"Futuristic Starship Design"
"Long, shiver me timbers, matey, sleek appearance"
"Highly stable for fantastic flights!"
"Wind cheatin' design for extreme altitudes!"

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. Begad! Begad! T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, arrr, perhaps one would say, futuristic, fin/ring-fin configuration. It has a nice "sleek" appear because t' fins are nay wide, even after bein' surrounded by t' ring-fin.

T' Corona is classified by EMRR as a "longneck" because it has a 0.976" diameter and is 41.0" long, shiver me timbers, matey, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Way back when EMRR started t' site and was settin' up keywords, arrr, anythin' with a 30:1 and higher ratio was deemed a "longneck".

T' rocket includes two 17" long, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 0.976" diameter, ya bilge rat, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. Arrr! T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, matey, me hearties, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Begad! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, me hearties, a thrust ring, me bucko, me bucko, shiver me timbers, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, 1/8" wide, matey, white elastic shock cord, arrr, a 3-fold paper mount, ya bilge rat, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Avast, me proud beauty! Lastly t' kit includes two 1/8" diameter launch lugs.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single page o' 8½ x 11" paper (folded in thirds for a nice 6-page instruction set). Begad! However, ya bilge rat, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. Arrr! T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

FlisKits calls this a Skill Level 2 kit. We agree.

T' motor mount is built first. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is fairly typical with t' motor hook bein' held in place with maskin' tape. Blimey! Blimey! You have t' cut a section out o' t' lower centerin' rin' (cardboard) t' allow for t' motor hook.

T' fins are next. Avast, me proud beauty! After cuttin' out t' cardstock templates and tracin' them on t' balsa stock, shiver me timbers, they are cut out usin' a sharp hobby cutlass. Begad! There are three upper and three lower sections for t' fins. Well, blow me down! These are then airfoiled and an upper is glued t' a lower t' make up a single fin. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! This is repeated for all t' fins.

Next, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' body tube is marked usin' a cardstock fin markin' guide. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Lines are extended on t' tube. I used t' door jam method.

T' motor mount is then slide into t' lower body tube (the one just marked). Ahoy! It protrudes by 1/4". Well, blow me down! This step is important because dependin' on your glue (white or wood) you could get it stuck. Begad! It has t' be a smooth and quick motion t' get t' motor tube in without issue. Blimey! T' instructions are clear on this.

Next, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' upper body tube is added usin' a 1" coupler.

Then, t' balsa fins are glued onto t' fin lines. Aye aye! They are aligned with t' bottom o' t' tube. Well, blow me down! T' launch lugs are also glued in place. Aye aye! Aye aye! Once all dry, me bucko, me hearties, t' ring-fin is glued in place.

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Arrr! T' parachute is then assemble. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! My only nay here, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Arrr! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. Ya scallywag! I chose t' 7½" parachute since I anticipate fairly high flights.

FlisKits gives some basic finishin' guidance includin' sealin' t' balsa with 2-3 coats o' sandin' sealer, me hearties, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

I have been surprised with several days just at 50 degrees F, shiver me timbers, so I have been able t' use me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. Then amazingly, me bucko, on t' last day o' November, shiver me timbers, it was warm enough t' paint. Aye aye! I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. Blimey! I let that dry for about 15 minutes, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Then after 2 hours, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I painted them with Walmart Fire Red paint on t' whole body (additional comments about Walmart paint).

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts was excellent. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Instructions are excellent. Aye aye! No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. T' latter is never a problem for me, me hearties, but some may nay like it. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! If it keeps t' costs down, me hearties, then I can wield a hobby cutlass for some fin cutting. Ahoy!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, B6-4, C6-5, and D10-5 motors.

FlisKits indicates that t' rocket should weigh 1.66 ounces.

My finished rocket weighed in at 1.7 ounces.

On December 29th, me son and I went sleddin' and I be noticin' that thar was absolutely no wind. Avast! Since I was fortunate enough t' get t' rocket painted on t' last day o' November, I decided I should try t' fly it as well. Begad! Ya scallywag!

So we packed up a couple o' rockets and went for a few quick launches.

I used 3 sheets o' Estes waddin' and then loaded an A8-3. T' flight has nice altitude and it was very stable. Avast! T' Corona has a sleek, ya bilge rat, long profile design, me bucko, arrr, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Begad! Aye aye! Ejection was a bit before apogee. Aye aye! Recovery was good, but fast. Ya scallywag! I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

Second flight was on a B6-4. Begad! Zipped off t' pad and went quite high. Avast! Ya scallywag! Nay a single wiggle or spin... Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! straight as an arrow (as t' sayin' goes). Ahoy! Blimey! Ejection be again a bit early, however, no damage. Begad! Arrr! Recovered without problem.

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. Sleek and low profile gives this rocket a nice look. It is a very stable rocket. Begad! Recovery system is fine, matey, but I would go with a larger parachute than what I picked.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Avast, me proud beauty! This longneck is more than 3-fins-and-a-nose cone utilizin' a ring-fin for looks and stability. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Nice rocket. Blimey! Let's get some decals and really turn it into a 5. Fliskits has made a "baffle" available for this kit, me bucko, matey, which I would have bought had it been available back when I purchased it. Ahoy!