. Here's what I posted thar last March 30th:

"First, me hearties, in opposition t' many o' t' others, I'm lookin' for a simple (but nay TOO simple) introductory model t' use with students. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! 3 (or 4) FNC is OK for this. Blimey! Requirements and objectives are:

• Balsa fins (and preferably nose cone), though pre cut (laser) is OK
• Larger than BT-20/ST-7 tube diameter (so that one has t' build a motor mount assembly)
• Rugged, me hearties, streamer recovery (small fields)
• Either TTW fins (ala Quest Astra) or some clever fin alignment scheme like on t' FlisKits Triskelion would be a plus.
• Modern recovery mountin' (long enough shock cord and probably a Keelhaul®©™® line t' t' engine mount rather than a trifold paper mount) would also be desirable.
• Related t' that, ya bilge rat, maybe even a baffle system so as t' obviate t' need for waddin' would be really cool. Begad! I've yet t' try this myself but I really like t' concept. Blimey! [Since I wrote this I have tried a baffle and love 'em.]
• An optional short payload section t' accommodate t' Winged Shadow/Quest How High SP altimeter would also be a plus.

I'd really want a couple o' these for myself too, me bucko, matey, especially if all this list was met (though I have less need for t' fin alignment help - I hope)."

Recently I stumbled across t' Balsa Machinin' Service School Rocket - I'm nay sure where I first read about it - and doggone if it doesn't meet just about all t' requirements I laid out last Spring. Ahoy! T' only objective it doesn't meet is usin' a baffle. Aye aye! Aye aye! There is even a payload section option (for an additional dollar!). Blimey!

As I understand it, t' current configuration o' t' BMS School Rocket be developed over a number o' years and with t' input o' a number o' teachers who have used it in their classes. This is apparent from all t' carefully thought-out details o' t' design. Well, blow me down! Begad!

Components:

Specifically t' School Rocket is based on an 11 1/4 inch long 0.976 inch OD body tube, shiver me timbers, with four through-the wall mounted 3/32 inch balsa laser-cut fins. Aye aye! It is streamer recovery, shiver me timbers, usin' a blue metallized and crinkly plastic streamer material that is 1 3/4 inches wide and 24 inches long. Avast! Bill at BMS tells me this material is sold as metallic party streamers in party supply stores. It reminds me o' an over-sized version o' that ribbed ribbon sold for gift wrappin' that you can curl by draggin' it over a sharp edge.

T' all-Keelhaul®©™® shock cord (no elastic element) is about 3 feet long. Blimey! Arrr! I was skeptical about this at first but after six flights I find it works just fine without havin' any stretchy bits.

T' motor mount assembly features a laser-cut hole in t' motor tube for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, me hearties, a laser-cut slot for t' upper end o' t' motor hook, matey, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and laser-scribed lines showin' where t' fiber centerin' rings should end up when glued in place (so that they're well out o' t' way o' t' tabs on t' fins that are glued t' t' motor tube). Blimey! Blimey! There is both a motor block and a motor hook in t' mount assembly. Blimey! Blimey! T' hook is nice and springy and made in t' style o' t' original Centuri/Estes hooks without t' extra "handle" on t' end. Ahoy! Blimey!

Laser etchin' is also used t' mark t' launch lug position on t' body. By t' way, arrr, t' launch lug is 3/16 inch in diameter, so as t' make it easier for kids t' thread it onto a regular 1/8 inch diameter launch rod.

T' nose cone is a nice, smooth 2 5/8 inch ogive (with rounded tip) balsa cone. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Would you expect anythin' else from a company called Balsa Machining? It has a large diameter central hole into which you glue a supplied ribbed dowel. Aye aye! Blimey! T' supplied screw eye is threaded into a pilot hole in that dowel. Avast! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is tied t' t' eye and t' streamer attached t' t' it.

T' payload section option consists o' a laser-cut 1/4 inch ply disk which is piloted for t' screw eye, ya bilge rat, a stage coupler and a 2 3/4 inch-long section o' body tube. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I haven't tried it yet, shiver me timbers, but have one in hand t' try.

Construction:

T' instructions are clearly and profusely illustrated with drawings. Begad! Aye aye! They take up most o' both sides o' two 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheets. Begad! Half o' one side is taken up by t' NARRRRR Safety Code - a handy reference for a student. Begad! As appears t' be customary with bulk packs o' kits, you get one set o' instructions no matter how many kits you order and are expected t' reproduce them as needed for your group.

T' assembly order is conventional - first t' motor mount assembly, arrr, me bucko, then t' fins, shiver me timbers, then t' nose cone and recovery system. Begad! T' only tiny departure I took from t' instructions be t' use t' double-gluin' technique rather than "hold and wait" t' attach t' fins. Begad! By t' way, shiver me timbers, t' instructions can be downloaded as a .pdf from the BMS site here: http://www.balsamachining.com/school.pdf

I used regular Elmers White Glue for all assembly. Aye aye! Blimey!

T' motor block was a surprisingly loose fit in t' motor tube. Avast! I asked Bill at BMS about this and he said that it was intentional - so that inexperienced hands could put too much glue on it and still get it into place without worryin' about it gettin' stuck part way in. Blimey! Begad! I also thought that t' fin tabs could be just a laser beams' width longer and he said this, me bucko, too, ya bilge rat, was intentional, shiver me timbers, and for t' same reason - t' easily cope with heavy-handed application o' glue.

Once t' mount/shock cord assembly is ready, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it's installed. Blimey! Arrr! Then t' fins are mounted t' both t' body tube and through t' laser-cut slots in t' wall o' t' BT t' t' motor tube. This, o' course, guarantees that t' fins are parallel t' t' direction o' flight and helps get them nice and perpendicular t' t' body. Blimey!

T' next step is t' apply glue fillets t' t' fin/body joints and glue t' launch lug on t' body tube in the laser-scribed rectangle. Avast! T' resultin' fin joints are VERY sturdy, me hearties, and t' School Rocket be t' only one o' my streamer-recovered fleet that hasn't popped a fin on a landing. Blimey! Blimey! I really had a chance t' test t' fin attachment on the fifth flight - but I'm gettin' ahead o' myself...

T' instructions next have you install t' screw eye in t' dowel and then glue t' dowel into t' nose cone. Aye aye! It might make more sense t' do this in t' opposite order so as t' be able t' insert t' glue laden dowel all t' way into its place in t' nose cone by simply pressin' t' assembly down on a flat surface. Blimey! Unlike t' motor block, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' dowel is a fairly snug fit in t' nose cone and one wouldn't want t' glue t' grab while it be still stickin' out some. Ahoy!

Finally t' streamer is taped t' t' shock cord about six inches from t' nose cone, then t' end is folded over and stapled. Aye aye! Blimey! I like this attachment better than, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, say, tyin' a plastic streamer t' either t' nose cone or t' shock cord directly (as I've seen in some other basic streamer recovered rockets), ya bilge rat, matey, and it's simpler than havin' a separate line attachment.

Finishing:
T' instructions make finishin' t' rocket optional - it certainly could be flown naked. I applied several coats of Varathane sandin' sealer on t' fins and nose cone, me hearties, then sprayed one coat o' Kilz primer from a rattle can. Final finish be red and white Ace Hardware spray paint that has t' characteristics o' t' old Krylon. I managed t' find some this past sprin' as I was readin' about t' change in Krylon's formula on YORF.

There are no decals supplied - but then, matey, for $5.25, I didn't really expect any. Ya scallywag! I still think I should use some adhesive backed model airplane trim material t' put a stripe or somethin' on it, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I haven't, me hearties, matey, me bucko, yet.

My SR's finished weight (no waddin' or motor) was 0.98 ounce.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
The only recommended motor is an A8-3. Well, blow me down! Since t' SR only weighs an ounce before waddin' and a motor, me hearties, an A is definitely the way t' go unless you have a good sized field and little or no wind. Since t' tube is BT-50 sized, four squares of Estes waddin' is about right.

As o' this writin' I have six flights on t' one in t' pictures. Arrr! T' first four flights were at t' monthly Boein' Employees Model Rocket Club (BEMRC) launch in September. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' site is nay large and is bordered on t' north by t' Boein' Kent facility and on t' south by a very active four-lane street, arrr, arrr, so stayin' on t' field is important. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down!

T' first flight be on an Estes A8-3. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It was nice and straight and very pleasingly high, with ejection occurring a little early. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Deployment was good and t' streamer is quite effective at slowin' t' descent while nay havin' the rocket drift too far. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

Next I tried a Quest A8-3 (this is a German-made motor that Quest is currently substitutin' for their Chinese A6-4s when you order directly from them - Here's a discussion on Ye Olde Rocket Forum). Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' flight profile was similar, ya bilge rat, but with a more appropriate ejection point. It appears that these really do have 3 second delays. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

After that I got cocky and tried an Estes B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Wow, what a nice high flight. Blimey! Arrr! Trackin' smoke was a good thing this time. Ejection appeared t' be very near apogee. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' field almost didn't contain it, though as it came down maybe 30 feet from t' road. Ahoy!

T' next flight, also on an Estes B6-4, me bucko, me bucko, matey, was on a nearly windless mornin' after me class, shiver me timbers, from a nearby park. Again a spectacularly high boost, good deployment and recovery...until it just brushed t' leaves o' a tree on t' edge o' t' soccer field I be operatin' out of. Avast, me proud beauty! T' good news was that t' tree didn't eat it. Begad! T' bad news be that there was an asphalt trail next t' t' tree, so it landed, me hearties, hard, on t' asphalt. Blimey! Just about anythin' else would've popped a fin, but t' through-the-wall mounts meant that they stayed on. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Two o' them were cracked, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, and t' engine hook was loosened (it's t' lowest point on t' rocket). Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone also acquired a few dents.

A few drops o' thin CA took care o' o' t' fins and t' motor tube tear and she's ready t' go again. Blimey! Aye aye! She's nay as pretty as she was, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but she still flies fine.

T' most recent flight was at t' October BEMRC launch. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This time I used a Chinese-made Quest A6-4. Ahoy! Blimey! Even though t' breeze was quite light, shiver me timbers, matey, it tipped upwind comin' off t' rod. Begad! Blimey! T' oversize launch lug lets it angle a few degrees from a 1/8 inch rod, shiver me timbers, and t' slow thrust buildup o' t' Quest A6-4 (see t' time/thrust curves on t' NARRRRR site) means it's nay movin' as fast as it might be with another motor choice.

T' net result was an arcin' flight with a quite late ejection that ended again testin' t' TTW fins by landing on an asphalt parkin' lot. One o' t' fins cracked in t' prior asphalt landin' got chipped again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and thar are a couple more dents in t' nose cone....but a little thin CA on t' fin returned it t' flyin' status. At some point I should fill all t' nose cone dents and maybe shoot another coat o' white on it. But I'll probably just keep flyin' it.

Recovery:
As I alluded t' above, t' shock cord is only a Keelhaul®©™® line. Avast! Avast! It is attached t' t' motor mount through a precut hole and looped around t' motor block. Blimey! T' streamer is then attached as I described above.

T' streamer seems t' be just about perfect for t' SR's weight - a good compromise betwixt slow descent and drift. Begad! I have had a little meltin' (when I used three squares o' Estes waddin' instead o' four) so I am in search o' a party store that has this neat material available so that I can replace it when needed. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't found it yet, ya bilge rat, though.

So far (six flights on a combination o' American, German and Chinese-made motors) t' shock cord is doin' well. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!

I may fit a larger streamer or a small 'chute (BMS also has a $2 9-inch ready-to-use ripstop nylon parachute option) when I try t' payload section. I will definitely fly one o' me Winged Shadow/Quest How High altimeters in one o' these in t' future. Avast!

It would also be really cool t' fly one on a C motor, shiver me timbers, but I have no idea when I'll have a venue suitable t' try that with a reasonable chance o' gettin' it back. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! :-)

If thar were one thin' I'd change, it would be t' use ST-9 rather than BT-50 tubin' for t' body so it would be a little more rugged, me bucko, nay that I've seen a need for this yet in actual flying.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Balsa Machinin' Service School Rocket is easy t' build (but nay so simple as t' nay teach a new rocketeer basic buildin' techniques). Blimey! Buildin' it yields a rugged, matey, good flyin' and pleasant-lookin' rocket. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Its recovery system works well yet helps keep it in t' park or school yard. Avast! It is obvious that those who help beginners get started in model rocketry have had their inputs t' t' design.

T' through-the-wall fin mountin' is almost unique in this type o' starter rocket and t' combination o' TTW fins, streamer recovery and balsa nose cone IS unique so far as I can tell. Avast! Ya scallywag! It's a good combination. Ahoy! Begad!

I really can't think o' anythin' I'd call a "con". Avast, me proud beauty! In me opinion t' BMS School Rocket hits t' center o' t' target. I'll be usin' it in me Aeronautics class this year, arrr, shiver me timbers, so soon I'll see if it works as well with inexperienced young builders as I expect it to. Avast! Blimey! Perhaps I can check back in here after we've flown them.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5