Brief:
T' Vulture is a BT-55 kit that flies on an 18mm motor with parachute recovery. T' kit art be t' usual high quality graphic that is a signature o' Squirrel Works kits. T' same goes with t' parts quality, arrr, which is excellent too. Flights are really spectacular. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' rocket is very fast and stable and looks great on t' pad.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-55 kraft main body tube
• 1 BNC-55 balsa nose cone
• 1 laser cut balsa fin sheet
• 1 standard 18mm motor mount kit with motor clip
• 1 standard 1/8" launch lug
• 1 screw eye
• 1 washer, me hearties, 1" steel (nose weight)
• 1 shock cord, 1/8" elastic
• 1 mylar parachute kit
• 1 canopy template
• 1 decal sheet, ya bilge rat, me hearties, water slide

I test fit all t' parts first and sanded for fit as needed, then sanded all the tubes and balsa, ya bilge rat, and filled t' nose cone usin' Elmer's Fill n Finish to get that all out o' t' way in t' beginning. Ya scallywag! T' body tube seams were hardly noticeable, so I didn't worry with fillin' them. Avast! T' wings come in two pieces and are separately glued together on t' body tube per t' instructions. However, arrr, I wanted t' paper t' fins, arrr, me bucko, so I put t' two pieces together first before gluin' t' t' rocket. Since t' parts are laser cut, these fit together very nicely. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! While that's drying, t' motor mount, which is a standard build, was constructed. After that, arrr, I filled t' joints in t' wings, me hearties, arrr, re-sanded them and then papered t' wings and fins.

Next, I inserted t' motor mount into t' tube. While that was drying, me hearties, I constructed t' shock cord attachment, epoxied t' washer onto t' base o' the nose cone, inserted t' screw eye, cut out t' markin' guide, me hearties, me hearties, and drew the alignment lines. Blimey! I used double glue joints t' attach t' wings and fins. Avast! Parts go on very nicely with this method and stay where you put them.

T' wings are glued on straight away from t' tube first, me hearties, then t' fins and launch lug are attached next. Blimey! After t' wings had dried, matey, I then put on t' wing fins. Avast! Once everythin' had dried, matey, I added fillets t' all o' t' joints. Then, me bucko, I cut t' cockpit out from t' template, folded it, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and glued it onto t' nose cone. I filled in around t' seams and "feathered" it into t' nose cone usin' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Ya scallywag! T' cockpit really adds a lot t' t' look of t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Lastly, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord mount and shock cord were installed and connected t' t' screw eye in t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! I added a six-inch length of Keelhaul®©™® to install in t' shock cord mount, me standard installation. Aye aye! I put CA around the forward end o' t' tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® at t' exit point t' protect against abrasion and added a loop at t' end of the Keelhaul®©™® to tie on t' 1/8" elastic cord. Arrr! Lastly, arrr, I put t' parachute together.

Finishing:
T' entire rocket be painted with Krylon light gray. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! I had gotten t' decals cut out while waitin' for t' wings and fins t' dry, so I be ready t' start applyin' those. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! They laid down nicely and look great. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket looked cool even before t' decals were applied, me hearties, but as each decal be placed, matey, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I be more and more impressed. Blimey! Next I applied a couple o' coats o' Future Floor Wax to protect t' finish and improve t' shine.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Before loadin' t' rocket on t' pad, I forgot t' orient t' nose cone properly. Ahoy! It's only off 180 degrees! I had a lot o' rockets t' fly, me hearties, arrr, so I only got in one flight on t' Vulture with a B6-4. Ya scallywag! T' winds were under 10mph. Begad! It was a perfect day for flying, arrr, nothin' but blue skies and soft dirt. Ahoy! T' rocket zoomed off t' pad straight as an arrow t' some serious altitude. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I was surprised at how smartly it got off t' pad and how high it went. Begad! Very nice! You'd better have plenty o' room for recovery if you intend t' put it up on the C6 motor.

Recovery:
T' chute popped just before apogee and landed perfectly. Fantastic!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5