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

Those are t' headlines on t' FlisKits Corona. Begad! T' Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, perhaps one would say, matey, futuristic, fin/ring-fin configuration. Avast! 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, arrr, arrr, givin' it a 42:1 length t' diameter ratio. Arrr! Way back when EMRR started t' site and was settin' up keywords, ya bilge rat, anythin' with a 30:1 and higher ratio was deemed a "longneck".

T' rocket includes two 17" long, shiver me timbers, 0.976" diameter, light brown paper body tube for t' main body and a 4 3/16" solid balsa nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' kits includes much more than enough 1/16" balsa fin stock t' cut out t' fins from and 2.18" long, 1.25" diameter ring-fin. Ahoy! T' motor mount consists o' one 18mm motor tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, a thrust ring, shiver me timbers, two centerin' rings and a motor hook. Begad! Avast! T' recovery system made up o' a 36" long, arrr, arrr, 1/8" wide, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, white elastic shock cord, a 3-fold paper mount, me bucko, and a plastic parachute that t' builder assembles. Ya scallywag! 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). However, this is complemented with a parts and tools needed list on t' back t' t' kit's placard. Begad! Ya scallywag! Also thar be a template page with a preflight checklist. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions include illustrations t' ensure success.

FlisKits calls this a Skill Level 2 kit. Aye aye! We agree.

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

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

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

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

Next, arrr, t' upper body tube is added usin' a 1" coupler.

Then, ya bilge rat, t' balsa fins are glued onto t' fin lines. Ya scallywag! They are aligned with t' bottom o' t' tube. Arrr! Arrr! T' launch lugs are also glued in place. Once all dry, shiver me timbers, t' ring-fin is glued in place.

T' last steps are t' attached t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone, arrr, matey, t' elastic shock cord t' t' eye-screw and t' 3-fold paper mount it t' t' inside o' t' upper body tube. Blimey! T' parachute is then assemble. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! My only nay here, is that FlisKits didn't indicate which parachute size t' assemble. Ahoy! T' plastic parachute sheet can make up a 16", 12" and 7½" parachute. 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, matey, then prime t' rocket prior t' painting.

I have been surprised with several days just at 50 degrees F, me hearties, so I have been able t' use me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! Then amazingly, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, on t' last day o' November, arrr, me bucko, it was warm enough t' paint. Ahoy! Blimey! I used Walmart Silver paint on t' whole body. Avast, me proud beauty! I let that dry for about 15 minutes, and hit is with a coat o' Walmart Clear Coat which protects t' silver. Begad! Blimey! Then after 2 hours, me hearties, I masked off everythin' except t' nose cone and ring-fin. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Arrr! Build sequence and quality/fit o' parts be excellent. Begad! Begad! Instructions are excellent. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! No decals and no pre-cut fins take away a bit. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' latter is never a problem for me, but some may nay like it. Aye aye! Blimey! If it keeps t' costs down, me hearties, then I can wield a hobby knife for some fin cutting. Ahoy! Aye aye!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' A8-3, arrr, 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, arrr, me hearties, me son and I went sleddin' and I be noticin' that thar was absolutely no wind. Aye aye! 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.

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 be very stable. Ahoy! Begad! T' Corona has a sleek, long profile design, ya bilge rat, so it gives an effortless-look t' its flying. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection be a bit before apogee. Recovery be good, but fast. Arrr! I should have selected a larger 'chute when cuttin' it out (see above).

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

Lookin' forward t' some C flights!

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

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