Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Begad! Ya scallywag! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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 hearties, 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. Aye aye! 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. Begad! One reason was 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Aye aye! Blimey! To be honest, t' quality o' this build be nay quite up t' me usual standards. I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Begad! Blimey! Also, me hearties, me hearties, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see was whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, shiver me timbers, or it would fly well and would disappear. Arrr! 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 was from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, shiver me timbers, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint. Arrr! Arrr!

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

Summary:
This was an enjoyable build for me. Arrr! 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! Blimey! While most o' t' rocket be lost, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Aye aye! 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.