Brief:
This is a great sport scale kit that can be easily modified for dual deployment.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 4" nosecone
• 1 17" payload bay
• 1 34" airframe
• 4 1/4" plywood fins
• 1 tube coupler
• 1 laser-cut bulk head
• 3 laser-cut centerin' rings
• 1 54mm motor mount tube
• 1 36" parachute
• 1 tubular nylon shock cord
• Vinyl decals
• Motor retention, shiver me timbers, rail buttons, me hearties, matey, and assorted hardware

Added for dual deployment:

• 3 bulkplates
• 1 1/4" U-bolt
• 1 tubular nylon shock cord
• 1 24" drogue chute
• 1 70" main (saved t' stock chute for a later project)
• 2 chute protectors
• more assorted hardware

T' instructions were well written and photographed. Begad! There was a parts list included, me hearties, and each part was crossed off showin' that BSD had checked t' make sure that all t' parts were there. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

T' assembly order made sense and started with t' motor mount. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' centerin' rings were glued on t' t' motor tube, me bucko, then t' assembly was glued into t' rocket. Blimey! T' fins were next. Epoxy be placed along t' root edge and along the edge o' t' fin slots. Ahoy! Blimey! Each fin was glued in, then fillets applied. T' bulk plate for t' payload bay was glued into t' coupler about 1/2". T' nose cone went into t' forward end o' t' payload bay. Arrr! No instructions were given on how t' hold it on, but thar are instructions about t' removable rivets, which are nay listed on t' parts list.

That bein' said, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I tossed t' instructions aside and built it as I would have built a scratch built. Begad! T' fin tabs were too long, arrr, arrr, resultin' in several hours o' sanding. Aye aye! T' forward two centerin' rings were glued with a 40 min epoxy and small pieces o' fiberglass. T' eye bolt was replaced with a U-bolt. Begad! T' motor tube be then sanded and inserted into t' airframe. Begad! I tacked t' fins in with super glue then used t' same 40 min epoxy and shredded fiberglass t' do the internal fillets on t' fins. Ahoy! T' fins were foamed with a 2-part expandin' foam. Blimey! T' motor retention consisted of two inserts, two Allen head screws, and Giant Leap style clips. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' aft centerin' rin' be epoxied in. Aye aye! T' fin can is now completed.

T' payload bay was me biggest hurdle as I had never built one before. Arrr! I cut two airframe bulkheads and one more coupler bulkhead then drilled two holes all t' way through them. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I bolted in two 1/4" threaded rods for the altimeter sled t' rest on. Begad! T' altimeter bay is similar t' a LOC/Precision bay minus t' outside length o' airframe. Aye aye! Begad! I attached a U-bolt at either end and a PVC cup for t' main ejection charge.

T' shock cords are tubular nylon. Begad! 20' for t' drogue and 15' for t' main chute.

T' construction be very straightforward and, me hearties, by t' instructions, you could get a very nice 4" sport scale to be proud of.

PROs: Fun rocket t' build. Plenty o' room for dual deployment

CONs: Fin tabs were too long.

Finishing:
I finished t' IRIS with red fins and added some detail t' it. Tape can be added t' make t' scale rings on the actual IRIS, arrr, but I opted nay to. T' decals for t' IRIS name are included but ones for Atlantic Research Corporation are not. Avast, me proud beauty! I had several sheets o' 1/2" vinyl letterin' in t' workshop so I decided I would make me own. Ahoy! I also created t' ARC logo with some clear label paper. Ya scallywag! T' letters were spaced evenly and painted over with black paint. Removin' them be difficult but left very nice lines.

Finishin' this rocket is difficult, but nay unable t' be accomplished. Begad! It definitely needs standard Atlantic Research Corporation decals.

PROs: Challengin' t' finish. Begad! Arrr! Looks good

CONs: Challengin' t' finish. Begad! Nay enough detail.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be north o' Billings, me hearties, ya bilge rat, MT, arrr, in t' middle o' October. Begad! It was surprisingly warm for Montana. Aye aye! Begad! The rocket was prepped for dual deployment usin' a gram o' black powder for each event. T' motor, matey, ya bilge rat, an I284W, matey, also had an ejection charge. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor be put into a Slimline 54-38 adapter then loaded into t' mount. Blimey! T' rocket be ready to go.

With t' igniter in place and t' altimeter armed, I be ready t' launch. Arrr! Blimey! After a quick 5 count, I pressed the button. Ahoy! Blimey! T' I284W came up t' pressure quickly. Well, blow me down! T' IRIS ripped off t' pad on a large flame and a pillar o' smoke.

T' dual deployment worked perfectly, ya bilge rat, bringin' it back safely although a little fast. Arrr! T' PML 48" chute still seemed small... Arrr! T' PerfectFlite miniAlt/WD beeped 2328', almost 1K feet short o' t' predicted altitude. Aye aye! Blimey! I still think it broke 3K.

T' second flight was t' take place at our high altitude site near Twin Bridges, MT, at t' end o' October. Well, blow me down! The only reason it did nay fly be me own procrastination. Ahoy! However, me dad and I flew our Frankenrocket (essentially a stretched PML Tethys) on a K185W t' 6228' for our personal best altitude. Begad! T' weather was perfect, about 60 degrees and not a cloud in t' sky or enough wind t' ruffle a parachute.

T' second flight did take place on November 10 at t' Twin Bridges site. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' weather was less than perfect: highs in t' mid 40's, wind at about 10 mph, shiver me timbers, and high clouds t' makin' it hard t' see any kind o' trackin' smoke or rocket. Blimey! T' motor was a J540R. Ahoy! T' rocket was mostly prepped from t' previous launch, only needin' t' leads for the charges t' be hooked t' t' altimeter and t' motor inserted.

After another quick 5 count, ya bilge rat, t' J540R came up t' pressure almost immediately. Avast! T' four t' five foot flame was incredible, matey, me bucko, pushin' t' IRIS t' 5464'. Again, me bucko, t' dual deployment worked without a hitch, ya bilge rat, deployin' our homemade 70" parachute at 700'.

PROs: Very strong rocket that can be launched on a large variety o' motors.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
PROS: Very strong rocket that can be launched on a large variety o' motors.

CONS: None. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' BSD IRIS is a very well designed rocket that can easily be modified for dual deployment. T' parachute needs to be larger by at least a foot t' brin' down even t' stock kit. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! With proper modifications, me bucko, t' IRIS can fly on many 54mm hybrid motors and maybe some full Ks. Blimey! Blimey! I highly recommend this rocket for anyone who has a little high power experience or a fair amount o' mid power experience. Blimey! A solid choice for L1 and L2 cert flights.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5