All around, a very impressive model rocket, probably still me favorite. It's sheer size gets attention. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! My orange/yellow/orange paint scheme gets attention. Ahoy! Blimey! And when that second stage lights, arrr, it really gets attention... Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! if it lights, me bucko, that is.

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

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

This stagin' failure be caused by t' booster motor ejectin' from t' booster before it could ignite t' upper stage engine. I recall that me wife (who had t' job o' watchin' t' booster) be worried that I'd be upset because all she could find be t' booster motor, and nay t' booster. (In retrospect, ya bilge rat, I can't believe that she be able t' find t' engine casing. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! . Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! . Ahoy! )T' booster was still attached t' t' upper stage (a. Begad! k. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! a. sustainer). Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, arrr, I wanted t' booster t' separate from t' sustainer. Arrr! Blimey! 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, me bucko, matey, however, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I required a different solution. Begad! Blimey! I ended up makin' this bizarre contraption o' bent-up paper clips t' retain t' booster motor. Blimey! It starts with a rin' around t' booster body, ya bilge rat, just above t' fins. Attached t' this are two U-shaped pieces. 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. Begad! Blimey! T' help hold t' U's in place, arrr, thar are two cross members down near t' engine, ya bilge rat, though I'm nay sure how necessary they are. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There's enough play so that t' U's can just be slid sideways t' allow insertion or removal o' t' engine. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! It's dirt cheap, arrr, and it works beautifully (never had a booster motor eject since), me bucko, but it isn't much t' look at. Well, blow me down! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'll try t' put a picture o' it here soon.

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

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

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

There are a few other hints that I can think o' regardin' this rocket. Begad! Arrr! Although I haven't experienced this problem myself, me hearties, arrr, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! sustainer). Avast! There are a couple o' ways t' improve your chances o' nay havin' this problem. Well, blow me down! Perhaps t' easiest is t' buy a BT-56 tube coupler, shiver me timbers, and glue that in so that it reinforces this area. Begad! 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. Aye aye! Begad! 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! Blimey! 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. This can cause t' paper tube coupler t' char pretty badly, me bucko, especially after many stagings. 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, shiver me timbers, but I didn't have epoxy then. And besides, shiver me timbers, mine has stood up remarkably well, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, 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, is insufficient. Avast! Some people have even broken fins on landin' on grass, which is surprising, given that it's a reasonably sturdy, ya bilge rat, one-piece plastic fin unit. Ahoy! Begad! Regardless, arrr, I would agree that it comes down rather fast on t' streamer. One possible alternative is t' simply add another streamer, me bucko, or make a significantly larger streamer (or both). Blimey! However, I've settled on usin' a standard Estes 12" plastic parachute with t' spill hole (a. k. Avast, me proud beauty! a. Arrr! peak vent hole) cut out. Arrr! Begad! See that blue dotted line that forms about a 2" hole in t' middle? Cut that out. Begad! With this chute, t' Long Shot comes down soft enough t' avoid significant landin' damage, 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), me bucko, I have become fascinated with staging. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! As you may have noticed, several o' me rockets are staged. Begad! Blimey! I really like this rocket. I feel so proud every time that upper stage lights. Begad! Blimey! . Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! .

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

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