Brief:
T' Estes Sky Raider was among a handful o' D-powered rockets that I always longed for as a kid. (T' Renegade and Demon were two others.) I loved it's size and t' cool lightnin' bolt inspired decals. Blimey! Blimey! Back then I also loved the idea o' flyin' D-powered birds but nay t' economics. Ya scallywag! I be subsistin' on a meager allowance and a pack o' C6-5s took a pretty big chunk out o' that, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I left t' D-powered stuff alone. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! With motors and, me hearties, more importantly, shiver me timbers, motor cash in more plentiful supply these days, me hearties, I've begun t' clone as many o' t' older D kits as time permits. Arrr! Blimey! T' Estes Goblin became me first D-powered clone, me hearties, me hearties, but the Sky Raider was a close second. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Construction:
Sky Raider plans are available here

• 27" BT-55 body tube from Totally Tubular
• 2.75" BT-50 engine tube from Totally Tubular
• EH-2 engine hook
• 3 AR-5055 centerin' rings from a Red Arrow Hobbies assortment
• AR-2050 engine block/centerin' rin' from Red Arrow Hobbies assortment
• PNC-55AC nose cone from Hobbylinc
• medium snap swivel
• 36" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 3" x 3" square o' Keelhaul®©™® Perma-Wadding
• 36" o' 1/8" sewin' elastic for shock cord
• 12" nylon chute
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 2 launch lugs
• decal sheet

While it's good looks are what initially attracted me t' t' Sky Raider, t' simplicity o' t' design was what made this project as enjoyable as I found it t' be. Basically a long, lean 4FNC rocket, matey, arrr, t' Sky Raider was initially built as a payload capable rocket with an 18" and 9" BT-55 joined by a balsa nose block. Since it is now illegal t' launch any living creatures as payload fodder, me bucko, a lot o' t' fun has gone out o' it, so I chose to rid me clone o' it's payload section and make t' entire body from one 27" length o' Totally Tubular BT-55. Well, blow me down! This simplified construction somewhat without sacrificin' t' lines o' t' original rocket. Ahoy! T' look at it, me hearties, you'd never know I made t' switch. Blimey!

Aside from this, t' only changes I made were t' obligatory addition of Keelhaul®©™® to t' recovery system, and addin' a third AR-5055 centerin' rin' t' act as a hold down for t' engine hook. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™® was installed as usual, by tyin' a knot in one end and slippin' it betwixt the forward centerin' rin' and t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! When securely held in place with wood glue, ya bilge rat, this gives t' rocket a much stronger anchor point than the traditional Estes paper mount and keeps t' elastic shock cord well out o' the way o' t' hot ejection gases. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! When combined with t' square o' Keelhaul®©™® Perma-Wadding, t' recovery system is almost foolproof.

Finishing:
Finishin' be greatly simplified by t' replacement o' t' balsa fins with stronger basswood. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! While strength is one advantage o' basswood, me hearties, t' bigger advantage is probably achieved in finishing. T' tighter grain o' t' basswood makes for a much easier finishin' experience as t' fins are filled t' a glass smooth finish after only two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill n Finish. Well, blow me down! This was also used on t' body tube spirals and despite t' LONG strokes needed to properly sand t' body tube, t' process was greatly simplified overall. Blimey! Once the body was sanded t' near "perfection", arrr, matey, I sprayed t' whole thing with two coats o' Valspar primer, sandin' lightly betwixt each coat. I then sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar gloss white before maskin' t' top of the rocket for it's coat o' Valspar gloss black, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and maskin' t' bottom for it's coat o' Valspar Apple Red. Well, blow me down! T' whole thin' came out lookin' as close to the catalog photo as I dared hope. Ahoy! Blimey! I made t' decals usin' BelDecal ink jet paper and me HP printer and they came out lookin' great. Well, blow me down! After applyin' the decals, arrr, I sprayed t' entire rocket with a coat o' clear acrylic. Once this was dry, all that be left t' do be fly it.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight #1 be on an Estes D12-7 in mild winds. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! At lift-off, t' Sky Raider fired straight and true, shiver me timbers, coastin' upward for what seemed like forever before the ejection charge fired. It drifted only slightly in t' light winds and nearly landed on a Subaru that be parked behind t' flight line, also just missin' t' dreaded access road that has claimed more than one o' me rockets. Flight #2 was in heavier winds on 4th o' July weekend. Avast, me proud beauty! With t' pad pointed well into t' wind t' compensate for t' unavoidable drift t' come, t' rocket again had an impressive flight on a D12-7. Arrr! After coastin' out toward the southern edge o' t' park, me hearties, it came screamin' back in across t' flight line, clearin' us by well over a hundred feet. Ya scallywag! It landed well back in t' cat tails, and like a genius I had worn shorts. Begad! Flight #3 be t' best overall flight and almost as importantly it gave me t' best launch picture. Arrr! Flyin' in near calm conditions on a D12-5, me hearties, t' Sky Raider ejected it's chute just as it's forward motion stopped, a picture perfect recovery. Then t' top t' flight off, it landed just a few feet off o' a newly mown path off t' t' right side o' the VOA field. Recoveries should always be that easy.

Recovery:
With three feet o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord tied and glued securely in behind t' forward centerin' rin' and another three feet o' 1/8" sewin' elastic on t' nose cone end, I feel like I can rest easy as far as t' recovery system is concerned. Well, blow me down! Call it overkill, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but t' body tube has t' space t' carry t' extra shock cord. Aye aye! A sheet o' Perma-Waddin' keeps t' whole system addlepate proof as I have occasionally been known t' forget t' dog barf. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I have swapped out t' traditional 18" Estes parachute for a smaller 12" nylon chute that came in a box o' eBay winnings. Arrr! So far it has been more than adequate, especially showin' it's value in heavy winds. Ahoy! T' only problem with this smaller chute might be t' speed with which t' rocket comes in, but with t' bulk o' VOA covered by heavy overgrowth, shiver me timbers, me bucko, this would probably only be a problem if t' Sky Raider lands on the access road, matey, me bucko, and damage is inevitable no matter how big your chute is in that case.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
From a performance standpoint, me bucko, t' Sky Raider has turned out t' be everythin' I had hoped it would be. Definitely nay a small field flier, me bucko, I've only flown it durin' QUARK launches at VOA Park. Begad! While t' field at VOA isn't without it's hazards, shiver me timbers, it does have a large amount o' open land for a comparatively high flyin' bird like this one t' recover. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Sky Raider is another example of Estes doin' it right back in t' day. Begad!

PRO'S: Vintage looks, matey, matey, ease o' construction, and D-powered flights are always cool.

CON'S: None. All parts are readily available t' clone this classic.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5