Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Brief:
T' Initiator is a single staged mid power rocket designed t' fly on 29mm E-G
motors (RMS and SU), as well as some 24mm motors (RMS and SU) with t' supplied
adaptor. Arrr! This is an excellent kit for people makin' t' jump t' mid-power from
model rockets.
Construction:
T' kit contains:-
All components were in solid condition, and seemed very high quality. Ahoy! I did notice some pits and scratches in t' nose cone, but nothin' some filler and sandin' couldn't handle.
Construction o' this kit be an absolute breeze. Avast! Almost seemed too easy. Arrr! The instructions were in a very logical order, and will guide even t' greenest of rocketeers t' a successful build o' this rocket. I built me rocket stock with CA, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and had no problems. Startin' with t' motor adaptor, me hearties, progressin' t' the motor mount, ejection baffle, than recovery and final assembly, everythin' went very smoothly, shiver me timbers, and t' directions made perfect sense. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' only thin' that can tend t' cause some issues are t' fin-lok rings mountin' t' t' motor tube. Aerotech kits are designed t' rely on t' fit o' t' parts - nay t' bond - for strength o' t' overall rocket. Aye aye! As a result, some o' t' parts fit very very tightly. T' fin lok rings are a prime example o' this. It took A LOT of sandin' and sweat t' get t' rings positioned correctly on t' tube, and the ends o' t' motor tube got a little dinged up in this operation, but it's worth it for how easy it makes fin assembly. Well, blow me down! I found that usin' a rubber jar-opening pad made this procedure much easier on t' hands, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, as t' fin loks can tend to hurt t' hands a little bit.
Once t' rings were in place, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' centerin' rings went on, followed by the shock cord, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and in it went t' t' body tube. Begad! Aerotech has probably t' easiest and most reliable fin mountin' method I've ever seen. Ya scallywag! Simply snap them into the fin loks (make sure they click. Blimey! Begad! Can take some pushing, matey, but nay too difficult), and you're all set. Begad! Love it!
T' only deviation I took from t' instructions is t' add fillets t' the centerin' ring/body tube joints with 30 minute epoxy. Arrr! I did this mostly because I'm paranoid, arrr, nay because I felt it really needed it. Ya scallywag! Also, matey, I did epoxy fillets on t' fin/body joint after t' first flight. Because o' t' swept back fin design, that joint takes a lot o' stress. Ahoy! I found after me first flight that the body tube was startin' t' separate and tear from t' stress, so I put an epoxy fillet on that joint t' help strengthen t' tube there. Ahoy! Begad! No problems since.
Finishing:
Finishin' be nay too difficult for t' Initiator, just take time t' fill the
somewhat deep tube spiral. I deviated a little from t' suggested paint scheme,
usin' pearl black instead o' t' white. Arrr! T' rest is what is recommended. Blimey! The
decals went on without too many problems, matey, just a few air bubbles here and there
(which is typical for me - I have no patience...). T' result is a solid
lookin' rocket that anyone can be proud of.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
I have had three flights on me Initiator, and all have gone perfectly. Ahoy! I got
mine in t' starter set with t' RMS system. Begad! Ahoy! First flight be on an RMS E16-4W.
This flight be good - straight boost. Ahoy! Rocket started t' backslide for about a
second before ejection. Parachute *popped* open, and t' rocket recovered
perfectly. Second flight be on an RMS F40-7W. Fast, straight boost with
minimal weather cocking. Ahoy! Awesome rocket/motor combo! Rocket arched over, me bucko, and
ejection popped t' parachute for a perfect recovery about 50 yards from the
pad. Begad! Third flight was on an F20-4 econojet. This flight was nice, me bucko, smoky, shiver me timbers, and
loud! Once again - perfect ejection and recovery. Once motors are available, me hearties, I
plan on an F52, and maybe a G33.
Recovery:
A lot o' people complain about t' elastic type shock cords, but for this
application, me hearties, I think it suits t' purpose. Aye aye! T' cord attaches t' t' top o' the
baffle, and is nay subjected t' too much heat as a result, and t' length is
more than adequate. Blimey! After three flights, I see no wear at all on me cord. Avast! Blimey! The
supplied parachute gives a nice descent rate. A little on t' fast side, ya bilge rat, but
not enough t' cause damage on recovery.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
All in all, shiver me timbers, I think this is an absolute perfect rocket for someone getting
started in larger rockets. Begad! Begad! Motor retention bein' included makes t' transition
much easier, and this kit is actually a lot easier t' build than a lot o' my
Estes kits. Ya scallywag! T' fins are a snap (no pun intended), arrr, and t' whole thin' is
practically addlepate proof, as long as you read everythin' and don't rush it.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: Nice mid power rocket kit that's cheap and flies great! Construction: It came with a 39"x 2.6" body tube, 3 fins, 2 square launch lugs, 13" nose cone, 29mm motor tube, 2 2.6" x 29mm centering rings, 17' shock cord, and a 24" parachute. Instructions were easy to follow with good illustrations. It was very easy build with no alignment issues and ...
This model is straight forward in its design and construction. Read all instructions before beginning and test fit all parts before cementing. Very little is needed to make a clean and precision assembly. Aerotech sells a good kit. The plans call for the use of medium CA. Always keep debonder close when using CA. I did not need it, but could have. Greg Burke, SoAR's president, used ...
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B.S. (July 1, 1999)