Brief:
T' BAF-55 is a simple baffle intended t' protect recovery components from ejection charges in a BT-55 sized body tube.

While buildin' a Refit USS Atlantis from Sirius Rocketry, me hearties, I decided that I wished t' replace t' manufacturer's recovery harness with a baffle. Avast! Begad! I did nay have a lot experience with baffles, but t' experiences I have had have been good thus far. Arrr! Fortunately, I happened t' have one in stock from FlisKits.

Construction:
T' baffle kit came with instructions, me bucko, a length o' Keelhaul®©™, arrr, shiver me timbers, two perforated disk that actually form t' baffles and a BT-55 sized couplin' tube.

Construction o' t' baffle is simple. Arrr! Ahoy! T' 2 fiber disks are removed from their backin' and t' holes are punched out. Ahoy! Begad! One disk has t' holes clustered towards t' center and t' other has them arranged in a rin' around t' outside. T' one with t' outer holes goes t' t' aft o' t' rocket. Begad! Both disks had a notch along t' outside edge through which t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™® thread and t' aft disk had a hole intended as an anchor point.

I used an embroidery needle t' clear t' hole and passed t' Keelhaul®©™ through. Avast! I then tied a fat knot in t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ t' keep it from bein' able t' pass through t' anchor hole. Blimey! I also used plenty o' yellow glue t' hold it down. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! When t' glue holdin' t' Keelhaul®©™ be dry, I proceeded t' paint both sides o' both disks with t' same glue, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, takin' care t' keep any from gettin' on t' edges o' t' disks. Begad! This glue be applied t' form a protective/ablative surface and lengthen t' life o' t' baffle.

When t' protective glue was dry, I glued t' aft disk in place in t' couplin' tube and secured it with a glue fillet. This was done as t' Keelhaul®©™ was passed back through t' notch on t' outer edge o' t' disk. Well, blow me down! I then applied t' glue t' t' Keelhaul®©™ runnin' along t' side t' t' tube t' keep it in place. Blimey! When that be dry, I painted t' entire interior o' t' tube with glue, me bucko, ya bilge rat, again for protective purposes.

T' last step o' t' actual baffle assembly was t' fit t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' notch in t' upper disk and then seat that disk in t' tube. Begad! Again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' disk was filleted.

PROs: Well designed, shiver me timbers, easy t' make and use.

CONs: None.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I have t' admit, me bucko, arrr, when I first flew t' Atlantis, arrr, me bucko, I forgot I had installed this baffle so I stuffed it full o' dog barf. Avast! Betwixt that and t' baffle, ya bilge rat, t' chute was well protected on deployment with t' ejection from a D12-5.

I remembered on t' second flight, arrr, matey, me bucko, usin' an E30-4 but it didn't really matter. T' chute had nay a scorch mark on it, me bucko, and t' rocket recovered safely. Begad! Aye aye! T' thin' works and works well.

PROs: It works well.

CONs: I forget about it.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
If you want t' use a baffle, all o' t' FlisKits ones I have used t' date have worked well. T' one for t' BT-60 is no exception.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5