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

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

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

Kit included cut and sanded 3/16” aircraft quality plywood fins, high strength airframe tube and couplers, shiver me timbers, centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, bulkhead plate, shiver me timbers, high quality hardware package, 54 mm motor tube, shiver me timbers, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. 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. Avast! As t' instruc-tions tell you, shiver me timbers, me bucko, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, me hearties, especially with t' talon fins. Blimey! Arrr!

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that was in-cluded with t' kit. Ahoy! I am sold on these, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Avast! Sleek, ya bilge rat, easy, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! This also worked well. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

Flight:
My level 2 certification flight was set for WTGG in September. Begad! Begad! 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. It became very popular that day. Arrr! Arrr! I checked in with every-one that was goin' t' help me with t' flight. After watchin' 4-6 flights t' gage t' wind, ya bilge rat, I started t' build t' J350W motor that I be gong to use.

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

Back t' t' launch. 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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, me hearties, and we were readin' t' go. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' wind be at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. Begad! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, arrr, arrr, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. Well, blow me down! It looked great. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Begad! T' chase be on. Blimey! Avast!

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

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

1. A Long delay. Arrr!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Avast, me proud beauty!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! 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. Blimey! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I will continue t' learn and gain experience, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me. Well, blow me down! Aye aye!

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