(07/13/02) T' Hypersonic Transport is me 2nd Fat Cat Rockets' rocket. Begad! I had also built t' Centaurus prior t' Starship Enterprises becomin' Fat Cat Rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I bought t' Hypersonic Transport for one o' t' same reasons I built the Centaurus, its unique look in a medium t' high power rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Hypersonic Transport is "for those quick trips t' t' moon or just t' t' other side o' the planet" accordin' t' Fat Cat Rockets and it "will get you thar in style". Arrr! Avast!

T' Hypersonic Transport is 33" tall and is 3" in diameter. Aye aye! Aye aye! It is designed t' fly on 29mm motors with parachute recovery. Avast! Begad! Fat Cat Rockets indicate that it should weigh 28 ounces without t' motor. Avast! They recommend G40-5 and G80-7 motors which is nice, as I am a big fan o' G80's. (picture courtesy o' Fat Cat Rockets until mine gets finished)

T' Hypersonic consists o' t' main body tube (standard paper) which is 22½" o' 3" diameter with 1/16" wall thickness. Blimey! Ahoy! Centerin' rings (2), Wings (2), Tail (1) are all made from 3/16" plywood. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Wings, matey, includin' t' ram jets, arrr, are made up out o' ten (10) pieces o' wood, shiver me timbers, while t' Tail is made up o' two (2) pieces. Ahoy! There are two (2) launch lugs that once assembled are hidden inside a ram jet. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' motor mount is 29mm and uses a 8½" tube. Aye aye! T' recovery system is beefed up with a 16" cable that is attached t' a 90" piece o' 1/2" black elastic. Avast! This is all topped off with a plastic nose cone. Arrr! My nose cone was 11½" long which made me Hypersonic 34" as opposed t' t' listed 33" (no big deal t' me). Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! Other materials include nose weight (bb's), a bright-orange 30" rip-stop nylon parachute, a series o' detailin' stickers and strips.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on one side o' a single 8x11" sheet o' paper and consist o' 6 steps. Arrr! There are also 6 pages of diagrams includin' a colored decal placement guide and various templates to help with construction. This rocket is actually fairly straightforward, however, me hearties, me bucko, t' instructions need some work t' make t' flow easier. Within t' 6 steps, you are referenced t' t' various other pages t' look at figures and templates. Just made t' flow a bit difficult. Ya scallywag! Also, I feel t' instructions (words) didn't make one point in particular very clear and o' course that is a mistake I made as I will explain below.

As winter approached here in Vermont, I decided t' utilize some of the last warm days and sand all t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' wings and tail. Begad! Blimey! Fat Cat provides a figure t' show you which edges need rounding. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, this actually caused a slight problem later. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Since t' wings are in two pieces and t' ram jets are in three some o' this roundin' occurred in areas that wouldn't normally be rounded. Nay a big problem, me hearties, matey, but I had t' do a little fillin' t' clean this up before finishing. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! Had I followed t' instructions and assembled t' wings first, matey, matey, then rounded every thin' this wouldn't have happened. Avast, me proud beauty! (notice on t' left side o' t' fin where I had rounded t' edge before assembly, this wouldn't have been like this)

On t' other hand, t' instructions have you roundin' the edges o' t' ram jet pieces prior t' assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I found that they needed work after assembly, too, arrr, t' make them look good.

Next you use a provided markin' guide t' draw t' lines on t' body tube in preparation o' cuttin' t' fin slots. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! Cuttin' your own fin slots can be somewhat challenging, but please make it easier on yourself and start with a new, sharp hobby knife blade. Spendin' t' 33¢ for a new blade is worth it. Also, don't try t' go all t' way through on t' first pass. I try t' merely scribe on t' first pass and by t' third pass am cutting through.

Next t' motor mount is assembled. Begad! Aye aye! T' upper centerin' rin' has two ¼" holes drilled in it. T' steel cable is threaded through these two holes and crimped. Avast, me proud beauty! A loop is made in t' opposite end and it too is crimped. Ahoy! T' length seems perfect as the cable just makes it t' t' top o' t' airframe.

T' motor mount is then installed into the airframe. Begad! You may find it beneficial t' pull t' shock tether through the motor mount so it doesn't interfere (get coated with glue) while insertin' the motor mount. Begad! I tested a new trick while installin' this motor mount. What I did was t' place a fairly large amount o' glue on t' upper side o' each o' the centerin' rings about 1/8" from t' edge. Ahoy! I then pushed t' motor mount into t' airframe until it be 1/4" from its final position. Ya scallywag! Then by holdin' t' airframe horizontally and slowin' turnin' it, allowed t' glue to flow off t' edge o' t' centerin' rin' t' meet t' airframe. Blimey! Slowly turnin' it allowed for it t' meet all t' way around. Ya scallywag! Begad! I could visually see this happening on t' upper centerin' rin' by lookin' down t' airframe from t' top. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Once touchin' all t' way around, I then pushed t' motor mount up that final 1/4" into position and sat it on its end t' dry. Blimey! You need a glue that is strong and will flow initially. Begad! I figure 1-hour epoxy would work, or what I used: ProBond Polyurethane Glue which worked great! (additional comments about ProBond Polyurethane glue)

T' nose weight (BB's) is epoxied into t' nose cone next. Arrr! Ahoy! The nose cone came without a bottom allowin' t' nose weight t' be added very easily. Begad! After t' epoxy (or in me case t' polyurethane glue) is dry, the bulkhead is assembled in t' shoulder o' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' nose cone was fairly loose in t' airframe which required two layers o' maskin' tape t' snug up.

Oh, yes, shiver me timbers, me one big mistake. Arrr! Begad! After cuttin' t' slots in the airframe for t' wings and tail I followed t' instructions t' assemble the wings t' t' airframe. Ya scallywag! After they were dry, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I applied glue and inserted the tail into t' remainin' slot in t' tube. Blimey! As I was sittin' thar lookin' at it, it didn't seem t' me t' be a stable design as t' ram jets were on top along with t' tail. Avast! Avast! While thinkin' this I sorted through all t' pages of diagrams and noticed that I had installed t' wings upside down. Avast! So I pulled the tail out before t' glue set. Blimey! I cut a new slot on t' opposite side, filled the old slot with t' original piece o' tubin' that be removed, and glued the tail into t' new slot. Well, blow me down! Much better. Avast! Aye aye! I guess I should have caught that earlier, however, ya bilge rat, I feel t' instructions should have helped me help myself.

Due t' winter in Vermont, I have nay been able t' finish the Hypersonic Transport. T' instructions provide a good description for finishin' and provides a set o' detailin' tape. Begad! So I will add more information once I can finish and fly this rocket. Arrr! Stay tuned . Ahoy! . Well, blow me down! . Arrr!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Ahoy! Arrr! I found t' quality o' t' parts t' be excellent, ya bilge rat, t' rocket design's uniqueness is great, me bucko, and t' fit o' all t' components was perfect. T' instructions need t' be enhanced t' be clearer and flow better. Ahoy! This should not be someone's first mid-power kit, but it should be one o' t' choices for gettin' away from 3-Fin-Nose-Cone type rockets.

FINISHING:

As you can see, arrr, I went away from t' Fat Cat color scheme. Well, blow me down! I wanted t' try me hand at this special DupliColor Mirage paint. Arrr! I picked up a kit from Walmart. Avast! T' Purple/Green variety. Arrr! Blimey! After that, I didn't think t' detailin' tape had t' look I wanted, so I cut me own decals from some extra vinyl ones that came with a special BSD Thor order. I think it came out okay. Begad! I used much o' t' information for the windows from t' provided instructions.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Fat Cat recommends two motors, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' G40-5 and G80-7. In addition, their stated finished weight is 28 ounces.

Now, me bucko, in me case, shiver me timbers, I only had a couple o' G64-4's and my finished weight be 29.5 ounces, matey, so I felt we had a good match!

I was so excited one day in May when I woke up and it was perfectly calm and beautiful. Begad! So I went flying! I loaded t' Hypersonic Transport with me RMS G64-4. Avast! I had failed t' add any positive motor retention (and none comes with t' kit) so I risked it and did a friction fit o' me RMS casing. Begad! T' hope was t' see it again.

T' rocket looked great sittin' thar on t' rod with the hidden launch lugs. Ya scallywag! I gave a count down and varrrrroooommmmm. Arrr! Off she went. Beautiful. Begad! Ahoy! T' flight was very straight and stable. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' ejection was a bit early, ya bilge rat, probably could have waited another second or so, but t' bright-orange 30" rip-stop nylon parachute deployed and descended very nicely. Avast! Nay too fast and nay too slow.

With such a nice flight I was lookin' forward t' me next launch and NYPower 2002. I loaded t' same motor, G64-4, me bucko, and set it up on t' middle row o' pads. Avast! It was rather windy this day so we had about a 10 degree rod angle, but I still was nay worried. Upon ignition though, t' Hypersonic Transport appeared t' lose its spaceship-like qualities and more resembled a wounded duck. Well, blow me down! It was flyin' in t' right direction, shiver me timbers, but seemed as if t' wind would push it, t' fins corrected it, me hearties, push, ya bilge rat, correct, shiver me timbers, push, correct . Begad! . . Well, blow me down! then turned back toward t' ground then ejection. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Very scary. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' 'chute opened and it carried right on over t' hit the porta-potty door. Arrr! Begad! Scared t' women goin' inside, arrr, but no damage at all.

I bounced this information off o' t' folks at Fat Cat Rockets and got a couple o' interestin' thoughts back. Avast! Since t' first flight was stable and no changes were made t' rocket appears t' have been built correctly (if was) and be stable, therefore, stability factures would need to be outside o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! I gave thought t' t' wind however, me hearties, they assured me they have experience with it flyin' well in t' wind AND from me own observations with other flights t' wind doesn't do this push, correct thin' it would simply push it over more and more horizontal. Well, blow me down! So what else? Motor and rod length were discussed. I inspected t' motor and they may have a point. Avast, me proud beauty! As I inspected t' nozzle I did notice a build up on one side behind and in the throat. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Also t' way t' residue be in t' motor casin' t' one side. Avast! I can't say for sure as I lack experience in this but thar are some clues. Blimey! Arrr! So time and more flights will tell!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY I would rate this kit 3 points. I found t' looks and flight silhouette t' be excellent. Ya scallywag! The recovery system is very nice and brings t' rocket in nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Keep an eye on the elastic shockcord though. Avast! Begad! T' kit also needs positive motor retention (I know, shiver me timbers, I know, matey, most mid t' high power kits don't have it, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but....). Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Regardless of me second flight, me gut feel is that this is a stable flyin' rocket and I look forward t' future flights t' prove that.

If you are lookin' for a medium-sized rocket with some unique looks and quality components, me bucko, then t' Hypersonic Transport is for you. Solid construction and a great flight silhouette. Avast! Begad! You may be limited t' the days you can actually fly it (calm) but it will definitely get t' attention of observers. Blimey! On G's, it is nay a terribly high flier either, ya bilge rat, so this will be nice for smaller fields. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Overall, ya bilge rat, matey, I would rate this kit 3 ½ points.