Brief:
T' Sunward Flyin' Umbrella is a very high drag rocket that looks like, well, an umbrella and flies like one too. Aye aye! Blimey! T' "rocket" uses a parachute for recovery, matey, but that might nay really be needed. Ahoy! Blimey! It does nay go very high and it comes down slowly.

Construction:
T' rocket comes with a single body tube, me bucko, 8 fin struts, matey, shiver me timbers, 8 umbrella panels, shiver me timbers, nose cone, ya bilge rat, parachute, and 24mm motor mount. Begad! T' parts are laser cut and typical construction quality.

I won 2 Sunward rockets in a contest. Avast! I chose t' Flyin' Umbrella and Khufu's Pyramid. Begad! T' "rocket" construction is pretty straightforward. It is listed as a level 3 rocket and I would agree. Avast! T' instructions are nice and helpful. Avast! Aye aye! T' 8 "fins" were actually pretty easy t' attach. Ahoy! I used Quick Dry Tacky Glue and they went on with no problem. Well, blow me down! Aye aye!

T' umbrella panels are thin and a little fragile, but they were glued in place with little trouble. Aye aye! I was a little worried that they would nay be strong enough, but t' have survived t' flights with no problem.

T' shock cord might be a little short. If I had it t' do over again, arrr, I would use a longer one.

There are no "gotchas" if you follow t' directions.

Finishing:
T' paint scheme that I chose made t' finishin' a little time consumin' as I wanted t' make t' Flyin' Umbrella look like an umbrella. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose red and white for t' umbrella panels. I had some blue paint layin' around and it was July 4th so I decided t' finish t' rocket red, white and blue.

It is a little hard t' sand t' primer coat. Arrr! There are a lot o' surfaces you have t' sand because with 8 fins, you have 16 surfaces and thar be also a top and bottom on t' umbrella panels t' sand. Avast! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Everyone who had seen t' Flyin' Umbrella said pretty much t' same thing, "That is nay goin' too high!" Everyone was correct. Begad! T' motor of choice be t' D12-3. Well, blow me down! T' rocket struggled t' get 60' in t' air. Avast! It arched over and be halfway down before t' ejection charge went off.

T' rocket was upside down at this time and t' parachute did nay have time to open, me hearties, me hearties, however, me hearties, t' fall did nay do any damage t' t' rocket. A D12-0 might be a good choice as t' 3 second delay was too long.

I might try t' get some D11-P motors, use a foam nosecone, ya bilge rat, and just let the umbrella float down. Begad! Ya scallywag! I might even look t' use an F12 reload in t' Flying Umbrella.

Recovery:
Recovery be nay exactly what I expected. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' rocket be upside down when the ejection charge went off and t' parachute did nay have time t' catch any air or open.

Click here for a video o' t' launch.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Flyin' Umbrella is a good high drag design. Begad! It was used in a demonstration launch for some middle school kids, was fun t' build, and should be t' focus of attention at any launch.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5