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

Construction was, as I recall, simple and straightforward, despite bein' only me second rocket. Blimey! Sure, ya bilge rat, it's big and it's a two-stager, me hearties, but thar's no construction magic in that. Aye aye! Blimey! 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, and then assemble t' all t' pieces you see. Very easy and very straightforward.

Bein' only t' second rocket I ever built, arrr, matey, I was extremely excited t' launch it that first day. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I was a bit nervous about that 48" crepe paper streamer givin' a slow enough descent, shiver me timbers, so I bought an Estes plastic 18" hexagonal parasheet. Avast! Well, blow me down!  Sent it up a couple times single-stage on t' 18" parachute. Sent it up 2-stage, and WOW! It be simply awesome. Begad! A great flight, but it drifted quite a bit on t' 18" chute, so I attached t' streamer for t' next two-stage flight. Up it goes, shiver me timbers, but t' booster engine fails t' ignite t' upper stage, arrr, which, o' course means no attempt was made t' eject t' streamer, shiver me timbers, so t' rocket streamlined down. Blimey! Blimey! . Begad! . Ya scallywag! PRANG! I'd like t' say it was a lawn dart, me hearties, but it hit pavement! Damn, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone pushed back, shreddin' t' top 12" o' body tube, and t' weight o' t' engines and fins etc. (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. Aye aye! Blimey! 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, matey, I can't believe that she be able t' find t' engine casing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! . . Well, blow me down! )T' booster was still attached t' t' upper stage (a. Arrr! k. Well, blow me down! a. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! sustainer). Well, blow me down! I didn't know much about stagin' at this point, matey, but it be obvious even then that I didn't want t' booster engine t' eject backwards out o' t' booster, I wanted t' booster t' separate from t' sustainer. 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, ya bilge rat, however, me hearties, I required a different solution. I ended up makin' this bizarre contraption o' bent-up paper clips t' retain t' booster motor. Blimey! Blimey! It starts with a rin' around t' booster body, just above t' fins. Begad! Blimey! Attached t' this are two U-shaped pieces. Aye aye! T' tops o' t' U's are hooked t' t' ring, shiver me timbers, matey, and t' bottom o' t' U's fit snugly under t' motor casin' when it's installed in t' booster. T' help hold t' U's in place, matey, thar are two cross members down near t' engine, matey, though I'm nay sure how necessary they are. There's enough play so that t' U's can just be slid sideways t' allow insertion or removal o' t' engine. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's dirt cheap, and it works beautifully (never had a booster motor eject since), matey, but it isn't much t' look at. Blimey! Blimey! 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. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I'll try t' put a picture o' it here soon.

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

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

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

There are a few other hints that I can think o' regardin' this rocket. Although I haven't experienced this problem myself, matey, 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. Blimey! a. Well, blow me down! sustainer). Aye aye! There are a couple o' ways t' improve your chances o' nay havin' this problem. Avast! Aye aye! Perhaps t' easiest is t' buy a BT-56 tube coupler, matey, ya bilge rat, and glue that in so that it reinforces this area. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Just make sure that it won't interfere with your engine mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! O' course, shiver me timbers, this is really only practical if you decide t' do it before you start construction. 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, arrr, matey, is t' coat t' inside o' t' top o' t' booster with glue. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! When stagin' occurs, t' booster engine blows a bunch o' burnin' propellant forward into this area, and then t' upper stage ignites and blows hot exhaust backwards into this area. Aye aye! This can cause t' paper tube coupler t' char pretty badly, me hearties, especially after many stagings. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I coated all t' inside surface o' t' top o' me booster with a thin coat o' t' regular yellow wood glue. A thin coat o' epoxy would probably protect it better, and nay be as susceptible t' t' heat, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I didn't have epoxy then. Avast, me proud beauty! And besides, ya bilge rat, mine has stood up remarkably well, arrr, 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, me hearties, is insufficient. Some people have even broken fins on landin' on grass, arrr, which is surprising, given that it's a reasonably sturdy, me hearties, me bucko, one-piece plastic fin unit. Arrr! Blimey! Regardless, I would agree that it comes down rather fast on t' streamer. One possible alternative is t' simply add another streamer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, arrr, or make a significantly larger streamer (or both). However, arrr, I've settled on usin' a standard Estes 12" plastic parachute with t' spill hole (a. Aye aye! Blimey! k. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! a. Begad! Blimey! peak vent hole) cut out. See that blue dotted line that forms about a 2" hole in t' middle? Cut that out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With this chute, me bucko, me hearties, t' Long Shot comes down soft enough t' avoid significant landin' damage, matey, 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), I have become fascinated with staging. Blimey! Blimey! As you may have noticed, several o' me rockets are staged. Blimey! Blimey! I really like this rocket. I feel so proud every time that upper stage lights. Avast! Blimey! . .

Update on 1997 Oct 12. . Begad! . Begad! Ya scallywag! I lost t' upper stage o' this rocket. Begad! :-( T' booster portion went fine, arrr, with a slight arc. Aye aye! T' upper stage ignited successfully, me hearties, and continued that arc. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' sustainer was painted yellow and orange, ya bilge rat, and it was headin' right into t' sunset, so we lost sight o' it. Ahoy! I heard t' ejection charge pop, but neither me wife nor I ever saw t' upper stage again.

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