BSD High Power Rocketry 54 Special

BSD High Power Rocketry - 54 Special {Kit}

Contributed by Brian Allen Kuehn

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: BSD High Power Rocketry
BSD 54 Special

Brief:
I am buildin' this rocket for me high power level 2 certification. Avast, me proud beauty! I will be puttin' it up as a dual deploy with a G-Whiz MC electronics package deploying an 18" drogue at apogee and a 54" main at 800' AGL. Well, blow me down!

Construction:
There is a booster section with a 54mm motor mount. I will probably use an adapter t' put it up for t' first flights on 38mm motors. Ya scallywag! Begad! There is a payload section that ends up bein' 12+ inches long with t' coupler tubes in place, that is large enough t' accommodate most any electronics. Avast! Well, blow me down! There is an upper payload section, 17" long t' accommodate t' main chute.

This is a nice kit with good components. I had t' size t' centerin' rings and bulkheads but that's pretty standard. Aye aye! Truth be known, arrr, I prefer t' have to size them, arrr, me bucko, because then they fit t' way I want them t' fit. Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit doesn't include parachutes. You can go single or dual deploy, me bucko, so a variety o' chutes are possible. It uses 5 coupler tubes, shiver me timbers, 6" long each. Blimey! Two are used as actual couplers and t' other 3 are used as wall doublers t' strengthen the booster and t' electronics bay. Blimey! A month or two back I saw either this kit or its smaller sibling, shiver me timbers, t' 38 Special, launched past mach 1. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' owner expressed confidence in t' twin tube construction. Begad! Ahoy! I be skeptical, shiver me timbers, as everythin' I've read suggests you can't go supersonic with cardboard. Well, blow me down! Sure enough, it came apart a couple thousand feet high. Arrr! I will be limitin' me 54 Special to sub-sonic flights.

Finishing:
I comes with a very nice set or pressure sensitive decals. I haven't decided whether I'm goin' t' use these or not. Avast!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
This is goin' t' be me level 2 certification rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It went up last weekend on an Aerotech H180W-M for a test flight. Ya scallywag! (It is a 29mm motor with adapters used to adapt down from 54mm.) T' total weight (before motor) be 70.5 ounces. I used dual deploy (for t' first time!) with me G-Whiz MC. Altitude be 1121 feet.

T' flight was perfect. Ahoy! Avast! Maximum acceleration be 387.75 f/s2; max airspeed be 211.44 fps; max acceleration was 12.05Gs. Arrr! Ahoy! 9.06 seconds to apogee. Begad! Flight time be 81.75 seconds, shiver me timbers, me bucko, time t' booster burnout was 1.5 seconds, and altitude at burnout be 228 feet.

Recovery:
I used AG-1 flashbulbs and 1.2 grams o' 3F black powder for each deployment charge. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' drogue came out flawlessly at apogee and 2 seconds later (10 second delay) t' motor ejection charge fired (as a back-up in case t' G-Whiz failed to get t' job done). At 800 feet, matey, t' 54" main deployed and it settled in for a nice soft landin' about 700' feet from t' launch rail.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent kit. Avast! So far I wouldn't change anything. Ahoy! Avast! If I be goin' to go supersonic with it though, I would fiberglass t' body tubes and fins. Begad!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

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