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

Construction was, as I recall, simple and straightforward, 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. 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, I be extremely excited t' launch it that first day. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!  Sent it up a couple times single-stage on t' 18" parachute. Ahoy! Sent it up 2-stage, and WOW! It was simply awesome. Avast! A great flight, shiver me timbers, but it drifted quite a bit on t' 18" chute, me bucko, so I attached t' streamer for t' next two-stage flight. Begad! Up it goes, shiver me timbers, but t' booster engine fails t' ignite t' upper stage, shiver me timbers, which, me bucko, o' course means no attempt was made t' eject t' streamer, so t' rocket streamlined down. Avast! Begad! . Ya scallywag! . Avast, me proud beauty! PRANG! I'd like t' say it be a lawn dart, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, but it hit pavement! Damn, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone pushed back, ya bilge rat, shreddin' t' top 12" o' body tube, and t' weight o' t' engines and fins etc. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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, and nay t' booster. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! (In retrospect, shiver me timbers, I can't believe that she be able t' find t' engine casing. Begad! . Avast! . Arrr! Blimey! )T' booster was still attached t' t' upper stage (a. Blimey! k. Avast! a. Begad! sustainer). Blimey! Begad! I didn't know much about stagin' at this point, shiver me timbers, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! If you haven't built t' rocket yet, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' obvious fix is t' simply add a normal motor hook t' t' booster. Blimey! Havin' already built mine, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, however, I required a different solution. I ended up makin' this bizarre contraption o' bent-up paper clips t' retain t' booster motor. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! It starts with a rin' around t' booster body, matey, just above t' fins. Avast! Attached t' this are two U-shaped pieces. 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. Ahoy! Begad! T' help hold t' U's in place, thar are two cross members down near t' engine, though I'm nay sure how necessary they are. Begad! There's enough play so that t' U's can just be slid sideways t' allow insertion or removal o' t' engine. Blimey! It's dirt cheap, and it works beautifully (never had a booster motor eject since), shiver me timbers, but it isn't much t' look at. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! I'll try t' put a picture o' it here soon.

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

Well, arrr, now it was just too short. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! 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, and drilled two 3/16" vent holes, ya bilge rat, one on each side o' t' booster, up near where t' bottom o' t' upper stage engine would be when its all put together. Begad! Avast! 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. . . Aye aye! on that second prang, me hearties, 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 be faulty, shiver me timbers, in that t' clay o' t' nozzle completely covered t' propellant, arrr, which is why it didn't ignite. Ahoy! Blimey! I've seen this situation in one other engine (which be so bad it wouldn't even ignite directly from an igniter), and others on rec. Well, blow me down! models. rockets have seen it, arrr, too. Ahoy! Aye aye! So, a word t' t' wise: always scrape t' nozzle o' your upper stage engines t' expose fresh propellant. 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, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! k. Arrr! Ahoy! a. sustainer). Arrr! There are a couple o' ways t' improve your chances o' nay havin' this problem. Blimey! Perhaps t' easiest is t' buy a BT-56 tube coupler, and glue that in so that it reinforces this area. Ya scallywag! Just make sure that it won't interfere with your engine mount. O' course, this is really only practical if you decide t' do it before you start construction. Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, is t' coat t' inside o' t' top o' t' booster with glue. Avast, me proud beauty! When stagin' occurs, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, especially after many stagings. Avast! Arrr! I coated all t' inside surface o' t' top o' me booster with a thin coat o' t' regular yellow wood glue. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! Aye aye! And besides, 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, me bucko, a 48" long crepe paper streamer, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, one-piece plastic fin unit. Well, blow me down! Regardless, I would agree that it comes down rather fast on t' streamer. Aye aye! Arrr! One possible alternative is t' simply add another streamer, or make a significantly larger streamer (or both). However, I've settled on usin' a standard Estes 12" plastic parachute with t' spill hole (a. Avast! k. Begad! a. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! 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), ya bilge rat, me hearties, matey, I have become fascinated with staging. Begad! As you may have noticed, shiver me timbers, several o' me rockets are staged. I really like this rocket. Blimey! Aye aye! I feel so proud every time that upper stage lights. Blimey! Arrr! . Arrr! .

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

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