| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Brief
Everyone has seen this kit at one time or another, and maybe even considered buyin' one. I actually pulled t' trigger. Pitsco is an educational supplier that produces two different solid fuel rocket kits, this one, ya bilge rat, and another that is a more complicated build that involves makin' your own body tube. What I got was an unimpressive collection o' pieces that produced a rocket that was somethin' like an Estes Mini Bertha. What I wound up with be a credible rocket that surprised me by lookin' and performin' much better than I ever expected.
Components
- Plastic BT-50 nose cone
- BT-50 body tube
- cardboard fin stock
- 18mm motor mount
- 12" parachute kit
- Sewin' elastic shock cord
- Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
Construction
As beginner's kits go, matey, this one is a step above t' semi RTF kits that show up in starter sets. Or a step below. Nay sure where t' cardboard fin stock rates in t' skill lever tier, but since Centuri made avast with it for years I'm goin' t' say a step up. 3fnc construction be accomplished with wood glue. I added Keelhaul®©™ t' t' recovery system because it's what I do.
Finishing
Since t' fins are cardstock, t' amount o' tube spiral killin' you'll need t' do is a personal choice. I went with a double round o' primer with sandin' in between. T' spirals weren't very visible anyway. From thar I painted t' nose cone metallic red and sprayed t' whole body gloss black, me hearties, then silver. T' body tube was then masked off and t' fins were again sprayed gloss black. I felt like I had t' do it this way because I had doubts about t' fins standin' up t' maskin' tape. I added a US AIR FORCE decal from a generic decal sheet that I'd had sittin' around for a while. Gotta let them know what team you're on.
Flight
No quibbles here. First time out I loaded t' Synergy with a C6-5 and flew it nekkid, without even primer. T' flight was at a WSR section launch in Dayton, OH, arrr, and I made sure it be known that t' flight be a paint qualifier, and qualify it did. It left t' pad in a rush and t' flight topped out very close t' t' 1000' mark, me bucko, ya bilge rat, seemingly without effort. T' Pitsco chute brought it back t' t' field behind t' mid power pads, ya bilge rat, arrr, quite close considerin' t' altitude.
Second flight was a post-paint flight at B6-4 Field, one o' me pandemic launches. Since it was a small field launch, me bucko, I chose an A8-3 for t' flight. It left t' pad and windcocked slightly t' t' right, t' parachute ejectin' just as it tipped over around t' 250' mark. I'd forgotten t' pull t' chute out before t' flight and t' fact that it had been shut up in t' body tube caused a parawad recovery. It recovered sideways, hit t' grass behind shortstop and bounced without damage. A straight on hit on t' fins may have caused some damage, so it be a lucky landing.
Recovery
Summary
Pros: Cheap, fire and forget type o' rocket.
Cons: Cheap, matey, fire and forget type o' rocket.
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