Brief:
T' Estes Skydart is classic design from rocketry's heyday. Designed by Larry Renger, t' Skydart provides both sexy, me hearties, good looks and great performance. Well, blow me down! It's a boost-glider that launches vertically and then ejects a 'power pod' at apogee. T' power pod returns via parachute and t' glider circles down for a gentle landing.

Construction:
I had built t' Skydart kit in me youth but lack o' age and experience never allowed me success with this rocket. Arrr! I have always wanted t' clone one but have never gotten around t' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Finally it be time. Begad! Arrr! Since I already had t' instructions from me previous kit all I needed was t' patterns t' make t' wings and fin. I downloaded them off o' JimZ's website and printed them. Begad! However, me bucko, somethin' didn't look right when they were printed out. Arrr! Begad! T' printed size was too small. Aye aye! Begad! After some fiddlin' on t' copy machine I was able t' scale them t' t' correct size. Blimey! I had t' original wingspan from t' Estes catalog so that's how I was able t' get them sized correctly.

T' bill o' materials is listed on t' original kit's instruction page so all you need t' do is gather t' parts together and start building. I was able t' get t' length o' t' main BT-50 body tube off o' Sven Knudson's web page and t' nose cone from BMS and their classic Estes cone reproduction offering.

T' power pod tube will be t' wrong length if you go by t' chart on Sven's site. Arrr! Avast! It needs t' be longer. Ya scallywag! I made mine usin' me calibrated eyeball and lookin' at t' picture o' t' parts included on t' original kit instruction sheet. Well, blow me down! (the power pod tube should be about 1/2" shorter than t' main body tube) All t' other parts are available as aftermarket items from Estes, Totally Tubular or similar. Begad! Begad! T' elastic cord for t' elevator can be obtained at any good craft store that sells sewin' supplies and t' nylon screw used for adjustin' t' elevator trim can usually be found at most good hardware stores (my local TrueValue carries a good supply o' nylon screws, me hearties, washers, ya bilge rat, nuts and bolts). Ya scallywag! You will also have t' make t' elevator retainin' hook. Aye aye! Aye aye! I made mine from paper clip wire. Ahoy! There's a good picture o' it on t' BOM sheet as well as illustrations in t' instructions. From these it should be no problem formin' your own.

Buildin' t' Skydart is straightforward. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' balsa parts will need t' be cut out, rather than die cut as furnished in t' original kit. Arrr! Arrr! I cut mine from 3/32" balsa sheet. Ya scallywag! Begad! If you want a light model I suggest usin' contest grade balsa. You'll need t' be more careful in handlin' and transportin' since this balsa is more prone t' breaking. Avast! I used medium grade density for me Skydart since I like t' have me models a little more durable. Avast! Ahoy! Stay way from hard or really dense balsa though. Well, blow me down! All you'll be doin' is makin' a brick then.

After cuttin' all t' parts then assembly is per t' original's instructions. Begad! No real gotcha's here. I did substitute BB's for t' lead weight disks used in t' front o' t' power pod, however. Avast, me proud beauty! These lead disks are used t' keep t' CG forward durin' t' boost phase o' t' flight prior t' ejection o' t' pod. Avast! I haven't been able t' find any extra disks or any data on how much they actually weighed. Aye aye! Begad! So I sort o' fudged it here. Avast! Ahoy! I installed a bulkhead in t' BT-20 ahead o' t' vent holes I drilled then filled this area with BB's up t' t' top o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I mixed up 30 minute epoxy and poured it over t' BB's. T' 30 minute epoxy is thin enough t' flow in and lock t' BB's in place.

I used CA glue for t' majority o' construction. Arrr! Begad! Even when gluin' t' win' parts together I used CA (just nay a whole lot so as t' prevent sandin' t' joints for a good appearance). T' nacelles were made from manila folder type card stock. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Amazingly t' pattern on t' JimZ site printed t' correct size. Ya scallywag! I pre-scored t' fold lines and then used a metal straight edge t' get a nice clean crease. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! These were glued in place with Super Tacky white glue. Ahoy! This allowed time for positionin' them but also allowed a quick set up o' t' adhesive.

Rather than usin' t' original elevator hingin' method o' adhesive paper strips I opted instead t' use a strip o' Monokote. Ya scallywag! I already use this for me R/C planes so I'm quite familiar with it. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It is a heat shrink, heat activated adhesive backed mylar that's used t' cover model airplanes. Ahoy! It also makes great hinge material. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I positioned t' elevator and ironed on a strip o' it in t' hinge location and that was that.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' Skydart requires a lot o' grain sealer. Begad! This model has a lot o' balsa surface are t' seal so take care nay t' add too much or your weight will increase dramatically. Avast, me proud beauty! I used water based Kilz primer with some light sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! I like this stuff even though most guys prefer traditional sandin' sealer. Begad! Begad! After t' whole rocket was prepped and t' grain sealed it be given a final finish sand then primed and painted with Krylon paints.

T' decals were made by me. I downloaded t' file from JimZ t' did a little editin' in photoshop. Ahoy! Mostly all I did be t' give t' colors a little more intensity. Arrr! Even though they look good on t' screen when you print them t' hue never looks quite t' same. Aye aye! I printed a sample first t' get t' size right then ran t' final copy on photo paper. Well, blow me down! I took t' master copy t' Kinko's and had them print t' final product on me blank decal paper usin' their laser copier. I suppose I could have ordered them from Tom Prestia at Tango Papa but I wanted t' do these on me own. Blimey! T' decals were applied and t' model was given a coat o' Krylon clear.

At this point I checked t' CG o' t' glider. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! t' plans tell you exactly where t' glider should balance. Ya scallywag! Mine was just right, me bucko, me hearties, perhaps a bit nose heavy. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I was prepared t' add some weight by puttin' some clay t' t' base o' t' nose cone but this wasn't needed. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! T' nose down trim could be taken care o' by t' elevator trim screw later on if needed.

Flight:
With a boost-glider you have t' trim fly t' glider before you ever load and engine in it and fly. Arrr! I went out t' t' usual park we fly at and did some trim flights. Begad! Givin' a straight ahead toss showed I had too much elevator travel. Aye aye! After a few more tosses I found I needed hardly any elevator trim t' get a nice flat glide. Although this may seem obvious, you trim fly t' glider without t' power pod in place.

T' recommended motors for this boost glider are Estes B4-2, B6-2 and C6-3. Begad! I opted for a fist flight usin' a B4-2. Well, blow me down! T' 12" parachute be wrapped carefully around t' power pod and then t' pod inserted into t' glider. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! You have t' make sure t' elevator retainer is engaged and holdin' t' elevator in t' neutral position for boost. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor is retained usin' a standard Estes engine hook. I installed t' motor and ignitor and headed for t' pad. Well, blow me down! This model uses a 1/8" launch rod. Aye aye! Since thar was no wind I didn't angle t' rod. Well, blow me down! In any case I have yet t' figure out which way a boost-glider will go off t' pad so straight up seems t' be t' best choice for me. Well, blow me down! I took t' obligatory first photos then proceeded t' launch. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' model arced over a bit on boost and reached an apogee o' about 250'. Well, blow me down! T' pod ejected smartly and t' glider flew very well. Avast! It had a slight left win' down which caused it t' circle. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' Skydart landed at that low win' angle but thar was no damage.

Post flight investigation revealed that t' left win' was heavier than t' right. Avast, me proud beauty! I had failed t' do a lateral balance o' t' model. Blimey! Begad! A tiny amount o' clay t' t' right win' tip fixed this. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Subsequent flights proved it out. Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't flown it yet on a C6-3. Well, blow me down! I flew me Scissor Win' Transport on a C and it almost flew away so I am a bit more cautious this time with t' Skydart.

T' Skydart was fun t' build. Well, blow me down! I have heard o' other people sellin' clone kits o' this rocket. If you prefer t' have everythin' ready t' build then perhaps that's t' route for you. Begad! As for me I enjoy recreatin' t' classics from scratch. T' Skydart is a welcome addition t' me fleet.