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, ya bilge rat, arrr, which I saw for t' first time recently, me bucko, 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, scratch made
• elastic shock cord
• 2" x 24" plastic streamer

This be me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, arrr, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! 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. All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! To be honest, me bucko, me hearties, t' quality o' this build be nay quite up t' me usual standards. Avast! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, me hearties, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see be whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, or it would fly well and would disappear. It turns out t' latter be 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.

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

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