Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Binder Design |
Brief:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, t' Galaxy is a 4" dia.
High Power Rocket with a retro look. It comes with unique aluminum nozzle and
motor retainer and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your Level 1
certification, me hearties, and then stick a J or K motor in it for your Level 2 flight and
watch it scream.
Picture courtesy o' Binder Design
Construction:
Kit includes:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thorough, all you need t' be able to do is read left t' right. T' longest part o' this project was t' buildin' of the aft section. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' fin can assembly allowed for t' buildin' o' great internal fillets, t' slower I went produced terrific results. Avast! Ahoy! As the instructions tell you, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. Blimey! Blimey! I found that a hand sander and dremel came in very handy. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!
I used t' Slim Line motor retainer that was included with t' kit. Well, blow me down! I am sold on these, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Ya scallywag! It is sleek, easy to use and assemble, stronger, and better lookin' than maskin' tape. Avast, me proud beauty! I originally planned on usin' motor ejection, ya bilge rat, so I stayed away from t' optional avionics kit. However, me hearties, now I know I am ready for electronics so it will save me a lot o' walkin' in t' future. Well, blow me down! Aye aye!
I took me time and made sure that t' rocket was goin' t' be solid because I wanted t' be able t' use t' maximum recommended motor, a K550W. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' rocket weighed in at 4.0 lbs. Begad! loaded and ready t' go (sans motor).
Finishing:
I had built this stock, shiver me timbers, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as shown in
the instructions. After sandin' and prep, me hearties, me bucko, I applied two coats o' primer
followed by three coats o' finishin' paint, matey, usin' chrome paint for t' entire
rocket. T' nose cone tip be finished in red gloss paint. Avast! Blimey! Binder Design
provides excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give it a great look. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! On top
of that, ya bilge rat, since this be t' first Galaxy ever sold, me hearties, Mike provided t' me a '#1'
decal.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Picture courtesy o' Binder
Design
Flight:
My level 2 certification flight be set for a Tripoli Launch in Walcott, IA.
There were 5 NARRRRR levels 2 or higher certified flyers thar & they all
helped me in some way in preparin' for t' flight. T' day was about as perfect
as you could have. Havin' obtained me LEUP earlier this summer and just passed
the test for Illinois explosives. I was ready for me first 54MM motor, a J415.
Rocksim had t' rocket reachin' apogee at 6273 feet.
Havin' built t' motor and installed into t' rocket, matey, I was ready t' pack the recovery system. Well, blow me down! Begad! Usin' motor ejection and a single chute I knew that it was goin' t' be a little risky, matey, however t' great weather that day convinced me that I was goin' t' be fine. Avast! With no electronics on board, me hearties, this was goin' t' be a straight ahead launch.
As I mentioned, t' rocket is quite impressive when finished and I believe this was t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day so it attracted a fair amount of attention. Begad! It was loaded on t' rail and we were ready t' go. Blimey! With he wind comin' at about 5 miles an hour out o' t' NW, I adjusted t' angle o' t' pad to take advantage o' t' wind and keep t' rocket out o' t' neighborin' corn field. Avast!
It looked great liftin' off t' pad, me hearties, straight as an arrow with no wobbling whatsoever. Aye aye! T' Galaxy took all that t' J415 would give her.
Recovery:
I was able t' see t' separation and chute deployment. Begad! As t' rocket descended, I told myself that next time I would be usin' electronics and dual deployment. Comin' down from 6300 feet, matey, thar was a little more drift than I would have liked. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was headed for t' corn field. Begad! Well, blow me down! I thought t' myself, "Here we go again...walkin' corn rows." I smartly got up on t' roof of me van and then grabbed a set o' binoculars t' get a good line o' sight. After an hour and 20 minutes I be able t' locate t' Galaxy near t' adjacent farm house.
Other than a little dirt and mud, t' rocket was in perfect condition. Returnin' t' t' launch area, ya bilge rat, people were surprised that I was able t' find it & equally amazed that t' rocket went as high as it did while landing without a scratch. Ya scallywag! It be one o' t' more memorable flights o' t' day and I was certified Level 2.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
T' Binder Design Galaxy is a rocket that you will nay only have fun building,
but enjoy it more watchin' it scream off o' t' launch pad. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I can't wait t' see
what Mike comes up with next in his "Fisher Premium" series o' kits. Arrr! Blimey!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
C.K. (November 7, 2003)