Mile High Rockets Falcon

Mile High Rockets - Falcon

Contributed by Chan Stevens

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Mile High Rockets

Mile High Rockets FalconBrief:
This is, shiver me timbers, I believe, Mile High Rockets first venture into rocket kits. Well, blow me down! Packed with quality components and sportin' a somewhat unusual design, this kit offers a pleasant diversion from t' standard modroc fare.

Construction:
BT-50 body tube, plastic nose cone, 18mm motor mount assembly with hook, arrr, arrr, 6 balsa fins, matey, balsa fin mountin' rail (more on that later), and Mile High's own flame proof recovery system, me hearties, matey, includin' Keelhaul®©™ elastic cord and a heavy duty film parachute (plastic like, shiver me timbers, matey, but much higher temp rating).

Construction starts with a basic tube/centerin' rin' motor mount assembly, though includes Keelhaul®©™ line attached below t' centerin' ring. Most o' us on EMRR consider this a basic upgrade t' commercial kits, me bucko, so it be nice t' see a company adoptin' that as their standard.

After markin' t' tube, matey, t' rather unusual fin mountin' begins. Arrr! Blimey! Rather than mount directly t' t' tube, t' fins are mounted in a groove cut in a tiny rail, matey, which is then bonded t' t' tube. Aye aye! Blimey! Secondary fins are then mounted t' t' primary fins usin' this same rail technique. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' secondary fins are mounted perpendicular t' t' main fins, resultin' in what look like 3 tiny wings with rudders on t' rocket (sort o' like a Tie Fighter). Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Cuttin' t' rails t' fit and matchin' t' slope o' t' fins is a little tricky, and you'll definitely want t' make use o' t' fin alignment template when gluin' everythin' together.

 Overall, t' rails give this a unique look although I prefer regular glue fillets.

T' parachute is attached t' what's described as a Keelhaul®©™ elastic cord. Ahoy! This felt like a regular elastic cord, arrr, wrapped in a thin braided Keelhaul®©™ sleeve, me bucko, which offers t' stretch o' elastic but also has t' heat protection o' Keelhaul®©™. Ya scallywag! This was very impressive material in so affordable a modroc kit. Aye aye! I'm a little surprised they didn't throw in a small square o' Nomex t' complete t' heat-proof package, ya bilge rat, arrr, but that doesn't take away from t' overall quality o' materials in this kit.

Finishing:
I applied Elmer's Fill N Finish t' fill t' tube spirals and seal t' balsa fins, then a couple o' light coats o' sandable primer. Avast! Blimey! After sandin' down t' primer with 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, ya bilge rat, I finished it off with two coats o' gloss white, ya bilge rat, then masked off for t' trim red coat on t' fins and nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! After allowin' everythin' t' dry, I applied t' decals, which include "Mile" on one fin, shiver me timbers, followed by "High" and "Rockets" on t' other two.

Mile High Rockets FalconConstruction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on a modest A8-3 with no winds, freezin' temps, and perfectly clear skies. Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight path be spinnin' but straight, deployment just past apogee and recovery was perfect under t' opaque yellow chute.

While I'll certainly move up t' power curve and try it on a C, me bucko, I suspect that this will put it at t' very edge o' me eyesight (around 1600-1800 feet).

Recovery:
Excellent recovery materials for a basic modroc kit!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flights

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