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

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

Bein' only t' second rocket I ever built, ya bilge rat, I was extremely excited t' launch it that first day. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Begad!  Sent it up a couple times single-stage on t' 18" parachute. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Sent it up 2-stage, me hearties, and WOW! It be simply awesome. A great flight, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, but it drifted quite a bit on t' 18" chute, matey, shiver me timbers, so I attached t' streamer for t' next two-stage flight. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Up it goes, but t' booster engine fails t' ignite t' upper stage, which, o' course means no attempt was made t' eject t' streamer, me hearties, so t' rocket streamlined down. Ya scallywag! . Blimey! . Avast! PRANG! I'd like t' say it be a lawn dart, but it hit pavement! Damn, arrr, matey, t' nose cone pushed back, me hearties, matey, shreddin' t' top 12" o' body tube, and t' weight o' t' engines and fins etc. Ahoy! Ahoy! (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. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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 was t' booster motor, arrr, and nay t' booster. (In retrospect, I can't believe that she be able t' find t' engine casing. Ahoy! . Avast! Ya scallywag! . Well, blow me down! )T' booster was still attached t' t' upper stage (a. Well, blow me down! k. Avast! Well, blow me down! a. Ahoy! Begad! sustainer). Arrr! Blimey! 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, I wanted t' booster t' separate from t' sustainer. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! If you haven't built t' rocket yet, t' obvious fix is t' simply add a normal motor hook t' t' booster. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Havin' already built mine, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, however, I required a different solution. Ahoy! Blimey! I ended up makin' this bizarre contraption o' bent-up paper clips t' retain t' booster motor. Avast! It starts with a rin' around t' booster body, just above t' fins. Well, blow me down! Attached t' this are two U-shaped pieces. Arrr! Begad! T' tops o' t' U's are hooked t' t' ring, arrr, and t' bottom o' t' U's fit snugly under t' motor casin' when it's installed in t' booster. Ya scallywag! T' help hold t' U's in place, matey, me bucko, thar are two cross members down near t' engine, 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. Aye aye! Aye aye! It's dirt cheap, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and it works beautifully (never had a booster motor eject since), but it isn't much t' look at. Begad! I've never made another one for any other rocket because it would probably maul a balsa wood fin pretty badly, matey, and it might nay line up right with three fins instead o' four. Aye aye! I'll try t' put a picture o' it here soon.

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

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

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

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

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

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