Brief:
Don is such a nice guy. Avast! Avast! Blimey! I fouled up t' first kit he gave me t' beta test years ago, gluin' t' rudders on backward. Needless t' say, I could never get it trimmed for flight. Avast! Blimey! Now that he has redesigned t' way t' parts fit together, me hearties, he has once again provided another for me t' beta test. Ahoy! Blimey! Success! Blimey! T' newer design is almost addlepate proof. He won't admit it, but I think he redesigned it with me in mind. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is a BT-20 based rocket glider that flies excellently on 18mm motors. Terri was thinkin' o' changin' t' face card, but I'm glad they left it t' same. Avast, me proud beauty! It really looks fantastic.

Construction:
T' instructions are numbered with lots o' helpful illustrations. Aye aye! I glued everythin' together with yellow glue. The wings and rudders are laser cut. Ya scallywag! I really wouldn't want t' cut out those scallops in t' upper and lower wings! The rudders are now two laser-cut pieces, me bucko, tabbed on t' upper and lower pieces t' fit into slots in t' upper and lower wings. Aye aye! Blimey! T' two pieces are glued together leavin' a slot in t' middle for t' tabs on t' center wings t' glue into. T' balsa nose cone is top quality and very smooth. Well, blow me down! A BT-20 tube is used for t' body and a sheet o' water slide decals is provided with a variety o' optional markings. A balsa strut attaches from t' body tube t' a notch in t' center of the lower wing. Avast! Avast! Glue t' nose cone and launch lug onto t' body tube and you're done! T' motor is ejected so the glider is balanced for flight without t' motor. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Clay is provided for balancing.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone required very little finishing. Avast! With only a very light coat o' Elmer's Light Fill ‘n' Finish, arrr, t' nose cone was very smooth. I also applied only a light coat o' Fill ‘n' Finish t' t' body tube and fins t' minimize t' weight. Begad! I pre-sanded t' wings and strut usin' 240 and 400 grit sandpaper before removin' from the balsa sheet. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I sprayed t' entire model with a very light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base coat. Ya scallywag! Next, matey, I lightly sanded t' entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a light coat o' primer sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. Well, blow me down! I used Krylon paint followin' t' red and black paint scheme on t' face card. Begad! After dryin' for 24 hours, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I applied t' decals and then covered everythin' with a thin coat o' Future floor finish.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
First flight was on an Estes B6-2 with t' wind speed at about 5 mph. Avast! It zoomed straight up with ejection right at the top. T' glider did a barrel roll and then settled into a 50-yard wide slow circle down. Begad! Perfect! It probably stayed up in t' air for close t' a minute. Avast! Aye aye! Pretty good considerin' t' temperature be about 70 degrees. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It only took a couple o' tosses with a very slight adjustment t' t' clay t' balance t' glider again for its next flight. Well, blow me down! T' next flight was on an A8-3, another perfect flight with similar glide pattern. Chas Russell timed t' flight at 33 seconds. I be elated! T' flights were just beautiful. Arrr! Begad! I decided t' go with a B4-2 for t' next flight. Begad! Again, it only took a couple o' tosses t' get t' glider re-trimmed. Another perfectly straight boost up, me hearties, but at ejection thar was a very loud POW! T' shock split t' rudders in half, separatin' t' upper wing, me bucko, arrr, and crackin' t' lower win' where t' strut joined. T' glider flipped over a couple o' times and t' upper win' came floatin' down. Avast! Unbelievably, t' rocket continued t' glide for about 15-20 seconds with only t' center and lower wings attached t' t' lower half o' the rudders before flutterin' down t' last 30 feet from t' ground. Begad! Upon inspection o' t' motor, shiver me timbers, t' upper end was flared out, and I only had it lightly taped in just enough t' keep it from fallin' out on t' launch pad. Ya scallywag! That be just one hot ejection charge!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I was very impressed with t' glider. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It was a snap t' put together and flew beautifully. I felt redeemed. Begad! I am nay a glider person either. This was only me third glider t' build, nay countin' t' first Red Baron I put together. It took about 50 tosses t' get t' trim dialed in, me hearties, me bucko, but once I had done that, shiver me timbers, only very minor adjustment t' t' clay be needed for each flight on t' field.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5