Brief
Paper shroud construction and dual chute recovery.

Construction
This was t' first Quest kit I have built and was pleased with almost all aspects. Aye aye! T' kit came in t' common bag; no parts were missin' or broken. Arrr! Begad! This kit is a finless, ya bilge rat, Skill Level 3 features paper shroud construction and dual 12-inch parachute recovery. Begad! More on t' 'chutes later.

T' instructions were easy t' follow and assembly, shiver me timbers, usin' white glue throughout, went very smoothly, arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' build be surprisingly quick. Well, blow me down! T' framework out o' stiff cardboard went together well and t' dry fittin' showed a well-manufactured kit. T' first thin' be t' paper shroud comes rolled up. This needs t' be flattened out. Aye aye! I accomplished this with a couple o' phone books and about 1/2-hour time. Aye aye! Begad! This left just enough curl t' help in t' assembly latter.

T' only difficult part was t' markin' o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' black tube did nay show t' lines very well, nay a problem, matey, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a sharp crayon works wonders.

I really liked t' shock cord attachment with t' Keelhaul®©™cord tied t' t' motor mount. I test fitted this and made sure that t' Keelhaul®©™was even with t' end o' t' body tube. Then I tied t' elastic as shown. Begad! I hoped that this would keep t' tube from zippering.

I added t' clay for t' nose weight as shown, with very little effort. Avast, me proud beauty! After addin' t' weight I decided against usin' only one 'chute and built t' recovery system as directed.

Take t' time t' carefully cut t' shroud out, shiver me timbers, matey, this makes t' fittin' o' t' assembly with t' double stick tape conceals t' seam easier. Ahoy! T' instructions come t' a point o' addin' t' maneuverin' flaps and nozzles for display only. I deviated here. Arrr! After I had it finished, it looked t' me as if somethin' was missing. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I added t' nozzles. Begad! Ahoy! Rappin' t' cutouts around a pencil I acquired t' correct shape. After gluin' t' nozzles in place I could see that they were out o' line o' t' exhaust o' t' motor.

Finishing
There is no finishin' t' be done as t' shroud is preprint, me bucko, but t' decals leave somethin' t' be desired. Arrr! They are self-adhesive and on an opaque (white) backing. Ahoy! T' picture card with t' kit shows t' letterin' directly on t' gray body. Blimey! Begad! T' nose cone letterin' was on a black background and with careful trimmin' came out lookin' good. Aye aye! T' US flags I was able t' trim close enough t' make them work. Begad! As for t' USA, well… I had decals left over from a kit bash o' a 2 stage Estes Nike-Arrow so I made t' USA from that.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight
T' first flight was on February 7, arrr, arrr, arrr, 1999 at a C.R.A.S.H. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! launch in Denver. Blimey! T' only recommended motor is a C6-3. Begad! T' prep is standard, me hearties, waddin' and recovery system. Aye aye! As I loaded t' Space Clipper on t' pad I got more questions than ever. Begad! T' flight was better than I imagined. T' DC-Y lifted off with a slow assent, matey, and rose close t' t' estimated height o' 200 ft. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' delay be just about right. Begad! Aye aye! T' second flight be straight and true. Begad! Begad! T' next chance I had t' fly be at a C.R.A.S.H. launch in Denver on March 7, matey, 1999 and again t' flight was great.

Recovery
Recovery be another story. Aye aye! Avast! On t' first flight t' nose cone came down on it 'chute openin' cleanly, me hearties, me bucko, t' body on t' other hand returned on wad recovery. T' Clipper was nay damaged, but I had t' try again. Aye aye! T' Keelhaul®©™® was blackened, but no damage be observed. Avast! Figurin' that t' stiff Quest 'chute was t' culprit, ya bilge rat, I pulled an Estes 12 inch 'chute out me range box. Avast, me proud beauty! T' second flight was a duplicate o' t' first. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' body is just too light t' fully deploy t' 'chute. T' third flight I replaced t' "chute with a 3 ft Mylar streamer. Begad! Avast! I think I have t' streamer just t' right length. Blimey! It brought t' body down more gently and it landed near t' pads without a thud.

Flight I give a 5. Recovery built as instructed 1, ya bilge rat, however, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, with t' recovery modification a 3.

Flight Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Summary
Overall this is a great kit. Ahoy! Blimey! I really enjoy watchin' it fly and has become one o' me favorites. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! For t' price, I paid $12.95 at a local hobby shop; it is a good value. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I like that it is different. Blimey! Replacin' t' body 'chute with a streamer makes me feel better about havin' t' DC-Y Space Clipper for a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5