"Futuristic Starship Design"
"Long, sleek appearance"
"Highly stable for fantastic flights!"
"Wind cheatin' design for extreme altitudes!"

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. Arrr! T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, me hearties, perhaps one would say, futuristic, fin/ring-fin configuration. Avast! It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, even after bein' surrounded by t' ring-fin.

T' Corona is classified by EMRR as a "longneck" because it has a 0.976" diameter and is 41.0" long, arrr, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Way back when EMRR started t' site and was settin' up keywords, anythin' with a 30:1 and higher ratio was deemed a "longneck".

T' rocket includes two 17" long, matey, 0.976" diameter, arrr, ya bilge rat, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. Avast! Arrr! T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Avast! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, me bucko, a thrust ring, me bucko, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, ya bilge rat, 1/8" wide, me hearties, me bucko, white elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, a 3-fold paper mount, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Lastly t' kit includes two 1/8" diameter launch lugs.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single page o' 8½ x 11" paper (folded in thirds for a nice 6-page instruction set). Ahoy! Begad! However, ya bilge rat, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Aye aye! Blimey! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. Begad! T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

FlisKits calls this a Skill Level 2 kit. Well, blow me down! We agree.

T' motor mount is built first. Avast, me proud beauty! It is fairly typical with t' motor hook bein' held in place with maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! You have t' cut a section out o' t' lower centerin' rin' (cardboard) t' allow for t' motor hook.

T' fins are next. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, matey, me bucko, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby knife. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There are three upper and three lower sections for t' fins. These are then airfoiled and an upper is glued t' a lower t' make up a single fin. This is repeated for all t' fins.

Next, t' body tube is marked usin' a cardstock fin markin' guide. Avast, me proud beauty! Lines are extended on t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I used t' door jam method.

T' motor mount is then slide into t' lower body tube (the one just marked). Ya scallywag! Begad! It protrudes by 1/4". Ya scallywag! Avast! This step is important because dependin' on your glue (white or wood) you could get it stuck. It has t' be a smooth and quick motion t' get t' motor tube in without issue. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions are clear on this.

Next, matey, t' upper body tube is added usin' a 1" coupler.

Then, t' balsa fins are glued onto t' fin lines. Avast! They are aligned with t' bottom o' t' tube. T' launch lugs are also glued in place. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once all dry, t' ring-fin is glued in place.

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Arrr! T' parachute is then assemble. Well, me bucko, blow me down! My only nay here, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Ahoy! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", me hearties, 12" and 7½" parachute. Avast! Arrr! I chose t' 7½" parachute since I anticipate fairly high flights.

FlisKits gives some basic finishin' guidance includin' sealin' t' balsa with 2-3 coats o' sandin' sealer, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

I have been surprised with several days just at 50 degrees F, ya bilge rat, so I have been able t' use me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. Then amazingly, me hearties, on t' last day o' November, it was warm enough t' paint. Aye aye! Blimey! I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. Aye aye! Blimey! I let that dry for about 15 minutes, arrr, me hearties, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Then after 2 hours, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. I painted them with Walmart Fire Red paint on t' whole body (additional comments about Walmart paint).

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Begad! Begad! Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts be excellent. Aye aye! Arrr! Instructions are excellent. No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. T' latter is never a problem for me, me bucko, but some may nay like it. If it keeps t' costs down, then I can wield a hobby knife for some fin cutting. Ahoy!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, me hearties, B6-4, C6-5, and D10-5 motors.

FlisKits indicates that t' rocket should weigh 1.66 ounces.

My finished rocket weighed in at 1.7 ounces.

On December 29th, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me son and I went sleddin' and I be noticin' that thar was absolutely no wind. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Since I was fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, shiver me timbers, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Avast, me proud beauty!

So we packed up a couple o' rockets and went for a few quick launches.

I used 3 sheets o' Estes waddin' and then loaded an A8-3. Well, blow me down! T' flight has nice altitude and it was very stable. T' Corona has a sleek, long profile design, me bucko, shiver me timbers, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Ahoy! Ejection be a bit before apogee. Recovery was good, me bucko, but fast. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

Second flight was on a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Zipped off t' pad and went quite high. Blimey! Ahoy! Nay a single wiggle or spin... Avast! Avast! straight as an arrow (as t' sayin' goes). Ahoy! Ejection be again a bit early, however, me hearties, no damage. Blimey! Begad! Recovered without problem.

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, ya bilge rat, I would rate this rocket 5 points. Sleek and low profile gives this rocket a nice look. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! It is a very stable rocket. Ahoy! Recovery system is fine, but I would go with a larger parachute than what I picked.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Aye aye! Begad! This longneck is more than 3-fins-and-a-nose cone utilizin' a ring-fin for looks and stability. Ahoy! Arrr! Nice rocket. Let's get some decals and really turn it into a 5. Ya scallywag! Fliskits has made a "baffle" available for this kit, which I would have bought had it been available back when I purchased it. Blimey!