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, rail buttons, me bucko, 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. There was a parts list included, and each part was crossed off showin' that BSD had checked t' make sure that all t' parts were there. Begad!

T' assembly order made sense and started with t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings were glued on t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, then t' assembly was glued into t' rocket. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' fins were next. Ahoy! Epoxy was placed along t' root edge and along the edge o' t' fin slots. Well, blow me down! Each fin be glued in, then fillets applied. Blimey! Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! No instructions were given on how t' hold it on, but thar are instructions about t' removable rivets, shiver me timbers, arrr, which are nay listed on t' parts list.

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

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

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

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

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

CONs: Fin tabs were too long. Ahoy! Blimey!

Finishing:
I finished t' IRIS with red fins and added some detail t' it. Avast! Blimey! Tape can be added t' make t' scale rings on the actual IRIS, but I opted nay to. T' decals for t' IRIS name are included but ones for Atlantic Research Corporation are not. I had several sheets o' 1/2" vinyl letterin' in t' workshop so I decided I would make me own. Begad! I also created t' ARC logo with some clear label paper. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! It definitely needs standard Atlantic Research Corporation decals.

PROs: Challengin' t' finish. Looks good

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

With t' igniter in place and t' altimeter armed, me hearties, I be ready t' launch. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After a quick 5 count, I pressed the button. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' I284W came up t' pressure quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Begad! T' PML 48" chute still seemed small... Blimey! Avast! T' PerfectFlite miniAlt/WD beeped 2328', shiver me timbers, arrr, almost 1K feet short o' t' predicted altitude. Well, blow me down! 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. Ahoy! The only reason it did nay fly be me own procrastination. However, me dad and I flew our Frankenrocket (essentially a stretched PML Tethys) on a K185W t' 6228' for our personal best altitude. Blimey! T' weather be perfect, arrr, 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! Blimey! T' weather be less than perfect: highs in t' mid 40's, me hearties, wind at about 10 mph, and high clouds t' makin' it hard t' see any kind o' trackin' smoke or rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor was a J540R. Avast! Blimey! T' rocket was mostly prepped from t' previous launch, me bucko, only needin' t' leads for the charges t' be hooked t' t' altimeter and t' motor inserted.

After another quick 5 count, me hearties, matey, t' J540R came up t' pressure almost immediately. T' four t' five foot flame was incredible, pushin' t' IRIS t' 5464'. Blimey! Again, t' dual deployment worked without a hitch, 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. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5