Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Avast, me proud beauty! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, which I saw for t' first time recently, ya bilge rat, and 2) I wanted t' paint it a dark color instead o' white in order t' maximize me chances o' gettin' it back.

Construction:
My primary components were:

• 9" BT-55 body tube (sustainer)
• 2.75" BT-55 body tube (booster
• PNC-55 (Bullpup NC)
• 2 sets o' 4 hand-traced and cut balsa fins
• 2 18mm engine tubes
• 2 sets o' BT-55 t' BT-20 cardboard centerin' rings, me bucko, scratch made
• elastic shock cord
• 2" x 24" plastic streamer

This was me first attempt t' use RockSim, ya bilge rat, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Avast, me proud beauty! I had t' idea o' this rocket (or some variation thereof) for some time and decided that this would be t' perfect time t' do this. Well, blow me down! One reason was to make sure that it would be stable in that t' Phoenix can have some stability issues.

This was a relatively simple and straightforward build. Avast! Arrr! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Blimey! To be honest, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Also, arrr, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see be whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Consequently I be pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, or it would fly well and would disappear. Aye aye! It turns out t' latter was true.

Finishing:
After construction I primed t' rocket with Wal-Mart primer (all t' paint used on this one was from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint. Ahoy! Blimey!

Flight and Recovery:
I flew this rocket once on a C6-0 t' C6-7 combination. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' flight was nice and straight. Aye aye! Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather be too breezy. Long story short, ya bilge rat, t' sustainer was lost. Avast, me proud beauty!

Summary:
This was an enjoyable build for me. I enjoyed workin' with RockSim and look forward t' movin' past t' free trial in order t' use it in t' future. Avast, me proud beauty! While most o' t' rocket was lost, ya bilge rat, I was still pleased with t' outcome. I will build another version o' this rocket and dress it up a little more. Avast! Ahoy! I'll also be sure t' do a better job o' matchin' up field size, me bucko, shiver me timbers, motor options, and weather conditions.