All around, a very impressive model rocket, probably still me favorite. Begad! Begad! It's sheer size gets attention. My orange/yellow/orange paint scheme gets attention. Aye aye! And when that second stage lights, it really gets attention... Arrr! Begad! if it lights, arrr, that is.

Construction was, as I recall, simple and straightforward, arrr, despite bein' only me second rocket. Sure, it's big and it's a two-stager, matey, but thar's no construction magic in that. Ahoy! Avast! With t' fins bein' one-piece plastic fin units with built-in launch lugs, about all you have t' do is build t' motor mounts and shock cord mounts, shiver me timbers, and then assemble t' all t' pieces you see. Very easy and very straightforward.

Bein' only t' second rocket I ever built, I was extremely excited t' launch it that first day. Ya scallywag! I was a bit nervous about that 48" crepe paper streamer givin' a slow enough descent, so I bought an Estes plastic 18" hexagonal parasheet.  Sent it up a couple times single-stage on t' 18" parachute. Arrr! Sent it up 2-stage, me hearties, and WOW! It was simply awesome. Aye aye! A great flight, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, but it drifted quite a bit on t' 18" chute, so I attached t' streamer for t' next two-stage flight. Avast! Up it goes, but t' booster engine fails t' ignite t' upper stage, which, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, o' course means no attempt be made t' eject t' streamer, ya bilge rat, so t' rocket streamlined down. Ya scallywag! Arrr! . Well, blow me down! Aye aye! . Well, blow me down! Avast! PRANG! I'd like t' say it be a lawn dart, me bucko, but it hit pavement! Damn, t' nose cone pushed back, arrr, shreddin' t' top 12" o' body tube, me bucko, and t' weight o' t' engines and fins etc. Arrr! (the booster stage never separated) cause t' body t' crumple about 8" forward o' t' upper stage fin unit.

This stagin' failure was caused by t' booster motor ejectin' from t' booster before it could ignite t' upper stage engine. Avast! I recall that me wife (who had t' job o' watchin' t' booster) was worried that I'd be upset because all she could find be t' booster motor, and nay t' booster. (In retrospect, I can't believe that she was able t' find t' engine casing. . Well, me bucko, blow me down! . Avast! Begad! )T' booster be still attached t' t' upper stage (a. Ya scallywag! k. a. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! sustainer). I didn't know much about stagin' at this point, but it was obvious even then that I didn't want t' booster engine t' eject backwards out o' t' booster, arrr, I wanted t' booster t' separate from t' sustainer. Aye aye! If you haven't built t' rocket yet, t' obvious fix is t' simply add a normal motor hook t' t' booster. Havin' already built mine, however, I required a different solution. Ya scallywag! I ended up makin' this bizarre contraption o' bent-up paper clips t' retain t' booster motor. Avast! Begad! It starts with a rin' around t' booster body, me hearties, just above t' fins. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Attached t' this are two U-shaped pieces. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' tops o' t' U's are hooked t' t' ring, and t' bottom o' t' U's fit snugly under t' motor casin' when it's installed in t' booster. Blimey! T' help hold t' U's in place, shiver me timbers, arrr, thar are two cross members down near t' engine, ya bilge rat, though I'm nay sure how necessary they are. Arrr! There's enough play so that t' U's can just be slid sideways t' allow insertion or removal o' t' engine. It's dirt cheap, and it works beautifully (never had a booster motor eject since), matey, but it isn't much t' look at. Ya scallywag! I've never made another one for any other rocket because it would probably maul a balsa wood fin pretty badly, and it might nay line up right with three fins instead o' four. Aye aye! Ahoy! I'll try t' put a picture o' it here soon.

Well, me hearties, despite t' major destruction, I managed t' rebuild it (albeit 14" shorter). Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Made sure it be still stable and went out t' try again, this time at a club launch. Begad! Blimey! Worked just fine single stage. Ahoy! Blimey! Time t' try it 2-stage again. Ahoy! Blimey! Up it goes, t' booster burns through and separates. . . Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! but again, no upper stage ignition. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! LAWN DART! Blimey! Sunk t' nose cone about 3" into t' ground, and ripped up a lot more body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Only difference this time is that I got some good advice from t' nice folks in t' GSSS club. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Get yourself a newer edition (the 6th edition be t' newest as o' Feb 1998) o' G. Ahoy! Blimey! Harry Stine's Handbook o' Model Rocketry. Blimey! This book has a whole chapter devoted t' staging. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Consider a short stuffer tube t' direct t' flamin' bits o' propellant more directly at t' upper stage engine. Begad! Blimey! In retrospect, arrr, t' stuffer tube is probably nay necessary, since t' distance betwixt t' two engines is rather small. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! But without question, DRILL SOME VENT HOLES!

Well, me hearties, now it be just too short. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Had t' buy some BT-56 body tubes and couplers t' add 18" o' new tube. I made a stuffer tube out o' a piece o' an expended D motor, ya bilge rat, arrr, me bucko, and drilled two 3/16" vent holes, one on each side o' t' booster, arrr, me hearties, up near where t' bottom o' t' upper stage engine would be when its all put together. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has since been flown no less than 6 times in 2-stage configuration, me bucko, and t' upper stage has lit every single time!

One side note, though. Ya scallywag! Avast! . Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! . Blimey! on that second prang, ya bilge rat, matey, t' upper stage engine was completely blackened by t' burn-through o' t' booster. Begad! It really should have ignited. Knowin' more now, I'm convinced that that engine was faulty, shiver me timbers, in that t' clay o' t' nozzle completely covered t' propellant, ya bilge rat, arrr, which is why it didn't ignite. I've seen this situation in one other engine (which was so bad it wouldn't even ignite directly from an igniter), and others on rec. Begad! models. Begad! rockets have seen it, matey, too. So, a word t' t' wise: always scrape t' nozzle o' your upper stage engines t' expose fresh propellant. Well, blow me down! I use a small eyeglasses-type screwdriver for this purpose.

There are a few other hints that I can think o' regardin' this rocket. Avast! Although I haven't experienced this problem myself, ya bilge rat, others have complained that this rocket has a tendency t' crimp or buckle t' body tube just above t' top o' t' plastic fin unit on t' upper stage (a. k. Ahoy! a. Avast! Begad! sustainer). Aye aye! There are a couple o' ways t' improve your chances o' nay havin' this problem. Aye aye! Perhaps t' easiest is t' buy a BT-56 tube coupler, arrr, me bucko, and glue that in so that it reinforces this area. Just make sure that it won't interfere with your engine mount. O' course, shiver me timbers, this is really only practical if you decide t' do it before you start construction. Blimey! Blimey! T' other way t' help avoid bucklin' t' body tube is t' soak that part o' t' rocket in thin CA (cyanoacrylate) glue.

Another tip related t' longevity, ya bilge rat, is t' coat t' inside o' t' top o' t' booster with glue. Ya scallywag! Arrr! When stagin' occurs, t' booster engine blows a bunch o' burnin' propellant forward into this area, me hearties, and then t' upper stage ignites and blows hot exhaust backwards into this area. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This can cause t' paper tube coupler t' char pretty badly, ya bilge rat, especially after many stagings. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I coated all t' inside surface o' t' top o' me booster with a thin coat o' t' regular yellow wood glue. Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! A thin coat o' epoxy would probably protect it better, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and nay be as susceptible t' t' heat, me hearties, me hearties, but I didn't have epoxy then. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! And besides, mine has stood up remarkably well, matey, ya bilge rat, so I can still recommend yellow glue for this application.

About t' only other complaint that I've heard from other people who've flown this rocket, is that t' supplied recovery device, a 48" long crepe paper streamer, ya bilge rat, is insufficient. Avast, me proud beauty! Some people have even broken fins on landin' on grass, which is surprising, given that it's a reasonably sturdy, one-piece plastic fin unit. Ya scallywag! Regardless, ya bilge rat, I would agree that it comes down rather fast on t' streamer. Begad! One possible alternative is t' simply add another streamer, shiver me timbers, or make a significantly larger streamer (or both). Avast, me proud beauty! However, I've settled on usin' a standard Estes 12" plastic parachute with t' spill hole (a. Begad! k. Well, blow me down! a. Avast, me proud beauty! peak vent hole) cut out. Begad! See that blue dotted line that forms about a 2" hole in t' middle? Cut that out. Well, blow me down! Avast! With this chute, t' Long Shot comes down soft enough t' avoid significant landin' damage, arrr, but doesn't drift into t' next area code on two-stage flights (as an 18" parachute would do).

Despite me problems gettin' t' second stage t' ignite (or perhaps because o' them), shiver me timbers, I have become fascinated with staging. Blimey! As you may have noticed, matey, several o' me rockets are staged. Ahoy! Blimey! I really like this rocket. Blimey! I feel so proud every time that upper stage lights. Ahoy! . Arrr! .

Update on 1997 Oct 12. Well, blow me down! Blimey! . . Begad! Begad! I lost t' upper stage o' this rocket. Begad! Aye aye! :-( T' booster portion went fine, shiver me timbers, with a slight arc. T' upper stage ignited successfully, arrr, and continued that arc. Avast, me proud beauty! T' sustainer be painted yellow and orange, and it was headin' right into t' sunset, so we lost sight o' it. Arrr! I heard t' ejection charge pop, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but neither me wife nor I ever saw t' upper stage again.

Update on 1997 Oct 19. Begad! Blimey! . Begad! Blimey! . Ya scallywag! Blimey! I have essentially re-built t' upper stage. Begad! Blimey! It's all from scratch, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, with balsa fins and and Estes parts (body tubes, shiver me timbers, motor mount, ya bilge rat, and nose cone). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Other than usin' balsa for t' fins, shiver me timbers, arrr, thar's really nay much that I changed in t' construction, I really liked it t' way it was. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! About t' only other thin' that I changed was that instead o' t' orange and yellow paint on t' old one, t' new one is a pretty cool-lookin' blue and yellow.