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! Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction:
There is a booster section with a 54mm motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! I will probably use an adapter t' put it up for t' first flights on 38mm motors. Blimey! 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. There is an upper payload section, arrr, 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. Truth be known, I prefer t' have to size them, because then they fit t' way I want them t' fit. Avast! T' kit doesn't include parachutes. Ahoy! You can go single or dual deploy, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, so a variety o' chutes are possible. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It uses 5 coupler tubes, 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. A month or two back I saw either this kit or its smaller sibling, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' 38 Special, launched past mach 1. T' owner expressed confidence in t' twin tube construction. Arrr! Avast! I was skeptical, as everythin' I've read suggests you can't go supersonic with cardboard. Ya scallywag! Sure enough, shiver me timbers, it came apart a couple thousand feet high. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I will be limitin' me 54 Special to sub-sonic flights. Ya scallywag!

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. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

Recovery:
I used AG-1 flashbulbs and 1.2 grams o' 3F black powder for each deployment charge. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, 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. Blimey! So far I wouldn't change anything. Avast! If I be goin' to go supersonic with it though, I would fiberglass t' body tubes and fins. Avast!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

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