Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. 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, 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 be me first attempt t' use RockSim, matey, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Well, blow me down! 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, me bucko, blow me down! One reason be to make sure that it would be stable in that t' Phoenix can have some stability issues.

This be a relatively simple and straightforward build. Avast! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! To be honest, arrr, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. Avast! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Also, shiver me timbers, matey, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see was whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, matey, me bucko, or it would fly well and would disappear. Begad! Blimey! 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 be from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

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

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. Arrr! Blimey! While most o' t' rocket be lost, matey, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I will build another version o' this rocket and dress it up a little more. I'll also be sure t' do a better job o' matchin' up field size, me hearties, me bucko, motor options, shiver me timbers, and weather conditions.