Brief:
Let me start by tellin' you that me Level 2 certi-fication flight be not successful. But that has nay deterred me from recommendin' this kit. The re-build was very successful and t' rocket re-built won Model o' t' month for the Novem-ber meetin' o' NIRA. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! With a few adjustments, me hearties, I know this model will make it durin' me second attempt. Completed, matey, me hearties, this model is quite impres-sive. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

T' Velociraptor be nay only a challengin' rocket t' build it was a lot of fun. Ya scallywag! T' start, arrr, t' buyin' experience o' selectin' and orderin' through Binder Design was incredible. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I ordered t' Velociraptor on-line on a Sunday and re-ceived it in t' mail on t' followin' Thursday. Arrr! You could tell I just bought a top shelf kit. Blimey! T' packagin' was done with care. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Everythin' was wrapped individually and all o' t' parts were in place and in excellent condition. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! T' 11 page instruction manual with illustrations was very well thought out and easy t' follow. Begad! Blimey! T' website is very well thought out and the and very easy t' order a number o' different kits and supplies. Begad! Blimey! This website is the best kept secret in Rocketry, matey, t' buyin' experience alone scores a (5). Mike Fisher, t' owner o' Binder Design an-swered all o' me questions on e-mail or on t' phone. Ahoy! He was very accessible.

Kit specifications:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, arrr, t' Velociraptor is a 4” diameter High Power Rocket with an aggressive look. It comes with unique anti-zipper baffle design, aluminum motor retainer, arrr, and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your level one certification, then stick a J motor in it for your level two flight and watch it scream. Aye aye! Blimey!

Kit included cut and sanded 3/16” aircraft quality plywood fins, high strength airframe tube and couplers, centerin' rings, bulkhead plate, high quality hardware package, 54 mm motor tube, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A 45” premium nylon parachute was included. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thor-ough, all you need t' be able t' do is read left t' right. Avast, me proud beauty! T' longest part o' this project was t' buildin' o' the aft section. With a boat tail as-sembly and 9 fins t' sand and align, the slower I went produced terrific results. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! As t' instruc-tions tell you, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. Avast! A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, especially with t' talon fins. Begad! Arrr!

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that was in-cluded with t' kit. Avast! I am sold on these, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Sleek, easy, strong and better than maskin' tape. Begad! This rocket also incorporated a Binder Baffle System, the first time that I had built and used a baffle. Ya scallywag! This also worked well. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, arrr, but chose nay t' use it. Begad! The rocket and can be built two ways, with or without t' bay. Blimey! Begad! I did nay feel that I was ready for t' electronics, but I now realize that if I am goin' t' play in t' higher power stuff, arrr, I am goin' t' have t' get involved with electronics.

I took me time and made sure that t' rocket was goin' t' be solid. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! So I built it strong. T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. Blimey! Blimey! loaded and ready t' go.

Finishing:
I had built this stock, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! After sandin' and prep, ya bilge rat, I applied two coats o' primer followed by three coats o' finishin' paint. Avast! I used white high gloss paint for the aft section and Green Krylon for t' forward section. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' Nose cone was finished in silver. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Binder pro-vided excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give its great look. Ahoy! Aye aye! Usin' me garage as me paint studio never sits well with my wife, me hearties, but she has gotten use t' it.

Flight:
My level 2 certification flight be set for WTGG in September. Ya scallywag! I arrived at the field a late morn-ing, t' find that a lot o' people were lookin' for me; I had the only rail for t' launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It became very popular that day. Avast! Blimey! I checked in with every-one that was goin' t' help me with t' flight. Avast! Blimey! After watchin' 4-6 flights t' gage t' wind, ya bilge rat, I started t' build t' J350W motor that I was gong to use. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey!

As I said in t' first paragraph, shiver me timbers, this was nay a successful flight. Avast! When you start t' investigate why somethin' went wrong, matey, here was me first mistake o' the day. T' motor came with a long delay. I was advised based on what Space Cad had recommended t' change t' a medium delay. Aye aye! Goin' with t' medium delay led to a premature separation. Ya scallywag! After talkin' t' Binder, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, matey, t' long de-lay should have been t' choice. Begad! Space Cad does nay do a very good job when usin' boat tails. T' Rocket probably reached an altitude o' 3300-3500 feet. Ahoy! Where Space Cad had it topin' out at 2800 feet, arrr, this extra 500-700 feet was t' difference in comin' in perfect or with w 9 inch zipper. Ahoy!

Back t' t' launch. As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and I believe this be t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! So it got a little o' attention. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' rocket be loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, me bucko, and we were readin' t' go. T' wind be at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. Ahoy! I adjusted t' angle o' t' pad t' take advantage o' the wind and t' try t' keep t' rocket out o' t' corn field. Begad!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, shiver me timbers, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. Well, blow me down! It looked great. Aye aye! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. T' chase was on. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Begad! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. After two hours and a sec-ond attempt I be able t' recover the rocket with t' help o' a flag pole and walkin' talking.

I was very disappointed in findin' t' zipper damage. Avast, me proud beauty! I also lost two talon fins. Avast! When t' post opt was completed, arrr, we realized t' followin' things that could have lead t' a successful flight:

1. A Long delay. Begad! Begad!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, shiver me timbers, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Begad!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Begad!
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Blimey!

Summary:
T' next day I had e-mailed Mike Fisher at Binder and had t' parts that I needed t' rebuild t' rocket. Ahoy! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. Begad! I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. Ahoy! I will continue t' learn and gain experience, ya bilge rat, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me.

This is a great rocket, and I recommend it t' anyone. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' failed attempt was not that o' t' rocket, but a lack o' experience – I know I won’t make t' same mistakes again.