| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2012-09-30 |
| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief
Back in 1977, I sent for an FSI catlog after findin' an address in t' back o' a library book. While nay as flashy as t' Centuri and Estes catalogs I be used to, me hearties, thar were a couple o' designs that caught me eye back then, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, specifically t' Nova and Sprint. Begad! Blimey! I eventually found an original FSI Nova that I built and flew, ya bilge rat, but t' Sprint remained elusive. I recently made a Semroc purchase o' parts that I thought I needed t' rebuild a Centuri Taurus upscale that I'd built and flown several years back, matey, but found that I could reuse a lot more o' t' original parts than I thought. Arrr! Blimey! This left me with two TA6070 transitions and no clear project for them. Begad! Blimey! I hate t' waste anything, especially anythin' as well made as a Semroc balsa transition, hence me "FSI Upscale" phase.
Components
- 14.25" BT-70 body tube (BMS)
- 7.5" BT-60 body tube (BMS)
- 4" BT-40 engine tube (BMS)
- TA-6070 balsa transition (Semroc)
- BNC-70B nose cone (Semroc)
- 1/8" balsa stock
- 5020 engine block (Semroc)
- 36" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- 36" shock cord 1/4" sewin' elastic
- medium screw eye
- large snap swivel
- reefed 18" parachute
Construction
There aren't a whole lot o' parts for this rocket, which greatly cuts down on t' chance o' gotchas. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I love projects like that. Aye aye! Arrr! T' most work-intensive part o' t' project was drillin' out t' center o' t' TA6070 transition, which I accomplished usin' by first drillin' through t' transition with a 1/8" drill bit, arrr, then takin' out enough o' t' rest o' t' material t' make a BT-50 size hole with a Dremel tool and attachment.
As with most o' me projects, arrr, I tied a 36" piece o' Keelhaul®©™ behind t' front centerin' rin' t' anchor t' rest o' t' recovery system. This be threaded up through t' Dremel hole in t' transition and attached t' a 36" length o' 1/4" sewin' elastic. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! A medium snap-swivel attached t' a hefty screw eye which be glued into t' nose cone bottom t' tie t' whole thin' together.
Finishing
After disposin' o' t' balsa grain and tube spirals with two coats o' thinned Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler and LOTS o' sanding, I sprayed t' rocket with white Valspar primer. I then sprayed one fin with Rustoleum Flourescent Orange, me bucko, completely masked it off down t' t' body tube, then burnished t' edges o' t' tape t' keep any o' t' paint t' come from seepin' in. Ahoy! Begad! T' main body tube was sprayed with Valspar gloss white, while t' nose cone and everythin' below t' transition was painted with Valspar gloss black. When all was dry I unmasked t' orange fin and as usual, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, was pleasantly surprised at t' "pop" that t' flourescent paint provides. Begad! I had no decals planned, me hearties, but with t' white, orange and black scheme I was reminded o' t' Cincinnati Bengals, arrr, and found a photo o' a vintage logo that I remembered from grade school that was perfectly sized for t' upper body tube. Aye aye! Ahoy! I'm nay sure how this ties in with t' whole Sprint thing, me bucko, me hearties, arrr, but it sure beats a big, blank section o' white body tube.
Flight
To date I've made only one flight with t' Sprint, but that was due t' a backlog o' first flight mid-power kits more than anythin' else. Well, blow me down! Loaded with an Estes E9-4, t' rocket lifted off with authority and immediately began t' windcock. Avast! Blimey! Ejection occurred as t' rocket was approachin' horizontal due t' t' wind, shiver me timbers, but recovery was perfect and t' rocket recovered deep in t' cornfield on t' 12" nylon chute, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so deep that it initially appeared t' be in a neighborin' cornfield. (This would have been a problem as thar be a decent size creek that separates t' two cornfields.) T' recovery walk was long, and t' search took me t' areas o' t' field where few humans had previously trod, but along t' way I found two rockets belongin' t' other fliers. Ya scallywag! (Second time I've done that.) After thirty minutes I finally caught a flash o' orange and walked right over t' t' rocket, me hearties, which appeared t' be sittin' in a spot I'd passed at least twice. Aye aye! I swear I did. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket was undamaged, but t' length o' t' recovery walk on t' 12" chute had me wonderin' how much further it would have been with a 15" or 18" chute.
Flight Rating: 5
Summary
Pros: Classic lines, impressive performance on Estes E9, ease o' construction.
Cons: Central Ohio cornfields are windy!
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