Brief:
Let me start by tellin' you that me Level 2 certi-fication flight be not successful. Begad! But that has nay deterred me from recommendin' this kit. The re-build was very successful and t' rocket re-built won Model o' t' month for the Novem-ber meetin' o' NIRA. Arrr! Blimey! With a few adjustments, matey, I know this model will make it durin' me second attempt. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Completed, me bucko, this model is quite impres-sive. Begad!

T' Velociraptor was nay only a challengin' rocket t' build it was a lot of fun. T' start, t' buyin' experience o' selectin' and orderin' through Binder Design be incredible. I ordered t' Velociraptor on-line on a Sunday and re-ceived it in t' mail on t' followin' Thursday. Ya scallywag! Blimey! You could tell I just bought a top shelf kit. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' packagin' be done with care. Aye aye! Blimey! Everythin' was wrapped individually and all o' t' parts were in place and in excellent condition. T' 11 page instruction manual with illustrations was very well thought out and easy t' follow. T' website is very well thought out and the and very easy t' order a number o' different kits and supplies. Begad! Blimey! This website is the best kept secret in Rocketry, arrr, t' buyin' experience alone scores a (5). Mike Fisher, shiver me timbers, t' owner o' Binder Design an-swered all o' me questions on e-mail or on t' phone. Aye aye! Blimey! He be very accessible. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Kit specifications:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, arrr, t' Velociraptor is a 4” diameter High Power Rocket with an aggressive look. Blimey! It comes with unique anti-zipper baffle design, matey, aluminum motor retainer, matey, and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your level one certification, ya bilge rat, then stick a J motor in it for your level two flight and watch it scream. Ahoy!

Kit included cut and sanded 3/16” aircraft quality plywood fins, high strength airframe tube and couplers, shiver me timbers, matey, centerin' rings, bulkhead plate, matey, matey, high quality hardware package, 54 mm motor tube, arrr, me bucko, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. A 45” premium nylon parachute was included. Well, blow me down!

Construction:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thor-ough, me hearties, all you need t' be able t' do is read left t' right. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! T' longest part o' this project be t' buildin' o' the aft section. Begad! Aye aye! With a boat tail as-sembly and 9 fins t' sand and align, shiver me timbers, the slower I went produced terrific results. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! As t' instruc-tions tell you, shiver me timbers, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. Arrr! A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, especially with t' talon fins. Ya scallywag!

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that was in-cluded with t' kit. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I am sold on these, shiver me timbers, arrr, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Sleek, ya bilge rat, easy, ya bilge rat, strong and better than maskin' tape. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This rocket also incorporated a Binder Baffle System, the first time that I had built and used a baffle. This also worked well.

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, arrr, but chose nay t' use it. Avast, me proud beauty! The rocket and can be built two ways, with or without t' bay. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I did nay feel that I was ready for t' electronics, but I now realize that if I am goin' t' play in t' higher power stuff, shiver me timbers, I am goin' t' have t' get involved with electronics.

I took me time and made sure that t' rocket was goin' t' be solid. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. Well, blow me down! So I built it strong. T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. loaded and ready t' go. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

Finishing:
I had built this stock, arrr, me bucko, arrr, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! After sandin' and prep, I applied two coats o' primer followed by three coats o' finishin' paint. Begad! Blimey! I used white high gloss paint for the aft section and Green Krylon for t' forward section. Ya scallywag! T' Nose cone was finished in silver. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Binder pro-vided excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give its great look. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Usin' me garage as me paint studio never sits well with my wife, but she has gotten use t' it. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey!

Flight:
My level 2 certification flight was set for WTGG in September. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I arrived at the field a late morn-ing, t' find that a lot o' people were lookin' for me; I had the only rail for t' launch. Aye aye! It became very popular that day. Ahoy! I checked in with every-one that was goin' t' help me with t' flight. Well, blow me down! After watchin' 4-6 flights t' gage t' wind, I started t' build t' J350W motor that I was gong to use.

As I said in t' first paragraph, this was nay a successful flight. When you start t' investigate why somethin' went wrong, shiver me timbers, here be me first mistake o' the day. T' motor came with a long delay. Begad! I be advised based on what Space Cad had recommended t' change t' a medium delay. Arrr! Goin' with t' medium delay led to a premature separation. Blimey! After talkin' t' Binder, t' long de-lay should have been t' choice. Arrr! Arrr! Space Cad does nay do a very good job when usin' boat tails. T' Rocket probably reached an altitude o' 3300-3500 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Where Space Cad had it topin' out at 2800 feet, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, this extra 500-700 feet be t' difference in comin' in perfect or with w 9 inch zipper. Well, matey, blow me down!

Back t' t' launch. Ya scallywag! As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, me bucko, and I believe this was t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. Ya scallywag! So it got a little o' attention. T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, matey, and we were readin' t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' wind was at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. Blimey! I adjusted t' angle o' t' pad t' take advantage o' the wind and t' try t' keep t' rocket out o' t' corn field.

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, arrr, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. It looked great. With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' chase be on. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Arrr! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. Aye aye! After two hours and a sec-ond attempt I be able t' recover the rocket with t' help o' a flag pole and walkin' talking. Ya scallywag!

I was very disappointed in findin' t' zipper damage. Arrr! I also lost two talon fins. Begad! When t' post opt be completed, we realized t' followin' things that could have lead t' a successful flight:

1. A Long delay. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, matey, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily.
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey!
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Summary:
T' next day I had e-mailed Mike Fisher at Binder and had t' parts that I needed t' rebuild t' rocket. Ya scallywag! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. Avast, me proud beauty! I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. I will continue t' learn and gain experience, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me. Blimey! Ahoy!

This is a great rocket, and I recommend it t' anyone. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' failed attempt was not that o' t' rocket, me bucko, but a lack o' experience – I know I won’t make t' same mistakes again.