Brief:
T' Vulture is a BT-55 kit that flies on an 18mm motor with parachute recovery. T' kit art be t' usual high quality graphic that is a signature o' Squirrel Works kits. Arrr! T' same goes with t' parts quality, ya bilge rat, which is excellent too. Flights are really spectacular. Begad! T' rocket is very fast and stable and looks great on t' pad.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-55 kraft main body tube
• 1 BNC-55 balsa nose cone
• 1 laser cut balsa fin sheet
• 1 standard 18mm motor mount kit with motor clip
• 1 standard 1/8" launch lug
• 1 screw eye
• 1 washer, 1" steel (nose weight)
• 1 shock cord, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, 1/8" elastic
• 1 mylar parachute kit
• 1 canopy template
• 1 decal sheet, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, water slide

I test fit all t' parts first and sanded for fit as needed, matey, shiver me timbers, then sanded all the tubes and balsa, and filled t' nose cone usin' Elmer's Fill n Finish to get that all out o' t' way in t' beginning. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' body tube seams were hardly noticeable, so I didn't worry with fillin' them. Ahoy! Blimey! T' wings come in two pieces and are separately glued together on t' body tube per t' instructions. However, me hearties, I wanted t' paper t' fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so I put t' two pieces together first before gluin' t' t' rocket. Ahoy! Begad! Since t' parts are laser cut, these fit together very nicely. Begad! While that's drying, me hearties, t' motor mount, which is a standard build, was constructed. Aye aye! After that, ya bilge rat, I filled t' joints in t' wings, re-sanded them and then papered t' wings and fins.

Next, I inserted t' motor mount into t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! While that was drying, I constructed t' shock cord attachment, me bucko, shiver me timbers, epoxied t' washer onto t' base o' the nose cone, inserted t' screw eye, cut out t' markin' guide, me hearties, and drew the alignment lines. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used double glue joints t' attach t' wings and fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Parts go on very nicely with this method and stay where you put them.

T' wings are glued on straight away from t' tube first, arrr, shiver me timbers, then t' fins and launch lug are attached next. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' wings had dried, I then put on t' wing fins. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Once everythin' had dried, arrr, I added fillets t' all o' t' joints. Begad! Then, I cut t' cockpit out from t' template, me hearties, folded it, and glued it onto t' nose cone. Begad! I filled in around t' seams and "feathered" it into t' nose cone usin' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Ya scallywag! T' cockpit really adds a lot t' t' look of t' rocket. Lastly, t' shock cord mount and shock cord were installed and connected t' t' screw eye in t' nose cone. I added a six-inch length of Keelhaul®©™® to install in t' shock cord mount, ya bilge rat, me standard installation. Aye aye! I put CA around the forward end o' t' tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® at t' exit point t' protect against abrasion and added a loop at t' end of the Keelhaul®©™® to tie on t' 1/8" elastic cord. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Lastly, shiver me timbers, matey, I put t' parachute together.

Finishing:
T' entire rocket was painted with Krylon light gray. Avast! Ahoy! I had gotten t' decals cut out while waitin' for t' wings and fins t' dry, so I was ready t' start applyin' those. Avast! They laid down nicely and look great. Begad! Begad! T' rocket looked cool even before t' decals were applied, but as each decal was placed, I be more and more impressed. Next I applied a couple o' coats o' Future Floor Wax to protect t' finish and improve t' shine.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Before loadin' t' rocket on t' pad, me bucko, matey, I forgot t' orient t' nose cone properly. Ya scallywag! It's only off 180 degrees! I had a lot o' rockets t' fly, so I only got in one flight on t' Vulture with a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! T' winds were under 10mph. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It was a perfect day for flying, me hearties, nothin' but blue skies and soft dirt. T' rocket zoomed off t' pad straight as an arrow t' some serious altitude. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I was surprised at how smartly it got off t' pad and how high it went. Avast, me proud beauty! Very nice! You'd better have plenty o' room for recovery if you intend t' put it up on the C6 motor.

Recovery:
T' chute popped just before apogee and landed perfectly. Fantastic!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5