Brief:
T' Estes Sky Raider be among a handful o' D-powered rockets that I always longed for as a kid. Avast! (T' Renegade and Demon were two others.) I loved it's size and t' cool lightnin' bolt inspired decals. Blimey! Back then I also loved the idea o' flyin' D-powered birds but nay t' economics. Avast! I was subsistin' on a meager allowance and a pack o' C6-5s took a pretty big chunk out o' that, so I left t' D-powered stuff alone. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! With motors and, arrr, more importantly, motor cash in more plentiful supply these days, I've begun t' clone as many o' t' older D kits as time permits. Blimey! T' Estes Goblin became me first D-powered clone, but the Sky Raider was a close second. Avast! Blimey!

Construction:
Sky Raider plans are available here

• 27" BT-55 body tube from Totally Tubular
• 2.75" BT-50 engine tube from Totally Tubular
• EH-2 engine hook
• 3 AR-5055 centerin' rings from a Red Arrow Hobbies assortment
• AR-2050 engine block/centerin' rin' from Red Arrow Hobbies assortment
• PNC-55AC nose cone from Hobbylinc
• medium snap swivel
• 36" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 3" x 3" square o' Keelhaul®©™® Perma-Wadding
• 36" o' 1/8" sewin' elastic for shock cord
• 12" nylon chute
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 2 launch lugs
• decal sheet

While it's good looks are what initially attracted me t' t' Sky Raider, me bucko, arrr, t' simplicity o' t' design was what made this project as enjoyable as I found it t' be. Arrr! Begad! Basically a long, arrr, lean 4FNC rocket, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' Sky Raider was initially built as a payload capable rocket with an 18" and 9" BT-55 joined by a balsa nose block. Avast! Since it is now illegal t' launch any living creatures as payload fodder, shiver me timbers, a lot o' t' fun has gone out o' it, so I chose to rid me clone o' it's payload section and make t' entire body from one 27" length o' Totally Tubular BT-55. Begad! This simplified construction somewhat without sacrificin' t' lines o' t' original rocket. Ahoy! T' look at it, matey, me hearties, you'd never know I made t' switch. Aye aye!

Aside from this, t' only changes I made were t' obligatory addition of Keelhaul®©™® to t' recovery system, and addin' a third AR-5055 centerin' rin' t' act as a hold down for t' engine hook. T' Keelhaul®©™® was installed as usual, me bucko, ya bilge rat, by tyin' a knot in one end and slippin' it betwixt the forward centerin' rin' and t' motor tube. When securely held in place with wood glue, this gives t' rocket a much stronger anchor point than the traditional Estes paper mount and keeps t' elastic shock cord well out o' the way o' t' hot ejection gases. When combined with t' square o' Keelhaul®©™® Perma-Wadding, t' recovery system is almost foolproof.

Finishing:
Finishin' was greatly simplified by t' replacement o' t' balsa fins with stronger basswood. While strength is one advantage o' basswood, ya bilge rat, t' bigger advantage is probably achieved in finishing. Avast! T' tighter grain o' t' basswood makes for a much easier finishin' experience as t' fins are filled t' a glass smooth finish after only two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill n Finish. Aye aye! This was also used on t' body tube spirals and despite t' LONG strokes needed to properly sand t' body tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' process was greatly simplified overall. Begad! Once the body was sanded t' near "perfection", I sprayed t' whole thing with two coats o' Valspar primer, arrr, sandin' lightly betwixt each coat. Begad! I then sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar gloss white before maskin' t' top of the rocket for it's coat o' Valspar gloss black, matey, matey, and maskin' t' bottom for it's coat o' Valspar Apple Red. T' whole thin' came out lookin' as close to the catalog photo as I dared hope. Ya scallywag! I made t' decals usin' BelDecal ink jet paper and me HP printer and they came out lookin' great. Begad! After applyin' the decals, me bucko, I sprayed t' entire rocket with a coat o' clear acrylic. Begad! Once this was dry, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, all that was left t' do was fly it.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight #1 be on an Estes D12-7 in mild winds. Ahoy! Blimey! At lift-off, arrr, t' Sky Raider fired straight and true, me hearties, coastin' upward for what seemed like forever before the ejection charge fired. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It drifted only slightly in t' light winds and nearly landed on a Subaru that was parked behind t' flight line, shiver me timbers, also just missin' t' dreaded access road that has claimed more than one o' me rockets. Flight #2 was in heavier winds on 4th o' July weekend. With t' pad pointed well into t' wind t' compensate for t' unavoidable drift t' come, t' rocket again had an impressive flight on a D12-7. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! After coastin' out toward the southern edge o' t' park, it came screamin' back in across t' flight line, clearin' us by well over a hundred feet. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It landed well back in t' cat tails, and like a genius I had worn shorts. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Flight #3 be t' best overall flight and almost as importantly it gave me t' best launch picture. Blimey! Blimey! Flyin' in near calm conditions on a D12-5, shiver me timbers, t' Sky Raider ejected it's chute just as it's forward motion stopped, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a picture perfect recovery. Arrr! Blimey! Then t' top t' flight off, it landed just a few feet off o' a newly mown path off t' t' right side o' the VOA field. Blimey! Blimey! Recoveries should always be that easy. Avast! Blimey!

Recovery:
With three feet o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord tied and glued securely in behind t' forward centerin' rin' and another three feet o' 1/8" sewin' elastic on t' nose cone end, I feel like I can rest easy as far as t' recovery system is concerned. Blimey! Call it overkill, but t' body tube has t' space t' carry t' extra shock cord. Avast! A sheet o' Perma-Waddin' keeps t' whole system addlepate proof as I have occasionally been known t' forget t' dog barf. Avast! Begad! I have swapped out t' traditional 18" Estes parachute for a smaller 12" nylon chute that came in a box o' eBay winnings. So far it has been more than adequate, especially showin' it's value in heavy winds. Well, blow me down! T' only problem with this smaller chute might be t' speed with which t' rocket comes in, but with t' bulk o' VOA covered by heavy overgrowth, arrr, this would probably only be a problem if t' Sky Raider lands on the access road, matey, and damage is inevitable no matter how big your chute is in that case.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
From a performance standpoint, t' Sky Raider has turned out t' be everythin' I had hoped it would be. Begad! Definitely nay a small field flier, I've only flown it durin' QUARK launches at VOA Park. Ahoy! While t' field at VOA isn't without it's hazards, arrr, it does have a large amount o' open land for a comparatively high flyin' bird like this one t' recover. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Sky Raider is another example of Estes doin' it right back in t' day. Begad!

PRO'S: Vintage looks, arrr, ease o' construction, and D-powered flights are always cool.

CON'S: None. All parts are readily available t' clone this classic.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5