Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, shiver me timbers, which I saw for t' first time recently, me hearties, 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 was me first attempt t' use RockSim, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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! Arrr! 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. Arrr! Begad! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Avast! Arrr! To be honest, shiver me timbers, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. Begad! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, ya bilge rat, 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! Aye aye! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, ya bilge rat, or it would fly well and would disappear. Aye aye! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' flight was nice and straight. Ahoy! Begad! Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather was too breezy. Well, blow me down! Long story short, t' sustainer was lost. Avast! Blimey!

Summary:
This was an enjoyable build for me. Well, blow me down! Begad! I enjoyed workin' with RockSim and look forward t' movin' past t' free trial in order t' use it in t' future. Avast! While most o' t' rocket was lost, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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, motor options, and weather conditions.