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

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

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

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

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

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that be in-cluded with t' kit. Ahoy! I am sold on these, shiver me timbers, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Sleek, matey, easy, me hearties, strong and better than maskin' tape. Ahoy! This rocket also incorporated a Binder Baffle System, the first time that I had built and used a baffle. Begad! Ahoy! This also worked well.

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, matey, but chose nay t' use it. Begad! The rocket and can be built two ways, with or without t' bay. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me bucko, 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. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. Ya scallywag! Blimey! So I built it strong. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! loaded and ready t' go. Ahoy! Blimey!

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

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

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

Back t' t' launch. Ya scallywag! As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, and I believe this be t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. So it got a little o' attention. T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, and we were readin' t' go. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' wind be at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. 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.

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. Avast! It looked great. Aye aye! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Begad! Aye aye! T' chase was on. Avast!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Ya scallywag! Begad! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

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

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

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

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