| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
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, shiver me timbers, 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:
This was me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Begad! 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. Aye aye! One reason be 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. Ahoy! All o' t' construction be done with Elmer's wood glue. Well, matey, blow me down! To be honest, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! Also, ya bilge rat, 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! Consequently I be pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, me hearties, or it would fly well and would disappear. 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. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
Flight and Recovery:
I flew this rocket once on a C6-0 t' C6-7 combination. Avast! Blimey! T' flight was nice and straight. Unfortunately it went too high
and t' weather was too breezy. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Long story short, t' sustainer was lost. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Summary:
This was an enjoyable build for me. Ya scallywag! I enjoyed workin' with RockSim and look forward t' movin' past t' free trial in
order t' use it in t' future. Begad! While most o' t' rocket was lost, ya bilge rat, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I will build
another version o' this rocket and dress it up a little more. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I'll also be sure t' do a better job o' matchin' up field
size, motor options, matey, and weather conditions.
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