Brief:
T' US Rockets (USR) Mosquito 2.2 is an easy t' build ~4.5x upscale o' the perennial Estes kit. Avast! (T' 2.2 refers t' t' diameter o' t' airframe in inches.) While still lightweight--less than 5oz completed--it does come back on streamer recovery. Avast! It flies on smaller 29mm motors and even comes with an adapter so 24mm motors can be used.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• 1 2.25" ogive balsa nose cone
• 1 9" x 2.25" body tube
• 2 birch ply centerin' rings
• 1 4" long 29mm motor tube
• 1 screw eye
• 1 3-fold paper shock cord mount
• 1 60" x 1/4" elastic shock cord
• 3 1/4" balsa fins
• 1 1/4" launch lugs
• 1 60" x 3" plastic streamer
• 1 24mm motor adapter kit
• Decals
• Instruction manual
• Advanced Information Report (AIR) #1 -- Motor Installation

After several recent challengin' rocket builds, I needed t' build something that had more instant gratification and kept t' basic build techniques. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! The U.S. Begad! Rockets Mosquito proved t' be a more than worthwhile distraction. Well, blow me down! With so few parts and pre-cut surface mount fins, me hearties, arrr, perhaps t' greatest challenge was sandin' a nice even taper on t' long leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' fins. A sandin' block with 150 grit sandpaper still made reasonably short work o' this task. Usin' maskin' tape (or alternately, drawin' lines) on t' fins assured an even taper on all sides o' t' fins.

T' centerin' rings were glued and filleted near t' ends o' t' motor mount tube with yellow wood glue (aliphatic resin). Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Yellow wood glue was in fact used for t' entire build. Blimey! While t' motor mount was drying, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I used the markin' guide in t' instructions and me Estes Fin Alignment tool t' mark the fins and launch lug lines t' length o' t' short body tube.

Allowin' t' motor mount a few more minutes t' dry, I inserted t' screw eye into t' base o' t' nose cone, twisted it back out, me bucko, and then squeezed a small amount o' polyurethane glue into t' hole before reinsertin' t' screw eye. Then I used a X-Acto knife t' cut t' 2" long launch lug in half at a 45 degree angle. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Lastly I glued t' fins onto t' body tube with t' trailing edge even with t' aft end o' t' tube usin' t' double glue method (lightly glue, me bucko, press t' fin onto t' body tube, pull it away, matey, wait a minute, apply more glue on fin, me hearties, place t' fin back on t' tube, and allow t' dry fully). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did that for each o' t' 3 fins keepin' a close eye on their alignment. T' launch lugs were tacked on t' tube at t' aft end and 6" up. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A couple layers of fillets had t' fins and launch lugs firmly attached. Blimey! Blimey!

With t' fins and motor mount dry, I put a generous amount o' glue inside the aft end o' t' body tube and slide t' motor mount up until t' aft end of the motor tube be flush with t' aft end o' t' body tube. Arrr! Blimey! I set it aside and let it dry overnight.

I waited until after all o' t' paintin' had been done t' install t' shock cord, which uses t' familiar tri-fold paper mount inside t' airframe and ties t' the screw eye. Avast! T' make t' streamer portable, arrr, matey, I tied a snap swivel onto one end. Arrr! A small loop be tied in t' shock cord t' clip t' streamer to.

I did nay bother t' assemble t' 24mm motor adapter. Begad! Blimey! This is one o' many USR kits I've built t' date that already use t' same adapter. I'll save the tubes for another project...

Finishing:
No surprises here. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone be on t' rough side but a couple coats of Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish along with some sandin' had it smoothed out in no time. T' fins received a similar treatment but only needed one coat o' FnF. USR tubes are so smooth. Ahoy! I didn't have t' fill any spirals and jumped right in to layin' down t' primer. Ya scallywag! A couple o' coats along with sandin' afterwards had it ready for t' classic Mosquito paint job o' yellow nose cone and one fin with red body tube and two fins. Ya scallywag! I added one o' t' smaller USR logo stickers on the body tube and t' "U.S. Rockets Mosquito 2.2" decals on each side of the yellow fin as a final touch!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
In an attempt t' get it back from its first flight, ya bilge rat, I loaded up a E9-8 along with t' 24mm adapter from another o' me USR kits. Blimey! T' delay accordin' to RockSim should be a little on t' late side with this motor but with t' light weight o' t' rocket and t' streamer recovery, shiver me timbers, that will hopefully translate into a short walk for recovery. Aye aye! That be t' plan anyway...

I loaded it up on t' pad at a large soccer field at a local private school as a demo launch for a group o' students. Ya scallywag! T' winds were pretty strong but we had flown several rockets up t' 500ft and they had all recovered on t' field. I pushed t' launch button and watched it go! T' long burn E9 didn't have make the rocket leave t' pad in a blur but it got goin' quick enough and pushed the Mosquito t' well over 500ft as seen in t' previous flights o' other rockets. It was however (thankfully) always visible durin' flight unlike t' original Mosquito. Ya scallywag! Ejection was just past apogee as intended and t' streamer quickly unfurled. Blimey! T' winds really took hold o' t' rocket and took it for a ride. In fact, it drifted pretty far, arrr, clearin' t' field and one o' t' school buildings. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! On t' other side o' t' buildin' be a couple o' trees and it landed comfortably about 20 feet up in one o' those trees. Several students and I took turns climbin' t' tree but none o' us were able t' get close enough to retrieve it. Begad! A teacher did brin' up a telescopin' pole and that proved t' be exactly what was needed t' get it down. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord be broken from pulling on it and t' rocket suffered some dents and dings durin' this process but the damage was minor. It will fly again! Plus I felt pretty good after snatchin' my rocket back from t' evil clutches o' t' rocket gods!

I would like t' fly it again in t' future on a much higher thrust motor to get that "authentic" Mosquito flight experience...

Recovery:
T' 60" long neon pink plastic streamer should limit any long walks for recovery and allow for easy trackin' post-ejection on calm days. Ya scallywag! Begad! A shorter streamer and/or longer motor delay should be used on windy days. Avast! Avast! I used dog barf cellulose waddin' t' protect t' streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! This be more than adequate for 24mm BP motors.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' U.S. Rockets Mosquito 2.2 is a fun upscale o' a classic LPR that can be built and prepped in a very short time. Begad! Ahoy! Perhaps t' greatest advantage t' this version is that you can actually track it durin' flight and expect a very good chance o' flyin' it more than one time, unlike t' original. Ya scallywag! This also would make a good transition kit for someone lookin' t' make t' move from LPR to MPR.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5