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

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. Ahoy! T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, perhaps one would say, futuristic, fin/ring-fin configuration. Begad! Well, blow me down! It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, ya bilge rat, 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, matey, me hearties, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Avast, me proud beauty! Way back when EMRR started t' site and be settin' up keywords, ya bilge rat, anythin' with a 30:1 and higher ratio be deemed a "longneck".

T' rocket includes two 17" long, ya bilge rat, 0.976" diameter, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. Avast! Blimey! T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Begad! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, me bucko, a thrust ring, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. Avast! T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, 1/8" wide, matey, white elastic shock cord, a 3-fold paper mount, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Aye aye! Blimey! 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). Blimey! Well, blow me down! However, arrr, ya bilge rat, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

FlisKits calls this a Skill Level 2 kit. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! We agree.

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

T' fins are next. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby knife. Ahoy! 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. Lines are extended on t' tube. Ya scallywag! I used t' door jam method.

T' motor mount is then slide into t' lower body tube (the one just marked). Arrr! It protrudes by 1/4". Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! Blimey! T' instructions are clear on this.

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

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

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Avast! Avast! T' parachute is then assemble. Avast, me proud beauty! My only nay here, matey, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Begad! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. 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, matey, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

I have been surprised with several days just at 50 degrees F, so I have been able t' use me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Then amazingly, me bucko, me bucko, on t' last day o' November, ya bilge rat, it was warm enough t' paint. I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. I let that dry for about 15 minutes, me hearties, me hearties, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Arrr! Then after 2 hours, arrr, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. Begad! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts was excellent. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Instructions are excellent. No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. Begad! Blimey! T' latter is never a problem for me, ya bilge rat, but some may nay like it. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! If it keeps t' costs down, me bucko, then I can wield a hobby knife for some fin cutting.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, me son and I went sleddin' and I was noticin' that thar be absolutely no wind. Since I was fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, me bucko, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Arrr! Ahoy!

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. T' flight has nice altitude and it was very stable. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' Corona has a sleek, matey, long profile design, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Ejection was a bit before apogee. Begad! Recovery was good, arrr, but fast. Ahoy! Aye aye! I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

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

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. Sleek and low profile gives this rocket a nice look. Ya scallywag! It is a very stable rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Well, blow me down! This longneck is more than 3-fins-and-a-nose cone utilizin' a ring-fin for looks and stability. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Nice rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Let's get some decals and really turn it into a 5. Avast, me proud beauty! Fliskits has made a "baffle" available for this kit, which I would have bought had it been available back when I purchased it. Begad! Aye aye!