Brief:
T' Sunward Flyin' Umbrella is a very high drag rocket that looks like, me hearties, well, an umbrella and flies like one too. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' "rocket" uses a parachute for recovery, but that might nay really be needed. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It does nay go very high and it comes down slowly.

Construction:
T' rocket comes with a single body tube, matey, 8 fin struts, 8 umbrella panels, arrr, nose cone, parachute, and 24mm motor mount. Avast! T' parts are laser cut and typical construction quality.

I won 2 Sunward rockets in a contest. I chose t' Flyin' Umbrella and Khufu's Pyramid. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' "rocket" construction is pretty straightforward. It is listed as a level 3 rocket and I would agree. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions are nice and helpful. Well, blow me down! T' 8 "fins" were actually pretty easy t' attach. Avast, me proud beauty! I used Quick Dry Tacky Glue and they went on with no problem.

T' umbrella panels are thin and a little fragile, me hearties, but they were glued in place with little trouble. Blimey! Aye aye! I was a little worried that they would nay be strong enough, but t' have survived t' flights with no problem.

T' shock cord might be a little short. Ahoy! If I had it t' do over again, I would use a longer one.

There are no "gotchas" if you follow t' directions.

Finishing:
T' paint scheme that I chose made t' finishin' a little time consumin' as I wanted t' make t' Flyin' Umbrella look like an umbrella. I chose red and white for t' umbrella panels. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I had some blue paint layin' around and it was July 4th so I decided t' finish t' rocket red, shiver me timbers, white and blue.

It is a little hard t' sand t' primer coat. Well, matey, blow me down! There are a lot o' surfaces you have t' sand because with 8 fins, me hearties, arrr, you have 16 surfaces and thar be also a top and bottom on t' umbrella panels t' sand. Begad! Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Everyone who had seen t' Flyin' Umbrella said pretty much t' same thing, "That is nay goin' too high!" Everyone was correct. Begad! T' motor of choice be t' D12-3. Blimey! T' rocket struggled t' get 60' in t' air. Begad! It arched over and was halfway down before t' ejection charge went off.

T' rocket was upside down at this time and t' parachute did nay have time to open, me hearties, however, shiver me timbers, t' fall did nay do any damage t' t' rocket. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! A D12-0 might be a good choice as t' 3 second delay was too long.

I might try t' get some D11-P motors, use a foam nosecone, ya bilge rat, and just let the umbrella float down. Begad! Blimey! I might even look t' use an F12 reload in t' Flying Umbrella.

Recovery:
Recovery was nay exactly what I expected. Well, blow me down! T' rocket was upside down when the ejection charge went off and t' parachute did nay have time t' catch any air or open.

Click here for a video o' t' launch.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Flyin' Umbrella is a good high drag design. Avast! It was used in a demonstration launch for some middle school kids, ya bilge rat, was fun t' build, me bucko, and should be t' focus of attention at any launch.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5