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

Construction was, as I recall, shiver me timbers, simple and straightforward, arrr, despite bein' only me second rocket. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Sure, ya bilge rat, it's big and it's a two-stager, but thar's no construction magic in that. Arrr! 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. Aye aye! Very easy and very straightforward.

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

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

Well, me hearties, now it was just too short. 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, and drilled two 3/16" vent holes, matey, me hearties, ya bilge rat, one on each side o' t' booster, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, up near where t' bottom o' t' upper stage engine would be when its all put together. Avast! 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. Begad! . Ya scallywag! . Blimey! on that second prang, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' upper stage engine be completely blackened by t' burn-through o' t' booster. It really should have ignited. Arrr! Knowin' more now, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I'm convinced that that engine was faulty, in that t' clay o' t' nozzle completely covered t' propellant, me hearties, which is why it didn't ignite. I've seen this situation in one other engine (which be so bilge-suckin' it wouldn't even ignite directly from an igniter), and others on rec. models. Begad! Aye aye! rockets have seen it, too. Begad! Ahoy! So, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! k. a. sustainer). Ya scallywag! Blimey! There are a couple o' ways t' improve your chances o' nay havin' this problem. Ahoy! Perhaps t' easiest is t' buy a BT-56 tube coupler, and glue that in so that it reinforces this area. Begad! Just make sure that it won't interfere with your engine mount. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! O' course, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, is t' coat t' inside o' t' top o' t' booster with glue. Begad! When stagin' occurs, t' booster engine blows a bunch o' burnin' propellant forward into this area, ya bilge rat, arrr, and then t' upper stage ignites and blows hot exhaust backwards into this area. Ahoy! This can cause t' paper tube coupler t' char pretty badly, 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! A thin coat o' epoxy would probably protect it better, matey, and nay be as susceptible t' t' heat, but I didn't have epoxy then. Aye aye! And besides, arrr, mine has stood up remarkably well, me bucko, 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, arrr, is insufficient. 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. Begad! Regardless, matey, ya bilge rat, I would agree that it comes down rather fast on t' streamer. Avast! One possible alternative is t' simply add another streamer, or make a significantly larger streamer (or both). Avast! However, matey, I've settled on usin' a standard Estes 12" plastic parachute with t' spill hole (a. Blimey! k. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! a. Ahoy! peak vent hole) cut out. See that blue dotted line that forms about a 2" hole in t' middle? Cut that out. Arrr! With this chute, t' Long Shot comes down soft enough t' avoid significant landin' damage, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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), arrr, arrr, I have become fascinated with staging. As you may have noticed, several o' me rockets are staged. I really like this rocket. Begad! Avast! I feel so proud every time that upper stage lights. . Well, matey, blow me down! .

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

Update on 1997 Oct 19. Blimey! Blimey! . . Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! I have essentially re-built t' upper stage. It's all from scratch, me hearties, shiver me timbers, with balsa fins and and Estes parts (body tubes, motor mount, arrr, me hearties, and nose cone). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! Other than usin' balsa for t' fins, matey, thar's really nay much that I changed in t' construction, shiver me timbers, 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, t' new one is a pretty cool-lookin' blue and yellow.