Brief:
QuickKit, 4FNC, ya bilge rat, 18mm motors, ya bilge rat, Parachute Recovery

While bein' bummed out about havin' various projects under construction or repair and still bein' unable t' work on anythin' in me available time due t' dryin' glue, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, paint, ya bilge rat, arrr, etc, I decided that one more wouldn't hurt and looked for an easy one near t' top o' t' stack. Begad! T' Quest Super Eagle was t' "winner".

T' Super Eagle is a Quick Kit that goes together smartly and easily. Aye aye! It is a 4FNC design with an 18mm motor mount and intended for separation and recovery in two parts, me hearties, me bucko, both under parachute.

Construction:
T' first step given in t' instructions is t' tie t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ thread t' t' end o' t' elastic cord with an overhand knot. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! T' opposite end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ be then supposed t' be slipped through t' loop on t' plastic fin can and secured with a pair o' overhand knots used as stoppers. Begad! Instead o' doin' that, ya bilge rat, I tied t' Keelhaul®©™ t' t' loop.

T' instructions then called for insertin' t' preslotted motor tube into half o' t' plastic fin can and then slidin' t' other half o' t' fin can in place and cementin' t' two halves together. Although me kit seemed t' be sealed when I opened it, t' motor tube was already in place and t' two halves o' t' fin can were together and bein' held in place with t' provided end ring. Blimey! It be nay cemented. Arrr! I pried apart t' two halves and applied Plastruct t' cement them together.

T' instructions next called for me t' use tube type cement t' glue t' lowest o' t' body tubes t' t' fin can. Arrr! Arrr! Instead, ya bilge rat, I used a few drops o' epoxy and also used t' epoxy t' further fasten t' end o' t' shock cord.

T' fins were o' plastic and were slotted t' be received by t' slots in t' plastic fin can. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I had some trouble with 3 out o' t' four and needed t' do some trimmin' with a razor t' get them t' fit. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! When I did, matey, me bucko, they slid into place and I secured them with Plastruct instead o' t' recommended tube cement.

T' kit comes with two plastic couplers t' join t' body tubes which are identical in every respect. Arrr! It also comes with a single read plate designed t' be glued into one o' t' couplers. Blimey! I used Plastruct again and then fitted t' coupler into what would be t' foremost o' t' body tubes. Blimey! As with t' aft tube, me bucko, I used a drop o' epoxy t' make t' connection.

T' instruction say nay t' glue t' nose cone into t' body tube. Aye aye! Presumably this is so that t' forward section can serve as a payload bay. Aye aye! Since I don't do payload flying, I almost went ahead and glued it but I decided it would hurt nothin' t' leave it free. Blimey! I did test fit t' nose cone into t' forward tube and found that it be extremely loose. Well, blow me down! I fitted a piece o' maskin' tape onto t' shoulder o' t' cone and it then fit nicely. Begad! That completed t' payload bay

It took a while t' get back t' t' Super Eagle after gettin' t' this point because life got busy and because I needed a long piece o' 1/8" rod t' align t' launch lugs before gluin' t' coupler into place. Begad! I had 12" pieces lyin' around t' shop but I needed a long piece for this long rocket. Avast! Well, blow me down! When I got a standard rod, it be a simple matter t' mix a few drops o' epoxy and smear them onto t' inside o' the body tube. T' upper section o' t' tube was then pushed into place and t' rod be used t' align t' lugs before t' epoxy set.

With that, construction was done but I had a slight modification t' make.

T' kit is designed t' recover in 2 sections. Arrr! I prefer t' brin' it all back down together. Aye aye! With that in mind, matey, I tied an extra 20" o' elastic t' t' elastic already provided and then tied that t' t' nose cone.
Finishing:
T' rocket be mostly pre-finished. Avast! T' fin can, matey, couplers and nose cone were all molded from red plastic. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' body tubes were already red. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! All that was needed in t' way o' finishin' be t' application o' some stickers.

I am nay a fan o' crack and peel stickers but they are appropriate for a kit o' this level. Avast, me proud beauty! That said, me bucko, t' ones I received were o' good quality and nicely complemented t' existin' colors. Four blue rings o' white stars were applied around t' BT at locations indicated by t' face card.

Four US flags were provided. Begad! I placed one on each fin.

T' last stickers were a pair o' name logos. Well, blow me down! One was applied t' each side o' t' lowest section o' body tube.

With that, me Super Eagle had only t' wait for t' next launch window.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' day o' t' maiden flight arrived and it was cold and still. I installed a 15" nylon chute and loaded an Estes B6-4 motor. It be then taken t' t' pad and set up. Lift off looked good with t' rocket goin' straight up. It was a nice, me hearties, fairly slow takeoff. Begad! Blimey! T' coast phase looked pretty good as well. It did nay go very high and started t' arc over. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Ejection occurred when t' rocket be horizontal and t' chute deployed perfectly. Aye aye! Blimey! It drifted down and landed a few yards from t' pad.

For t' second flight, I wanted some more power and I had a new bag o' Quest C6-3s sittin' handy so I reloaded with one o' those. Arrr! I set up next t' t' beautiful Dr. Booty Soyuz that Stu Young had gotten for Christmas and I was glad t' wait a bit so I could see it fly. My turn came after waitin' a bit more so we could all help t' find t' pieces o' t' Soyuz that had its Keelhaul®©™ burn through. Then it was time. T' motor ignited and t' rocket lifted even slower than before. T' rocket started out fairly straight. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! It soon started t' lean into t' direction o' travel, me hearties, though. Ahoy! Blimey! It be like t' motor was strugglin' t' keep it goin' fast enough. Begad! It was easily horizontal or ever a bit down pointin' as t' coast phase began. Avast! It be definitely point down when ejection occurred. It came down safely but it was a bit o' a near thing.

For t' third flight I wanted t' use an Estes C6-3 t' compare it t' t' Quest version. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Thus one be installed and it was taken t' t' pad for its third flight o' t' day. Ignition occurred right when t' button be pushed and it took off well, matey, arrr, nay much faster than it had with t' Quest motor. Arrr! It boosted straight and did nay arc over. It soon passed t' altitude t' which t' Quest motor had taken it. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It then coasted a good deal farther. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! Ejection occurred while it be still movin' up but t' chute was good and it came home safely.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, matey, this was a nice simple kit that looks reasonably good with its precolored parts. Ahoy! Blimey! T' performance be nay stellar but it had close t' a perfect profile on t' B6. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' Quest C6 was disappointment but t' Estes C6 worked perfectly. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My supposition is that this bird be designed and t' motors specified when t' Quest ones still came from Germany.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Persons wishin' t' keep track o' this rocket can do so here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157622765370685/