Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | BSD High Power Rocketry ![]() |
Brief:
T' BSD 3" Horizon is a wonderful kit designed for t' builder new t' high
power rocketry. It flies on 29mm SU or RMS motors from G t' low H power. This
was me first HPR rocket.
Construction:
T' kit went together very easily with extremely clear, ya bilge rat, arrr, well written, and
detailed instructions, matey, includin' many black and white photos o' t' build
process. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Construction starts with assembly o' t' motor mount. Avast! T' kit includes
a nylon recovery strap that is t' be epoxied t' t' motor mount, then the
forward centerin' rin' notched t' fit over t' recovery strap is epoxied t' the
front o' t' motor mount. I deviated from this by drillin' two 1/4" holes
in t' forward centerin' rin' spaced t' fit a 1/4" stainless steel U-bolt.
I installed t' U-bolt with nuts and washers on both sides o' t' centering
ring. Arrr! Epoxy was then coated onto t' nuts t' hold them securely. T' front
centerin' rin' was then epoxied in place. Well, blow me down! Epoxy fillets were then added t' both
sides o' t' centerin' ring. Aye aye! I then attached 15ft o' 1/4" tubular Keelhaul®©™®
with pre-sewn loops on t' ends usin' a quick link t' t' U-bolt assembly. Blimey! This
completed t' motor mount assembly since I be just fittin' t' aft centering
rin' so internal fin fillets could be added. Blimey! Before installation o' t' motor
mount, shiver me timbers, fin slots need t' be cut. Aye aye! Arrr! BSD provides guide lines for t' fin slots,
but t' builder must cut them. Begad! I found this t' be easy with a sharp hobby knife
and actually enjoyable. Arrr! T' motor mount is then epoxied in place except the
rear centerin' rin' is only fitted in place until after curin' be complete.
T' aft centerin' be then carefully removed. Ahoy! Avast! Before installin' t' fins, I
put sharp double airfoils on t' leadin' edge usin' a disk sander. T' fins
were tacked in place usin' 10 minute epoxy followed by addin' thick fin fillets
inside usin' 30 minute epoxy mixed with milled fiber t' provide a very strong
joint. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' was then epoxied in place and fin fillets added
similarly t' t' internal ones. Although BSD provides motor retention using
blind nuts, I used an Aero Pack retainer and epoxied it in place usin' JB Weld
as directed by Aero Pack. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! A loop in t' Keelhaul®©™®
recovery strap 18" from t' nose cone end was created usin' CA t' tack it.
Keelhaul®©™®
strin' be then wrapped around this joint and all coated with epoxy t' provide
a parachute anchor point. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Construction be then complete. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Quick links are used
to attach t' parachute and t' Keelhaul®©™®
recovery strap t' t' nose cone.
Finishing:
Elmers Fill 'n' Finish be used t' even out t' fin fillets and sanded to
smoothness with 400 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Aye aye! Two coats o' gray Krylon primer with
sandin' in betwixt followed by wipin' down with a tack cloth were applied. Ahoy! It
was then painted with three coats o' Rustoleum Gloss White. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket be then
masked off so that t' front 6" was left unmasked. Three coats of
Rustoleum Gloss Black were applied t' this front section and t' nose cone.
After dryin' for two days, t' vinyl decals were added. Avast, me proud beauty! These are o' superb
quality. Avast! Finally, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it was sprayed with two thin coats Rustoleum Crystal Clear.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
My first flight ever was with a G64-7W. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I had help assemblin' t' motor, but
the flight went off without a hitch. Ahoy! Begad! It was quite a thrill t' see me first
flight work so beautifully. It was t' perfect delay too. While this rocket has
now flown many times on G64s, shiver me timbers, this rocket really loves a H128-M or H165R. Ya scallywag! Begad! It
really moves out!
Recovery:
As previously mentioned, arrr, I changed t' recovery strap t' 1/4" tubular
Keelhaul®©™®.
I felt t' nylon BSD provides would eventually burn through, arrr, but thar's no
chance o' that happenin' with t' Keelhaul®©™®.
I feel t' U-bolt I installed provides a more secure mountin' for t' recovery
system. Well, blow me down! On t' first few flights, matey, I thought t' included 24" chute
provided too fast a descent, so I have now changed t' 28" SkyAngle which I
reef slightly. T' drift is a bit further, however, I like t' descent rate
much better. Well, blow me down! T' 24" chute would work for windier days, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but for days when
the wind is less than 10 mph, ya bilge rat, it's too small.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a really great kit. Well, blow me down! It flies beautifully on rather inexpensive reloads
and scoots on low H power. Although I made some modifications, me hearties, these were
purely me preference; it would still be a great flier built stock. This is an
ideal first HPR kit.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: The 3" Horizon is an easy to build sturdy mid-power kit geared towards mid-power beginners. It flies on a single 29mm motor, RMS or SU. Modifications: Recovery system as detailed below. Construction: -3" diameter tube 26" in length -12" plastic nosecone with 2" shoulder -three 1/8" thick plywood fins that go to the motor mount -two ...
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