Mile High Rockets Falcon

Mile High Rockets - Falcon

Contributed by Chan Stevens

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Mile High Rockets

Mile High Rockets FalconBrief:
This is, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, I believe, Mile High Rockets first venture into rocket kits. Begad! Packed with quality components and sportin' a somewhat unusual design, this kit offers a pleasant diversion from t' standard modroc fare.

Construction:
BT-50 body tube, shiver me timbers, plastic nose cone, matey, 18mm motor mount assembly with hook, 6 balsa fins, balsa fin mountin' rail (more on that later), matey, and Mile High's own flame proof recovery system, includin' Keelhaul®©™ elastic cord and a heavy duty film parachute (plastic like, ya bilge rat, but much higher temp rating).

Construction starts with a basic tube/centerin' rin' motor mount assembly, me hearties, me bucko, though includes Keelhaul®©™ line attached below t' centerin' ring. Most o' us on EMRR consider this a basic upgrade t' commercial kits, so it was nice t' see a company adoptin' that as their standard.

After markin' t' tube, matey, arrr, t' rather unusual fin mountin' begins. Rather than mount directly t' t' tube, t' fins are mounted in a groove cut in a tiny rail, ya bilge rat, which is then bonded t' t' tube. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Secondary fins are then mounted t' t' primary fins usin' this same rail technique. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' secondary fins are mounted perpendicular t' t' main fins, resultin' in what look like 3 tiny wings with rudders on t' rocket (sort o' like a Tie Fighter). Begad! Cuttin' t' rails t' fit and matchin' t' slope o' t' fins is a little tricky, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, and you'll definitely want t' make use o' t' fin alignment template when gluin' everythin' together.

 Overall, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' rails give this a unique look although I prefer regular glue fillets.

T' parachute is attached t' what's described as a Keelhaul®©™ elastic cord. Ahoy! Ahoy! This felt like a regular elastic cord, arrr, wrapped in a thin braided Keelhaul®©™ sleeve, which offers t' stretch o' elastic but also has t' heat protection o' Keelhaul®©™. Begad! Arrr! This was very impressive material in so affordable a modroc kit. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm a little surprised they didn't throw in a small square o' Nomex t' complete t' heat-proof package, but that doesn't take away from t' overall quality o' materials in this kit.

Finishing:
I applied Elmer's Fill N Finish t' fill t' tube spirals and seal t' balsa fins, matey, arrr, then a couple o' light coats o' sandable primer. Ahoy! After sandin' down t' primer with 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, matey, I finished it off with two coats o' gloss white, ya bilge rat, me bucko, then masked off for t' trim red coat on t' fins and nose cone. Begad! Avast! After allowin' everythin' t' dry, I applied t' decals, shiver me timbers, arrr, which include "Mile" on one fin, ya bilge rat, me hearties, followed by "High" and "Rockets" on t' other two.

Mile High Rockets FalconConstruction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be on a modest A8-3 with no winds, freezin' temps, shiver me timbers, and perfectly clear skies. Well, blow me down! T' flight path was spinnin' but straight, deployment just past apogee and recovery was perfect under t' opaque yellow chute.

While I'll certainly move up t' power curve and try it on a C, I suspect that this will put it at t' very edge o' me eyesight (around 1600-1800 feet).

Recovery:
Excellent recovery materials for a basic modroc kit!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flights

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